Inside JuiceBox, a wine shop offering tastings, wine pickup and delivery in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy Zu Tarazi.

By Stephanie Gerson

Redwood City bottle shop JuiceBox recently announced its upcoming closure in an Instagram post following two and a half years in business.

JuiceBox is closing at the end of August to allow its co-owner, local restaurateur Zu Tarazi, to embark “on a new path,” Tarazi said on Instagram.

“There’s a need inside me for something more fulfilling, and I’m ready to embrace this new challenge with open arms,” he wrote.

Tarazi opened the shop in December 2020. His background working in Peninsula restaurants is extensive: He met his wife, Kristi Borrone, working at her family’s Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park. Together, the couple went on to open American restaurant Station 1 in Woodside in 2010. In 2015, they opened Kristi Marie’s in Redwood City, a small cafe serving breakfast sandwiches and pastries until its closure in March 2020.

Tarazi brought a wine bar to Redwood City in 2018 under the name BottleShop and left to open JuiceBox, offering a scaled-down, casual wine-tasting experience. (BottleShop remains open on Broadway under different ownership.)

JuiceBox’s philosophy is to offer a selection of natural wines and other bottles sustainably produced by small wineries in California, Oregon and abroad. Their wine club curates a personalized selection of wines tailored to customers’ tastes, and the store has also offered wine delivery and pickup services.

While JuiceBox will close at the end of the month, customers can still shop the curated selection of wines in store or online until Aug. 31.

“The impact and inspiration from all the wonderful guests I’ve had the pleasure of meeting will forever hold a special place in my heart,” Tarazi said.

JuiceBox, 318 Arguello St., Redwood City; 650-369-4351, Instagram: @juiceboxrwc.