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Amanti Vino
Category: Food Beer, Wine & Spirits Beer, Wine & Spirits [Edit]
30 Church StMontclair, NJ 07042
(973) 509-9463
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Sun 12 pm - 8 pm
Wed-Thu 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am - 10 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
12 reviews for Amanti Vino
12 reviews in English
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Review from Logan L.
Carlstadt, NJ
3/21/2012
You will not find a bottle of Yellow Tail here.
You will not find a bottle of Heineken here.
You will find flavors that challenge and make you think about what you're drinking.
You will find drinks that end up being the topic of conversation.
You will find awesome and unique tasting wines at ANY price point.
But the BEST part is the classes they offer. Beer tasting classes, Wine tasting classes, Cheese, Chocolate. I've tried many and always come away feeling like I'm tapping into the most curious parts of my brain. The classes are 60% the cost of what they charge in NYC, are twice as intimate,and half as intimidating.
Every time I buy wine somewhere else I wish I was at Amanti Vino. -
Review from Steve L.
Cedar Grove, NJ
5/18/2012
What's so unique about Amanti Vino is that each bottle that the store carries has been personally selected by the owner, Sharon Sevrens, who has an amazing knowledge of wine and an amazing palate.
Having attended the beer and wine classes they offer and as a loyal customer, I can attest that the staff won't steer you towards some bottle of wine that they happen to have a special deal on because the distributor is trying to unload it, but rather they'll help you select wine that they'll recommend based on what you are interested in buying.
In addition to wine and beer classes, Amanti Vino also offers wine and beer pairing dinners held at some of the best restaurants in the town and these dinners just can't be beat. The most recent dinner I attended was a Champagne tasting at CulinAriane.
Talk about an exquisite pairing!
Amanti Vino is one of the jewels of Montclair and of NJ. -
Review from Neal B.
Glen Ridge, NJ
5/6/2012
Every time I think I am getting good recommendations from the staff, I am sorely disappointed when I pop the cork. A majority of the wine is overpriced and as I mentioned the staff is less than informative about the inventory. Don't let its pretty space fool you. I think the buyer is easily influenced by all walks of wine salesmen that come and solicit business. Amanti is a far distance from the classic shops NYC has to offer including Batali's Italian WIne Merchant, Sherry Lehman, Acker, Astor, Bottle Rocket etc. I drink wine, I know wine... save yourself some money and quality (in most cases). Take the short hop and believe it or not, you will find many winners at Bottle King.
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Review from Matt E.
Hillsdale, NJ
10/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Have you ever been in a clothing store where there are only 10 or 20 items of clothing in the whole store, and you know the prices are going to be astronomical? Amanti Vino is like this for wine, beer, and spirits - except it's not expensive! It's a very elegant and open space, with sparsely stocked shelves.There's plenty there, but your not inundated with an overwhelming amount of stuff, but everything there is quality. They have a large wine selection, great locally produced liquor, but I go for the beer. This isn't a place to go for a 12 pack of Bud, but you can find a great selection of hard-to-find from craft breweries around the world. The staff is able and eager to help with your selection.
Thad is the man - talk to him about beer. He's glad to help and full of information. If there's room on the list, join the beer club. Thad chooses a great selection of beers every month to expand your beer palate to new and interesting tastes. Ask also about beer classes and events. I went for a Saison class, which was awesome. We had an amazing variety of Saisons from all over the world. -
Review from Mike P.
West Orange, NJ
3/30/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I'm basing this review strictly on beer. As far as wine and spirits go they are a little pricy, but on point considering they are a smaller local shop and not a Bottle King or total wine.
As for the beer, it is a haven for beer snobs. They carry a wide variety of hard to find beer including several micro-brews and imports. If you're like me and like to try new beer or if you're interested in a wide variety of beer styles, this is a great shop to try something new, or one of your hard-to-find favorites.
This comes in especially handy, as the majority of restaurants in this area of Montclair are BYO. They keep a great number of them chilled as well, making them a great option for a local meal. -
Review from Daniel C.
Clifton, NJ
2/23/2011
The below reviewer's first sentence is right on - "wine museum". Although organized, the staff is not very well educated or informed about wine.
Cold, and pretentious staff, who are dressed head to toe in black. As if they are the Johnny Cash wine know-it-all's.
The wine's are all over-priced and if this shop was located anywhere in NYC, they would be eaten alive.
Save your money and head to Italian Wine Merchants or Astor Wine's in NYC for better priced wine's, friendly, knowledgeable staff, and a better selection.
If you are set in staying in the Montclair area, head over to Angelbeck's. -
Review from Bryan B.
West Chester, PA
11/15/2010
Great wine shop in the heart of Montclair. Have a lot if very good wine for any budget and the staff is very helpful. On the weekend they do have wine tastings, which is a good chance to taste new things.
I have noticed as another reviewer stated, if they know someone they do somewhat ignore you a bit and fall all over them. Guess I should go more often. -
Review from Ethan M.
Rutherford, NJ
9/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best wine shop in NJ in the heart of Church st in Montclair. An Extensive selection and Extremely knowlegable staff makes for a wonderful wine purchasing experience.
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Review from Andrew D.
6/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
We call Amanti Vino the "Wine Museum" because it has this kind of... well-organized feel to it. I have no idea if they spend a lot of time putting things together, but it sure looks that way.
I stop in here every few weeks to get a REALLY good bottle that I can't find in my more general stores, like the Bottle King. I come here to discover new things, and to lust after those bottles kept in the special room with all the temperature controls and names I cannot pronounce.
The staff has always been helpful and inviting--even though they don't know me by name--happy to chat about anything from favorite beers to home repair. As of this writing, they are developing their craft beer offerings and love to take suggestions. They also don't race after you or pressure you if you look like you know what you're doing. If you need something, there's always someone around that you can ask.
They also carry a small selection of primo spirits, including a lot of NY-area whiskies and other goodies, like the Rogue Dead Guy Rye.
Last, while it might look like a fancy-pants wine store, they have an excellent range of good wines from $6.00 a bottle to $600. Take your time to look around and pick up something if it catches your eye.Listed in: Beer Pilgrimages
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Review from Crissy H.
10/10/2010
Great stop - especially since all the restaurants in Montclair are BYOB. It's very classy, the staff is super helpful, and they offer a great selection. You can get anything from a $8 bottle of wine to a $50 bottle of wine. They also offer beer and liquor.
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Review from Kelsey Q.
Lexington, VA
5/1/2007
This is one classy wine shop. My first time there, they guided me to an absolutely fabulous bottle of California rose that was a huge hit at dinner later. They have a wonderful selection and a range of prices, and I will definitely be back. They are also open later for the dinner crowd on Bloomfield Ave, so keep it in mind if the restaurant you're going to is BYO.
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Review from Mike I.
Schenectady, NY
4/7/2010
My husband and I have been to quite a few wine shops in the NY/NJ area, including the 'illustrious' Sherry-Lehmann. We are not elitist people by any means, just folks who thoroughly enjoy good wines and genuinely appreciate it when merchants make them accessible. We went into the shop recently on the first Friday in April looking for a particular vintage that we tasted elsewhere, but because of vendor issues, our favorite wine shop was not able to acquire a shipment. We researched online and it was indicated that Amanti Vino had the desired vintage. So we ventured out into Montclair. It's one thing to be told that it's run out; but not even an offer of 'perhaps we can interest you in...?" like all the best wine stores we've been in. Four people who approached us just kind of left us flat, like 'oh, that's gone, sorry. Meanwhile, they fell over themselves to get to people they knew on a first-name basis. Very off-putting. They obviously didn't want our business that badly and so we let after a good 20 minutes without buying ANYTHING, despite recognizing some of our other favorites in stock.
