Japan’s Favorite Boutique Winery Hosts Berkeley Pop-Up Nov. 14
Broc Cellars, the tiny Berkeley natural winemaker that Japanese wine fans know from the manga The Drops of God, hosts a free-entry Japanese pop-up party on Saturday, November 14, with four food vendors and its holiday wine releases.
Broc Cellars, Japan's favorite boutique winery, will host a Japanese pop-up party from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 1300 5th St. in Berkeley, California. The event celebrates the winery's holiday wine release.
Admission is free with the purchase of a beverage. Wine by the glass costs $15, and non-alcoholic options will be available.
The tiny natural winemaker never set out to win a following in Japan. That changed in 2018, when it appeared in the popular wine manga The Drops of God.
Japanese wine lovers soon bought up almost as many bottles of Broc's Vine Starr Zinfandel, the wine featured in the manga, as the winery could produce. Broc now sells merchandise printed with the phrase "Got Grapes?" in Japanese katakana characters. Visitors from Japan regularly make a pilgrimage to the West Berkeley tasting room.
"The real faithful manga lovers, they make a journey to visit all of the wineries [from Drops of God]," said Bridget Leary, Broc's general manager. Her partner, Chris Brockway, is the winery's founder and winemaker.
Four food vendors
Four vendors, all frequent Broc collaborators, will serve food on Saturday. Daruma Kiosk, a takoyaki tent, headlines. The San Francisco Chronicle once called it a purveyor of some of the region's "most delicious" Japanese food.
Leary met Daruma chef Sanae Shikayama when both were on the opening team at Liholiho Yacht Club. She said Daruma's onigiri, rice balls, are "insane."
Chef K, the catering side business of Ippuku chef Koji Umemura, will serve yakitori and oden. Casa de Kei will offer chirashi sushi bowls. Pop-up bakery Not Too Sweet will bring Japanese-inspired treats.
Why the wines suit the food
Leary said the manga's writers grasped that Broc's wines pair well with Japanese food. "Our wines aren't oaked; they aren't high in alcohol. There's a purity to them," she said.
None of the wines "fight against" delicate flavors such as sushi, she said. They also bring out the umami at the center of much Japanese cuisine.
The holiday releases include a sparkling Chenin Blanc, which Leary called "a great party starter." She described the Michael Mara Chardonnay as a "go-to if you're having a chirashi bowl." The Nouveau, she said, makes umami-based dishes like takoyaki "really pop."
Guests can leaf through a copy of the specific Drops of God volume that features the winery. Two vintages of Broc's Vine Starr Zinfandel will be on sale.
