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Arlington Wine & Spirits
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for Arlington Wine & Spirits
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
5/2/2009
7/12/2009
8/17/2009
8/22/2008
4/20/2009
1/2/2007
5/5/2005
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Syrah, shiraz, tomato, tomatah - I know nearly nothing about wine.
So, with my very limited knowledge, I must often enlist the patient, unpretentious help of Alan, one of the friendly and knowledgeable proprietors of the charming Arlington Wine & Spirits, a small but well edited wine shop in Kensington.
The shop is full of very interesting wine, beer and spirits, and his picks, mostly in the $16-$25 range, have been so remarkable, I often return a few days later for a another bottle. Bottoms-up!
Arlington Wine and Spirits has become my regular wine shop. It's small and unpretentious, yet filled with an amazing assortment of interesting wines at reasonable prices. When I shop here, I generally begin by telling one of the friendly proprietors that I want a mixed case, and he gently elicits from me the pertinent information - price range, style of wine that I prefer, and so forth. We then take a walk around the shop as he selects wines, discussing and explaining each bottle as we take our little tour. After we conclude the sale, they happily carry the case to my car. The guys here really seem to enjoy what they're doing - no snooty wine snobs here - just great wines and service.
I have never been disappointed with a single bottle from Arlington Wine and Spirits. They seem to have an uncanny ability to choose wines that suit my palate!
I purchased a couple of mixed cases of wine for a large dinner party, and my guests raved about the delicious libations. Each bottle was in the less-than-$20 price range.
If you pay with cash or a check, the proprietors will reward you with a 15 percent case discount.
This is THE ideal establishment. Locally owned and run, a large selection, reasonable pricing and an extremely friendly & knowledgeable staff. Oh, and they receive daily deliveries of Phoenix olive bread!
I have been shopping here for about 5 years. The owners, who also work in the store, are extremely knowledgeable about wine and spirits - which stands to reason. At the same time, they are very friendly and helpful with liquor neophytes like myself.
I like to pretend I know something about wine and scotch, but truth be told... I know nothing.
A quick aside, completely off topic - every time I use that phrase, "I know nothing," which is more and more often these days as I socratically learn how little I really know - CNBC's Jim Cramer's rant against Bernanke and the Fed, "THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON OUT THERE, THEY KNOW NOTHING," goes through my head. Anyway, I digress...
This is a great place that is well stocked with anything you could possibly want in the way of wine or spirits and peopled by extremely friendly people who seem to love what they do.
I drive at least once a week over the Arlington but never stopped at Wine & Spirits till 3 weeks ago. I was surprised about the collection they sell. The people are very helpful, there wine choice is great and absolutely not overprized.
I started with the intention of giving this shop four stars but then realized that I have absolutely negative to say about it. So five stars it is. Before going into details, I'll point out that Arlington has an annual 20% off sale that begins January 2 (i.e., today) and lasts for about two weeks. I was there a couple of hours ago and bought a mixed case. While I was browsing, two or three customers walked in with the same intention. So get on up there and come early if you want the best possible selection. (Pay by check or in cash to get the full 20%. Credit card customers get 15% off.)
A general description of this store is that it has a very small inventory of very well chosen wines, most of which are what I would term moderately priced ($12 average, let's say). Basically all categories of wine and all wine-producing countries are represented. I didn't see any Long Island North Fork merlot or Canadian ice wine, but I didn't feel that choices were all that limited. The shop serves neighbors who come in asking for recommendations -- I did actually overhear a customer asking for a white that would go well with steak. The shop does an extremely good job, in my humble opinion.
I ought to shop here more often, and maybe I will. That can be my New Year's resolution (the only one so far).
One more comment: there's more than wine, as the business name suggests. You'll find beer in the cooler, hard liquor on the shelf, and cigars in a display case. The proprietors are friendly, and they really know their snuff.
Moderate sized, unassuming wine store in N. Berkeley/Kensington. All the staff at the store really know their wines. I don't shop anywhere else for wine anymore because the combination of good prices and service. When I did compare their prices to chains, e.g. Andronico's and Safeway, the prices at this wine shop was consistently as good or better. This plus the service make shopping here a no brainer.
