Sec: I’d not heard of “them” until I read two preceding posts on this thread. I will visit. I’m enthusiastic about developing a relationship with a local retailer whose tastes(might) be similar to mine!
although their pricing is never the best, I enjoy browsing and going to events at Liner and Elsen and also E&R.
Eric at Sec will beat their prices and can get the exact same wine within a few days. Just look at his vintage chart on his website and you’ll see he’s got a great palate.
My retail purchases are 70% through him and 30% at Vinopolis.
E & R does have a unique selection for around here, and I usually find several offbeat treasures or back vintages there. I’ve tried a lot of stuff I wouldn’t normally have tried.
I’ve only bought from Sec and Vinopolis purely on line, but I’ve been 100% happy with every transaction as far as that goes. The Vinopolis website is quite behind the times, but it isn’t really in any way that affects me negatively.
For some things (proddutori, bojo, som champers) they were the best. Always great service from Brian .
When I lived in Bend, OR, I would stop in every couple months.
Always walked out with more wine that I intended to buy. (wait a sec…that happens at almost every wine shop! wtf!)
Kurt was great, always helpful and always tried to figure out my tastes.
I miss going there - last visit was over 3 years ago, so never been to the new location.
Agreed! let me sort by vintage and you’d increase sales.
I’ve never been able to get anyone to answer the phone at Sec. If he’s not stocking inventory, how’s his track record on getting what he’s advertising? All good dealing with Vinopolis.
Mark, I haven’t been to the new location but nothing’s changed that I’ve heard. You might talk to Lizzy there, who’s really cool and works a bit at the SE Wine Collective, where I make wine.
And if you’re looking for something a little different, Europa Wine Merchant opened not too long ago downtown very close to Vinopolis’s old location. Definitely a place to check out for a local, friendly, knowledgable and eclectic wine ship that can definitely expand your horizons. It’s on SE Alder between 10th and 11th. Some many good places to buy wine in Portland, and here’s another.
130% success. The extra 30% comes from when he matches or beats someone else’s advertised prices on a wine he isn’t listing.
With respect to Vinopolis in its current location, I guess it is just that I enjoyed working with the old staff (particularly Brian and Kurt) more than the current staff.
With the old staff, delivery to my condo (4 blocks away from the old and new locations): “no problem”. With the new staff: “oh, we cannot do that. it would be a violation of alcohol control commission regulations”. (Weird!) I buy generally in case lots and, frankly, cannot carry more than a bottle or two for that distance.
With the old staff, talking about wine was enjoyable and educational. With the new staff, it is as if consulting and offering advice is more work, distracting from their primary responsibilities.
With the old staff and the “man-bag” that I carry: “what shoulder bag?” With the new staff: “you must remove your bag and allow us to place it behind our counter before you will be permitted to peruse the aisles” (as if they viewed me as a prospective thief! I’m 66, well dressed, polite and carry a small shoulder “man-bag”.)
With respect to Kurt, formerly of Vinopolis, can anyone advise me as to his restaurant name and location?
With respect to Europa, I appreciate the suggestion. I was, however, concerned about the fact that the wines displayed in the storefront being exposed to direct sunlight. I will give Europa another try.
With respect to Sec, I look forward to giving them a try (as soon as my back heals a bit further. Long dimension spinal fusion is not fun.)
In short, I really enjoy having a relationship with wine merchants who enjoy sharing their knowledge and have a deep appreciation for (unfortunately expensive) age-worthy wines. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Kurt’s restaurant is Davenport – 2215 E. Burnside.
Brian Budke is with Coldwell Banker, West Burnside Road, Portland. You could do a lot worse with more experienced RE agents. He’s a very straight-up and honest guy who knows the city well.
Mark, despite the slightly clumsy appearance of the Vinopolis web retail portal, I imagine that an appreciable and increasing amount of business is processed that way. It doesn’t require the same level of wine experience or knowledge to fill internet orders. Only Dan knows the underlying reasons for the direction that his store has gone.
It seems like you want a relatively high level of personal wine service. Not blaming you in any way, considering the fact that you were getting it…including competitive prices. It appears that something had to “give” at Vinopolis, and did. Even with the changes, I suspect it’ll be difficult to do much better at other brick & mortar retailers in Oregon.
RT
Great! thank you.
Put together an offline!
Thanks for the info; I’ll give them a try.
Regardless of what Vinopolis web site may look like, it does something that in my book is invaluable when placing an order: it adjusts the requested number of a given wine to the actual number in inventory, when it’s less the number desired.
Looks like Vinopolis has caught Premier Cru disease. They’ve stopped responding to emails, lie about when wines will come in, and in general give off an attitude of “go pound sand”. This is a complete change as to how they were when Brian was there. Oh well. I guess this vindicates my long-standing practice of spreading business across many shops because you never know when one will go south.
I just had a great online buying experience at Vinopolis, albeit for only 3 bottles, it was still nice to get an email thanking me for my purchase and letting me know it was ready to pick up.
On the other hand, an email from my winery account asking to set up an appointment to taste is still not answered. Oh well!
I always have a great experience with Vinopolis. They are one of my two go-to places for wines online. I miss Brian and Kurt as well, but even post-BK I am still contacted in advance of release with the opportunity to buy wines they know I enjoy.
Nick, have you picked up the phone and called them? I’ll be the first to admit that the staff knowledge/experience has taken a serious hit. The sales model appears to be more about lower overhead processing of internet orders…not unlike Premier Cru. The transition has resulted in some glitches. Their inventory remains very impressive and they’re not in complete control of wines not yet in stock. I’ve also experienced a few bumps but they’ve “made good” every time.
RT