The Wine Club
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
10 reviews
Los Altos, CA
""100 Great Wines for $25 or Less" is the tagline for this franchise, but in addition to the browse-worthy selection of wines and several…" read more »
22 Reviews for The Wine Club
Just discovered this place and wow- what a great selection (and the prices are just right). Can't wait to go back and check out one of the store's tastings.
Mauricio is super friendly & is very knowledgeable.
BTW Opus - I see you...and I can hear you calling my name. Just stop it already. It ain't gonna happen.
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I've only been here a couple times for their tastings (awesome!) and to make a few purchases, but I'm definitely a fan. I'm more of a beer drinker, and I know what I like. But if I try to pick out wine without getting to taste it first or ask questions, like at Bev Mo' or TJ's, I have a pretty good chance of ending up with something I hate.
I recommend checking out the schedule on their website and dropping in on one of their tastings. They usually offer a great variety, including a few pricier bottles.
So I went to the Wine Club looking for a wine I'd had in Arizona on a trip (a Broadbent Vinho Verde, most delicious~) since the place was listed on Broadbent's site as a distributor.
Not thrilled with the signage/lack thereof OR the location, since I was halfway to the airport before I realized I'd passed it. A quick u-turn and my second pass was much more successful. So I'd have to ding it on that, although now I know where it is it wouldn't be trouble.
Sadly, they did not have the wine. In fact, they didn't have ANY vinho verde (maybe it's not cool or complex enough?) which was a disappointment; they were, however, very nice and directed me to a variety of whites from the same general region and made a few suggestions. I bought 2 bottles of what they'd suggested, both of which were very good.
Long and short of it, they were nice and knowledgeable (maybe a little too much since I felt like an idiot as they were showing me the map and locations where the wines were from... I guess I'm not into wine enough to know what he meant when he said "... and that's a southern spanish wine, of course.") and quite helpful. They did not, however, offer to order the wine for me and with such a diverse stock I'm a little confused why they wouldn't even have that variety from any vineyard... all in all, a very decent place and I'll probably go to a tasting there.
Where did I end up getting the Broadbent Vinho Verde? Bevmo. /sigh
I can never get out of this place without buying 1-3 cases. I go in with the intention of buying a bottle or two, and next thing I know...I've got 20 bottles in my basket. To a large degree, what seels the wine is the knowledgable staff who always point me in a number of very positive directions. On my last trip to the store, it was Spatlese, Auslese, Icewein, Chateau Neuf de Pape, and a sparkling French white. And so far, each bottle has proven to be exactly as the experts in the store said it would be. Great store with a great crew inside. I must check out their SF store!
This location is small but value-packed, both in terms of selection and knowledge. Not only have the staff seemingly tasted everything in inventory, but they can talk about wine: fruit-acid balance, vintage comparisons, regional and country differences for a particular grape, and best of all -- food pairings. My last two dinner parties were at a higher level, thanks to the recommendations of staff (shoutouts to Aaron and Maurisio).
Prices are *great* -- below BevMo for the same items. Their tasting prices are extremely reasonable, too. I'm going to a "summer wines" tasting event today, where I'll sample 12 wines for $15.
The only negative about the place is its small size. While the selection is very interesting, it's not very deep, except for seasonally popular varieties, such as sauv. blanc in the summer. Size isn't everything, considering the quality of wines they sell, but there have been a few wines and wineries I've been interested in that were not represented (and I'm not terribly experienced in my tastes).
All things considered, this place is a treasure.
I came here to splurge on a few nice bottles for a wedding present. The friendly employees totally helped me out, and some of the customers cruising the aisles also gave me a bunch of suggestions. I wont give away all my secret wine picks, but I will say that there was a very sophisticated wine dealer at the same wedding, and she couldn't believe that I had picked such great bottles on my own!
The second time I came here, they typed my name into the computer and presented a list of the wines that I had bought the last time so I could easily find them again! Well I just think that is an AWESOME idea!
Sometimes there can be this pretentious and snobby atmosphere when it comes to tasting and buying wine, but The Wine Club makes you feel right at home
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I have had very good experiences here. I am slowly evolving into a huge wine person. I've always have found great California and French wines here for less than Costco or BevMo; on ports, not so much. Staff is helpful when you ask but...
do the tastings (offered weekly) trust your own taste buds.
The recommendations can be a little off so trust your own instincts and of course taste buds.
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This is quickly becoming my favorite place to shop for wine. The selection is huge and the wines are really good quality and the prices are good. The staff is friendly and helpful if you want their help and not offended if you decide to go it alone. I like to go in and see what I'm inspired to buy. My inspirations have not failed me yet. The staff is really good they have recommended so great wines based on a description of what I like.
It is fun to stop it seems like they are always tasting wine. This place is far better than Bev - Mo.
My all time favorite place for wine tasting and buying. Great selection, good price, and knowledgable and friendly staff.
This is truly a gem in the South Bay for wines. Their Friday and Saturday tastings are the best in the Bay Area. It is also a great place to meet other lovers of the juice.
This was a complicated place to distill to 4 or 5 stars, due to recent turn over of the staff and my being on their good customer list. But let's start with an overview and the basics.
I buy a huge amount of wine from all over the place. If I tell my wife I just bought 4 cases, she doesn't even respond. My ranking is 1=Wine Club, 2=Costco, 3=Trader Joes, and possibly 6=BevMo, 7=Safeway, 8=Albertsons and 9=K & L.. (K & L which is a fine place, is just a bit too far from me, was not a cheap as the WC, and as I was cutting my teeth on wine, they had a more expensive Euro influence which wasn't my style then, but is more my style now.. so I should revisit them.)
Strengths: Aussie shiraz, Calif wines, Sweet wines, African, chardonnay.
Weaknesses: Portugal, Spain, Chile, Argentina.
I buy more wine from the Wine Club than anywhere else. Why? Because for selection and price, they are the best I've found. And as I've become a good customer of theirs, I get early emails of incoming wines, which only fuels further purchases. I'm an avid Wine Spectator and for WS recommended wines that aren't in large production, say under 600 cases, I rely on the merchant to procur and offer me the wines. And the WC delivers. Were I anywhere else but in wine-friendly Northern California, this would get 5 stars.
Prices are very good, sometimes matching Costco or Trader Joes, which if you think about it, is impressive.
Selection often turns over quickly. And in the world of wine, once something is gone, it's gone.
So what's keeping the 5th star? Recently (4-6 months ago) they changed staff wholesale at the Santa Clara location. I blame this on the general manager who oversees all their locations (SF, Santa Clara and Santa Ana), who made this decision. I don't know the whole story, but it seemed like they lost a bunch of nice people, who knew wines, and replaced them with a bunch of somewhat clueless male newbies to wine. Yes, there is not a single female among the staff of 10 now.
I could see how the old staff wasn't the most efficient and the new staff has been more responsive (perhaps because they lost so many clients, they had less work to do.) My emails on orders do get processed faster now. And it seems like they mess up my orders less. (Wine is tricky because outstanding orders come in 1-18 months after the purchase and I have a lot of outstanding orders.) But on the whole, I don't like the new staff nearly as much as the old staff. But if you know what you want, like me, liking the staff isn't that important.
I'm still buying lots of wine from the WC.
Definitely worth checking it out.
This place is an oenophile's heaven. I'm definitely no wine connoisseur, but I like good wines, and can tell the difference between one I like and one I don' t like. So the lesson is - get good wine, and this place has a lot of good wines. Who wants to kill brain cells with bad alcohol? If I'm killing my brain cells, I want to kill them with something good.
I must say the service here is sometimes good sometimes bad. I guess when they are busy it's not so good, so try a less busy time. They have a website where you can browse and see what wines they carry. I found that their price is very decent, if they have the same wine as BevMo, it's probably a little bit cheaper here.
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*edit 12/20/07* I re-upped the stars cause upon further review, I can care less about customer service. They carry by far the widest range of wines in the south bay and possibly the bay area. Hands Down!
Not much to look at, tons of wines though! They could at least spruce up the place a bit but i suppose if you're looking for a good deal on wines, that's all that really matters.
Great selection but the prices aren't all that great. I found that they do stock some really high end wines. One of the few places that doesn't look overtly pretentious but the staff could use some tips on customer service.
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My favorite wine shop in the South Bay. They have a huge selection of fantastic wines at really good prices. I find prices here to be 20-30% less than what you would pay if you bought directly from the winery. A lot of places have cheaper wine but it is...well..cheaper wine. Know what I mean? Besides, I've gotten quite a few very tasty "everyday wines" here for around $10.
As far as service is concerned, I've never had a problem, but I'm the type who hates being decended upon by hordes of salespeople and prefer to be left alone until I have a question. Anytime I've ever had a question the sales people here have been very helpful. I will admit that I tend to go in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday because it's close to my office. Even then there's usually quite a few customers so I'm sure it get's packed in the evenings and on weekends. Maybe then service isn't so good but, like I said, I've never had a problem.
Great place to shop for wine. They have both American and foreign wines. Nice selections for all and very knowledgeable employees who can direct you to the good deals of the day.
They also have open wine tasting everyday for a small fee, and special tastings usually on the weekend. Their prices are the lowest, and you will buy bottle of wine here usually cheaper than at the actual winery.
They have some great higher end and reserve wines for that special occasion. I love the CA Zinfandel section. You can get a great tasting bottle of wine for under $20. Same for the Chardonnay.
Recommend you visit and sign up for their monthly flyer they mail out. Tons of wines and prices listed.
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On top of a good selection of wines at a large variety of prices, they have great great great great service! I have put togther a wine tasting for my son's school's auction the last couple of years and each year I walk in there with a couple hundred dollars and somebody there walks me through putting my tasting together and most importantly making me look good and knowledgable about wine :) So, okay, they have good service when you have $700 spend, of course they do. But I have had equall service even when I go in to get a $10 bottle (that would be what I call a "tuesday") or a $20 bottle (a "friday").
They key here is that the people working there have tasted a surprising number of the wines there (not bad work if you can get it I suppose). Try to get that at BevMo! So whether you need to know to drop $120 on this year's Caymus or OpusOne (they know which way to go there) or which of the $15 Zins is gonna give you more spice then sweet fruit, they can hook you up nice. Without the service you can waste a lot of money on mediocre wines or wines that don't fit your palate. I personally don't have enough Tuesdays to waste away on some wine I bought because the label looked nice... So next time you are on the way out of the Coleman Costco do go try the Wine Club and go ahead and ask one of the clerks for help, I would be surprised if you are not impressed.
I refuse to go to BevMo, as I prefer more exclusive wines. This does not translate to higher prices in all cases. They have a balanced offering from all parts of the world in terms of wines and champagne. I recently stocked up on Argentine and Spanish wines for guests, 8 bottles for $72, and I can be proud of my choices.
A must visit for wine collectors of all types. They do nice little regional tastings. Doesnt look like anything inside, but I like it this way. Keeps the consumer drones away.
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The Wine Club has an inventory with some great finds at any price point, be it $10 or $400. The staff is attitude-free.
The wine tastings are fun, but the selections are wide enough that you should expect to be impaired, even if you just "tasted" everything. Bring a driver.
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Very fun place. Definitely on the level of places like K&L and Beltramo's. They always have a great wine selection at good prices. They tend to have more everyday (sub $30) wines than other local places which is nice if you like wine for more than just special occasions. I've never partaken in the tasting since I'm almost always there in the morning, but it does seem like a good deal. It's probably my most frequented local wine shop. That said, when I asked for an extra empty wine box they were fairly rude and unaccomodating. Hopefully someone was just having a bad day.
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My favorite place to go wine shopping in the entire Bay Area. It's a large, brightly lit warehouse with a massive selection of wine from all over: everything from the US standards to New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Spain, and the usual French & Italian selections. Their prices almost always have everyone else beat, and the staff knows their wine.
They also do weekly tastings which are often a fantastic deal - $20 or $30 to sample often 10 or more different wines, many highly rated, and often ranging in bottle price from cheap & affordable up through the ultra-premium. How many times do you get a chance to taste two different $400/bottle grand-cru Bordeaux, along with many other great wines, for only $35?
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GREAT staff and GREAT selection of wines.
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Nice, huge wine store. They have everything sorted into sections with easy to find pricing and an informative description. Unlike many other wine places, they only sell wine (unfortunately, no sake). I didn't find the staff to be overwhelmingly helpful (no one offered to help me) but they did aid in locating what we were looking for when we asked. This is a great place to stop before or after hitting Costco (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). They have additional locations in San Francisco (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and down south in Santa Ana (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
A definite favorite. Helpful, knowledgeable, laid back staff. Huge selection... everything from budget to special occasion and all very good.
Check out their weekly tastings, they have some great ones. $20-$40 depending on what they're tasting (Great Cabs and top tier Champagnes being higher of course) but a hell of a deal considering there are usually 10-13 wines to taste.
Some of the tasting events can get very busy but they're always a blast. And single girls take note.. there's a lot of single men at some of these events! LOL! I'm not single but a girlfriend and I went once and boy were they chatting us up. It's not a meat market.. it was all very pleasant and fun... but I'm just sayin. ;)
Anyway, I really like these folks. Do pay them a visit.
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