When I shop for wine I tend to head to a small, local liquor store where I know I will receive great service. I want them to learn my name and make recommendations based on what I like! I don’t want some generic store that only carries those huge brands.
I currently shop at:
Haskell’s
Trader Joe’s
Swirl (Wine Club and Wine Bar)
Top Ten Wine and Spirits
Haskell’s is a small chain but they really have a great staff and Trader Joe’s provides great service and some great lower price point wines for entertaining. More than half of my wine is from Swirl and Top Ten. Both have free tastings and employ staff that really knows their wine.
In the last few months Total Wine, a store with 100+ locations in 15 states has been making a push to open in Minnesota. They already have a Roseville store open and one in Bloomigton ready (but officials are blocking this) and two more planned for Burnsville and Woodbury. As they make their way through the Twin Cities metro there has been some backlash and some excitement. Minnesota is one of those states that likes to hold onto some antiquated laws:
- Certain cities only have city owned liquor stores
- No liquor sales on Sunday (I HATE this)
- Strange home brewing/distilling laws that prevented brewery expansion the past few years (this is slowly changing)
- Each city determines the hours the store can be open, ex. some can only be open until 9 while others can be open until 10.
With all this drama about a new store opening I figured I should check it out. I am all for fair competition, customers might come check you out if you are new but you need to have a great product and service to keep them coming back. I stopped at the Roseville store one day after work and noticed a few things:
- Huge selection
- Lower prices on certain items
- Private label items
- Upscale interior
- Crowds!
If you only drink brand specific things they may be lower in price than other places but if you are looking for small wineries or distilleries this may not be the place to shop. They do have tasting hours on the weekend and the store was well organized and clean but it was overwhelming. Almost too many choices!
I picked up a few whites for entertaining, 2 different Vinho Verde’s and a nice Rioja from Spain. And because curiosity got the best of me, I bought a $4 wine. The Santiago Station Sauvignon Blanc form Chile. It was decent but not something I would buy again unless I was making white sangria.
Overall thoughts on Total Wine:
If I needed to get wine for a big party I would probably buy it at Total Wine
I do want to check out the weekend tasting at least once
To keep trying new wines I will stick to my normal stores