Shout out to your local wine shop gal/guy!

[Jeff_Wilkinson]

Interesting post as my local wine guy in Charlotte sold his shop back in the spring. While this doesn’t exactly qualify as “local”, proximity doesn’t exactly mean what it used to in these times. I live in Charlotte, but about three years ago my wife and I benefitted greatly from meeting and spending some quality time with Andrew Turner at Valley Wine Merchants. Andrew owns a great shop in Newberg, Oregon and has become a great friend that I do business with often. While located in Newberg, Andrew carries a well rounded selection of wines from around the world and keeps extensive notes on customers tastes and reaches out will some nice finds. Overall a great guy and someone that you want to support.

Do you mind sharing where you shop in Charlotte? I have a couple of smaller retailers that I like (Bond street wines, Assorted Table, Foxcroft Wines, Arthur’s wine shop), but haven’t generally found anything that I’d consider a “go-to”, so make most of my purchases online.

I am also in Charlotte. Shawn at Foxcroft is great. He usually bounces between South Park and the new store in Waverly. Super knowledgeable. Matt and Matt at the WineStore. Young guys killing it with a great small footprint store design. I think they are up to 4 or 5 stores now. Don’t let the size fool you. They can source most anything and at great prices. The South Park and Blakney locations are where you will find either of the Matts.

I agree on the WineStore recommendation. Specifically the Blakney location. They can get most anything you are looking for. I would also give a shout out to Bond Street as they have a pretty good selection, not as good as Foxcroft but there is something about supporting the smaller local owner that I like.

[Jay_Miller]

hmmm, I’m thinking that this thread is awfully slim because other people think like me: if I shout out on the board to my local guy that other people don’t know about, I’ll be bummed when they go there and create more competition for all the hard to find wines.

I mean I’m happy to share, but being in NYC, what’s local to me is pretty well known to the rest of the board already. I figured something like a shout out to the folks at Chamber St is not really what the spirit of this thread is about. I suspect many berserker on large metropolitan areas are similar.

Yeah, I was thinking should I just say “everyone at Chambers St.”? Not much of a secret really.

[Blake_Brown]

We have a standout in Santa Barbara= Renegade Wines. Owned and operated by good guy, Steve Wayne and assisted by his lady, Jenna Allensworth. They team up to provide excellent service with an inventory of great wines across the globe with an emphasis on high quality. They’re especially capable for local wines, champagne, wines from Spain, Italy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Germany.

Additionally, Renegade provides a huge amount of wine storage lockers that serves numerous locals with off premises storage in a properly controlled and safe environment.

I have a deep seeded love for Renegade as the original owner, now deceased, was a dear friend and one who I shared many a fabulous wine experience with including an outstanding trip to Bordeaux in 1996.

[John_Glas]

It used to be Big Top/Sid’s in Minneapolis/St. Paul. They have now sold to another local operation. I have never seen any places in America have better closeout bin wines to the general public. $7 Joh. Jos. Prum wines and too many other deals to count.

Now WineStreets in North Oaks and Sunfish Cellars are the only two I really buy from. Too many went the way of Total Wine Corporate crap wines.

[Gary_Schulte]

Locally there isn’t a whole lot to choose from which make’s Cask n Keg in Mystic,CT a nice standout. Kevin the owner has been fantastic at acquiring new esoteric or low allocation wines for winelovers in the region. He has always handled my wine enquiries with interest. We figured out it was easier for me to look through the distributor’s book at my own home so he gives me a copy anytime I request it. Makes it easy to see what he can get in our state. Love doing business with him. I go to him first before launching out of state purchases. He’s doing his business safely during the pandemic. Cleans/sanitizes the bottles you buy and cleans/sanitizes the front door handles every 15-20 minutes. Kudos to Kevin and his wife Gail as they run a great local store.

[Ron_Slye]

Not my local store, but I wanted to second the shot out to Chambers in NY. Just bought an older Barolo from them as a gift for a cousin. As happens with such things, it was corked. Without my asking they gave me a store credit and offered to work with me to find a replacement. Pacific Northwest customer service in a NYC shop.

[blarmston]

Shout out to Ken Chalmers at Bird Rock Fine Wine in La Jolla, CA. Nice and knowledgeable guy, good selection of diverse wines, pre Covid used to have weekly tastings, reasonable pricing. A solid wine store here in San Diego that I visit a couple times a month…

[Mark_Golodetz]

Love the thread.

I buy from a lot of different stores, but 85% of my purchases are from one merchant who happens to be overseas. Recently I sent him a list of nine different vintages which were needed for a post COVID tasting. Within a week, he had found all of them at a fair price. He is knowledgeable, has an excellent palate, and laughs at my jokes. The likelihood of him ever reading this is low, so I can be nice about him.

So my shout out is for Guy, owner of L’Assemblage in Chichester England.

[StephenM1]

In Twin Cities, shout out to Christy and Tom at the Wine Store at Lunds & Byerly’s in White Bear Lake. Taking grocery store wine shop to another level: from Chave tasting, to a broad selection of Turley zins, to great pricing on international QPRs (LaFage Bastide Miraflors, Landskroon Chenin Blanc). Super friendly and enthusiastic.

+1 shout out to Brad at Winestreet nearby in North Oaks, always bringing in great stuff at great prices.

[Jason_Samansky]

I struggle with this topic because the place I used to frequent in LA (Green Jug) was sold. The experts there were incredible and listened and the new corporate guys simply want to make a buck. They said the wine place was doing gang busters and I felt slighted the old guys sold and the new guys don’t care. I love going to Woodland Hills Wine for the unique stuff but they only have curbside. So here is to Costo, webdirect, and to Pam at the Pavillion. Pam, I have no idea how you get Quintessa for $130 after discounts but I am not complaining, Austin Hope for $30, and Dauo reserve for $35. Cheers!

[John_Glas]

In Twin Cities, shout out to Christy and Tom at the Wine Store at Lunds & Byerly’s in White Bear Lake. Taking grocery store wine shop to another level: from Chave tasting, to a broad selection of Turley zins, to great pricing on international QPRs (LaFage Bastide Miraflors, Landskroon Chenin Blanc). Super friendly and enthusiastic.

+1 shout out to Brad at Winestreet nearby in North Oaks, always bringing in great stuff at great prices.

Stephen did you buy some wine from the % sale from WineStreet Spirits in January? I always get a kick out of the fact that WineStreet seems to always be spelled Winestreets when people list it on Cellar Tracker.

[John_Glas]

I will give a shout out to Hoyt Hill at Sunfish Cellars for doing Zoom Tastings of some of the better wineries around the world. Not sure how many wine ships in the US are doing these events but they are informative and for a shop in MN to do this it is always cool to see.

[Dave_McIsaac]

I will give a shout out to Hoyt Hill at Sunfish Cellars for doing Zoom Tastings of some of the better wineries around the world. Not sure how many wine ships in the US are doing these events but they are informative and for a shop in MN to do this it is always cool to see.

Didn’t Hoyt used to own a wine shop in the Memphis area?

[John_Glas]

Didn’t Hoyt used to own a wine shop in the Memphis area?

Dave yes he did. How the hell he ended up in MN is a mystery but he is one of the best wine guys I have ever met in the Twin Cities. Most are not approachable but Hoyt is a great guy. Before the pandemic check out these events he put together.

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/event.asp?iEvent=43960
https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/event.asp?iEvent=43419
https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/event.asp?iEvent=42695

[MChang]

I will give a shout out to Hoyt Hill at Sunfish Cellars for doing Zoom Tastings of some of the better wineries around the world. Not sure how many wine ships in the US are doing these events but they are informative and for a shop in MN to do this it is always cool to see.

They moved right down the street from where they were a few years back right?

[John_Glas]

They moved right down the street from where they were a few years back right?

Yes. I Nonni is one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities and that owner was bought out by the Sunfish Cellars owner. Still keeping the food real. The old owner did an Italian tasting and I will never forget saying that the prices of the wines were over the top and he said they were not. The new ownership gets it and prices fairly. Hopefully we can get back to in store/restaurant tastings one day!

[Dan_Kravitz]

I love this thread. I hate this thread. I love it because I know many dozens of wonderful wine shops all over the country. I hate it because most of those I know are customers of mine and I shouldn’t tout them on line.

So I’ll limit myself to my local:

Black Sheep Wine Shop
105 Mountain Road
Harpswell, Maine

Owner John VerPlanck is knowledgeable, but will happily tell you he’s not an expert. He tastes everything and can accurately match what you like with what he has. The shop is tiny. The selection is eclectic. This is a trophy-free zone. Not sure he has any bottles for over $100, but there is a small excellent selection of wines in the high double-digits. Even in this tiny store, you are likely to find something you’ve never heard of… and it will probably be good. Prices are reasonable for a store that is literally at the end of the pipeline for fine wine. The wine is complemented by excellent selections of local beers and cheese, and a nice variety of chocolate from all over.

Dan Kravitz

[John_Glas]

I love this thread. I hate this thread. I love it because I know many dozens of wonderful wine shops all over the country. I hate it because most of those I know are customers of mine and I shouldn’t tout them on line.

Do it anyway! If they are good tout them!

[MChang]

They moved right down the street from where they were a few years back right?

Yes. I Nonni is one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities and that owner was bought out by the Sunfish Cellars owner. Still keeping the food real. The old owner did an Italian tasting and I will never forget saying that the prices of the wines were over the top and he said they were not. The new ownership gets it and prices fairly. Hopefully we can get back to in store/restaurant tastings one day!

I just remember the store used to be in an old timey general store type building then moved to where it is now.

[alan_weinberg]

Not “local” in a strictly geographic sense, but I have to recognize Martin Steinley from this board. Great recommendations, lovely selection, friendly and nice, and most importantly we share a similar palate. I have no qualms trying something from him that I’ve never heard of before. Also he does this part time, and everything is smoother and more professional than full fledged wine shops, even big ones.

and he’s a great guy also.