When it comes to wine shops, bigger isn’t better. Over the years, most of our favorite bottles have come from smaller San Francisco and Bay Area wine shops. Don’t be fooled by the flashy advertising of larger wine retailers — smaller shops can be just as competitively priced. Most importantly, at smaller shops, you’re more likely to find wines you’re actually satisfied with.
Why? The difference is in the staff. Smaller wine shops are curated by the owner, who usually has extensive wine expertise. You’re less likely to find a bad bottle when that owner views it as part of their reputation. The staff is also likely to have tasted many of the bottles themselves. When you describe the type of wine you like, staff can truthfully point you to some relevant bottles, instead of guessing based off tasting notes. At small shops, staff are often pursuing careers as bartenders or sommeliers. When your interest is their passion, the end result is determination to find you a great wine!
Shopping for wine should be enlightening, enriching, and totally not pretentious. Check out this list of our favorite Bay Area wine shops, and embark on a journey to your next favorite wine!
Tip: we like to ask staff about their favorite wines. It’s a great way to discover new varietals and regions.
San Francisco
Your One-Stop Shop:
Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
1 Ferry Building, shop 23
San Francisco, CA 94111
Step inside this cozy, intimate space to find everything from giftworthy Champagnes to lip-smacking $20 wines. Master Sommelier Peter Granoff, Debbie Zachareas, a sommelier and wine judge, and Sarah Knoefler, also a sommelier, have done an exceptional job of curating wines across a wide range of prices and styles. Having tried hundreds of wines from their store, you could say we’re somewhat obsessed! Their team is happy to assist in finding the right bottle for any taste and price point. You’ll find a similar selection at their sister shop, Mission Bay Wine & Cheese.
For Unique, Highly-Allocated Wines: Flatiron Wines & Spirits
2 New Montgomery St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Get ready to geek out — Flatiron Wines has inside access to wines that are normally only available in restaurants. You’ll find artisanal wines with unique stories, production methods, and varietals. Their thoughtful selection takes the effort out of finding small lot wines, natural wines, and even orange wines. The store also has a rare wines room with six Eurocaves full of vintage and luxury wines. But don’t sweat the price tag. Many of their bottles are in the $15-$30 range.
For the Italian Wine Lover: Biondivino
1415 Green Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Take your tastebuds on a trip to Italy with Biondivino, the first SF winery to focus solely on Italian wines. Founder Ceri Smith is a sommelier and former wine director of Tosca Café. At Biondivino, she has curated hundreds of artisanal, organic, and biodynamic winemakers. You’ll even find the pioneers of modern-day amphora winemaking, including Gravner and Foradori, in one place — something we haven’t seen anywhere else.
Making Wine Fun: Verve Wine
2358 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115
This bright, airy wine shop has restaurant vibes — and that’s exactly how founder Dustin Wilson wants it. Wilson is a Master Sommelier whom many know from the movie Somm. Wilson seeks to bring restaurant-level hospitality into the wine shop, drawing from his background as the wine director Michelin-rated Eleven Madison Park. Taste any bottle at their communal table for an $8-$12 corkage fee. You can also shop for wines by pairings (pizza, sushi, tacos) or flavor (smoky, rocks & minerals, funky). Verve focuses on organic, biodynamic, sustainable, and natural wines.
East Bay
Come for the Wine, Stay for the Community: Bay Grape
376 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
With giant pink plastic flamingos hovering above the wine shelves, it’s hard to get too serious about wine at Bay Grape. And that’s exactly how owners Josiah Baldivino and Stevie Stacionis want it. The husband-wife duo created their shop as a haven for the community. Guests are encouraged to try wines at their high-top tables, or at the “Bay Grape Beach” parklet. Baldivino and Stacionis are both certified sommeliers with extensive wine industry experience. You’ll find a diverse selection ranging from canned Spanish txakolina to Georgian kakheti, an orange wine.
For Old World Wine Aficionados: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
1605 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
Stacked crates of wine down every aisle are a thrilling reminder that here, you’re buying directly from a wine importer. For over forty years, owner Kermit Lynch cultivated relationships with hundreds of French and Italian wineries. Rather than pursuing fleeting trends, Lynch chose to find gems “where no one else was looking.” Aside from Bordeaux and Burgundy, you’ll find many smaller wine regions producing exceptional wine at great value. Kermit Lynch is known for its curation, and its selection graces restaurant wine lists nationwide.
South Bay
For Wine Geeks: Artisan Wine
2495 Old Middlefield Way
Mountain View, California 94043
Unfortunately due to the pandemic, Artisan Wine is only open for delivery and curbside pickup. However, we hope to get lost in its delightful aisles again soon, as the pandemic ebbs. Artisan Wine was founded by Master Sommelier Christine Tran. It represents everything we love about the wine world: a single-minded focus on sourcing great wines without excessive markups, or any of the frills or pretense that often exists in the wine world. The store carries thousands of wines, with a particular focus on California’s Napa Valley, Italy, and France. You can even preorder highly-coveted wines from across the world.
All Bay Area
K&L Wine Merchants
3005 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA, 94061
855 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107
You know a wine shop means business when it has shopping carts. And at K&L, you’d better grab your cart. This shop has the largest inventory of quality, competitively-priced wines in the area. From Lebanon to Mexico, you’ll find wines from pretty much every winemaking country here. You can buy vintages dating back to the 1900s, bid on fine wines, and score pre-arrival wines. K&L Wines also has plenty for the everyday wine drinker, with over 1,650 bottles under $25.
Get inspired for your next bottle (or meal!) with these delicious food and wine pairings:
Photo credit: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant