Having just relocated here, I am prepared to declare that the wine scene is virtually nonexistent, save for the few very good restaurants and hotel dining rooms. And then the markups are rough, being 4x-5x retail. A bottle of Veuve Clicquot was on the menu card at a place we like for $275. And there is truly a dearth of genuinely “fine wine” shops. Anyone living in the Amelia Island area that knows of worthy retailers to patronize please do post.
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Hi, David -
It’s true, for whatever reason, this market doesn’t seem to support retail with a lot of “higher end” bottles. I’m a bit further south than you, between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, so can’t speak to Amelia Island too well, but there are some retailers who may be able to source some of the things you’re looking for. If you ever get up to Brunswick, GA, believe it or not, there’s a little shop called Newcastle Wine Merchants that might be of interest. Bernie’s Wine Stop is in the Murray Hill area of Jacksonville, and in Atlantic Beach, there’s Wine Warehouse. None of these are in your backyard, but getting on their email lists might give you an idea of what they have and whether or not it’s worth it to make a drive…
Many thanks, Scott. I have already visited with Mark and Max at the Wine Warehouse and had some success with finding some wines of interest. I will check out Newcastle and Bernie’s - appreciate the recommendations.
Yes! Brandon is great. Knows his stuff. and Cool little shop.
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No problem. If you don’t see anything immediately of interest at Bernie’s, Victoria may be able to order something for you. And if you find any other interesting shops in the area, please let me know!
Bernie was my first wine shop boss, 2005-07.
Probably the best guy I’ve worked under, and the best shop I’ve worked at.
Shout out Moon River Pizza and The Alibi.
Bernie’s is great, I haven’t had the chance to step in since the sale. In addition, Riverside liquors and WDS in San Marco both have gems.
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Thanks, Chris. Looks like The Alibi has closed. I see there’s a Moon River in Fernandina that’s real close. Will be checking it out.
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Thank you, Henry. Two more on the list to explore.
Ahh, he said he was retiring ‘maybe soon’ last time I talked to him…
Moon River - still on Edgewood as well! (a few blocks from Bernie’s)
And the Alibi?
Ah. Sad. From Yelp:
1 Star. Hot Pockets are on the menu? This place is a dump. The only reason people show up here is because they don’t want to spend 5 minutes cleaning up to go out to a nice place or be seen in public.
It was a good-hearted place.