I’ve also a lot of fun hanging out with Jim Knight from the wine house (LA)
I am outside Philadelphia, which just means i leverage Deleware. I have to shout out to David Govatos of Swigg who provides some exceptional bottles at exceptional prices. Whenever I checkout there I always tell him how great of a deal I am getting. ie: how far below market price he is (for certain wines).
Also a shout out to Robert Panzer and the fact that I can locally pick up his wine in Wilmington. I don’t pay tax or shipping which makes his imports uber price competitive, hell even with those things he’d still be the best price to but what he imports.
TW
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Haven’t heard of Swigg before. Sounds like I need to do a trip down there once I feel comfortable going inside stores.
I just remember the store used to be in an old timey general store type building then moved to where it is now.
Right off 35E in Lilydale.
Phil is great. Highly recommended.
Another local person I recommend is Warren Leonard (a board participant) at Weygandt Wines.
And, we all know Envoyer because it dominates our emails and this board. But, if you ever actually talk with Greg Koslosky you will find that he knows a lot, is tremendously friendly and can be a big help.
Wait, Hoyt Hill, who used to own Village Wines in Nashville? I don’t want to cast any aspersions in case it’s a different Hoyt [and will edit/delete this post if it turns out to be a different person], but if it’s the same guy… well, the search function on this board might be useful before you order futures.
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Second that. There are some Bernerders on this Board who think otherwise, but they generally show their ignorance when posting so I’ll leave it at that.
I’ll add Michael Teer from Pike & Western- at the (Pike Place) Market in Seattle. He and his crew are a pleasure to do business with/support
I like the geeky stuff Igor brings in to Vinous Reverie (https://vinousreverie.com/), here is Walnut Creek. We are mostly surrounded by Total Wine and BevMo but he always has something new and interesting. He just introduced me to Nebbiolo from Valtellina, man what a revelation.
Victor Mendes at Vienna Vintner is my go-to local wine shop (when I’m not blowing half my wine budget on Berserker Day). I can’t speak for all customers, but he always remembers me and my preferences and points me in the right direction (or away from stuff he knows I won’t like).
The shop is very nice, good selection (mostly in the $30 to $50 range but he also gets DRC and classified Bordeaux and Gaja among others).
He also owns a winery in Paso and uses it for a house wine (VIX) which is really good. Started with just GSM, but released several other varietals in the last few years.
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I have to give a shout out to an excellent new wine shop on Long Island: Williston Park Wine & Spirits on Willis Avenue. https://willistonparkwines.com/
It’s run by Ryan Burkett, ex Manhattan sommelier who must have made a wrong turn on his way to Brooklyn, as he’s selling wines I never imagined would take root in the sandy soils of Long Island. It’s a small shop, which from the outside looks like yet another of Long Island’s many Yellow Tail outlet stores, but inside is an AFWEers dream. Long Island has long been resistant to these types of wines, but I’m hopeful that the tide is turning.
I’m thrilled, as there are now two shops in Nassau County where I can walk in confident that I will find stuff I like. For the record, the first is Village Wine Merchant in Sea Cliff, a shop I have mentioned here previously. The proprieter, Michael Amendola, focuses on minimalist wines from small producers, and is also well worthy of a shout out.
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Nine months and we are only on page 2. Looks like almost everyone here buys out of state and ships or they don’t want to reveal where all the deals are at!
John Akeley at Roberts Market in Woodside does a great job. Diverse, high-end, hard-to-find, supportive of the better local producers. Very in-tune with what’s going on, so you might see some list-only wines in the mix. Always worth a stop when I’m in the area.
The 3 Draeger’s Markets have large, diverse high quality wine sections. Can’t call out a specific employee, but everyone I’ve engaged over the decades has been knowledgeable and helpful.
There’s a little market in Cupertino that was a hidden gem. That wine guy was amazing. I’d see so many wines I was looking for. Even the low-end stuff was respectable. One whole wall is a built-in shelved wine cooler full of mature Bdx, Burgs, Barolo, Port, Sauternes, etc. at reasonable prices. But he’s gone. Most of the fun stuff was depleted and replaced by less interesting, poorly curated selections the last few times I’ve been there.
Wes Barton wrote:
The 3 Draeger’s Markets have large, diverse high quality wine sections. Can’t call out a specific employee, but everyone I’ve engaged over the decades has been knowledgeable and helpful.
Good call on Draeger’s, Wes. We are close to their store in the East Bay and they have an excellent selection and great service. Not the lowest prices, but they send out coupons that help. When we lived in San Carlos, I would go to Draeger’s first, then Beltramo’s, and then K&L in Redwood City to shop.
Another store on the Peninsula that I used to visit a lot is Weimax on Broadway in Burlingame. They have been there for a number of years and always had an interesting inventory to browse.
Ed