Broc Cellars has leaned into its Japanese connection after a manga helped the winery build an unexpected cult following.
Nov 12, 2026
Updated 1:57 pm PT
A spread of Japanese street food dishes, courtesy of Daruma Kiosk, at a previous pop-up event at Broc Cellars. The Berkeley winery has leaned into its popularity among Japanese wine lovers. (Courtesy of Broc Cellars)
Broc Cellars didn’t necessarily set out to become one of Japan’s favorite Bay Area wineries.
But in 2018, a surprise appearance in the popular wine manga The Drops of God propelled the tiny, Berkeley-based natural winemaker to newfound celebrity status. Soon, Japanese oenophiles were buying up almost as many bottles of Broc’s Vine Starr Zinfandel, the specific wine featured in the manga, as the winery could produce. Today, Broc sells merch with the phrase “Got Grapes?” written in Japanese katakana characters. And travelers from Japan routinely make a special pilgrimage to the winery’s West Berkeley tasting room, eagerly snapping photos and, of course, buying a bottle or two at the source.
“The real faithful manga lovers, they make a journey to visit all of the wineries [from Drops of God],” says Broc general manager Bridget Leary, whose partner Chris Brockway is the winery’s founder and winemaker.
It makes sense, then, that Broc has leaned into its Japanese connection, frequently hosting yakitori and sushi pop-ups on its handsome outdoor patio. This Saturday will be one of the liveliest examples yet, as Broc celebrates this year’s holiday wine release with a full-on Japanese pop-up party.
According to Leary, the broader point the Drops of God writers understood was that Broc’s wines really do go exceptionally well with Japanese food.
“Our wines aren’t oaked; they aren’t high in alcohol. There’s a purity to them,” she explains. None of their wines “fight against” foods that have a delicate flavor, like sushi. And they’re all exceptionally good at bringing out the umami central to so much Japanese cuisine.
For Saturday’s party, four food vendors — all frequent Broc collaborators — will be featured. Together, they constitute some of the most exciting pop-up and street food businesses in the Bay Area’s Japanese food scene today. The San Francisco Chronicle once declared takoyaki tent Daruma Kiosk the purveyor of some of the region’s “most delicious” Japanese food. Leary, who met chef Sanae Shikayama when the two were part of the opening team at Liholiho Yacht Club, says Daruma’s onigiri, in particular, are second to none: “They’re just insane.”
Saturday’s food lineup will also include yakitori and oden from Chef K, Ippuku chef Koji Umemura’s catering side hustle, and chirashi sushi bowls by Casa de Kei. And pop-up bakery Not Too Sweet will be on hand with an assortment of (not too) sweet Japanese-inspired treats.
For fans of Broc Cellars’ wines, the holiday releases are reason enough to come out and celebrate, whether it be the winery’s sparkling Chenin Blanc (“a great party starter,” Leary says), the uncommonly bright Michael Mara Chardonnay (a “go-to if you’re having a chirashi bowl”) or the Nouveau (which makes “umami-based dishes” like takoyaki really pop).
Devotees of the manga, as well as new visitors just learning about Broc’s comics-fueled fame, will be able to thumb through a copy of that specific volume of The Drops of God. And for those who want to taste the Zinfandel that started it all, two vintages of Broc’s Vine Starr will be available for purchase too.
Broc Cellars’ Japanese Pop-Up Party will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14, noon–4 p.m., at 1300 5th St. in Berkeley. Admission is free with the purchase of a beverage. Wine by the glass will be $15, with non-alcoholic options available.
