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Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Wine Bars
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaMon-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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This is a great place for Italian wine... If I knew more about wine, I could tell you exactly which ones to get, but I'm not.. But that's the great thing about Wine Expo. Even if you don't know much about wine, but you want to get a bottle that will go great with the steaming hot plate of homemade Bolognese pasta or spicy Thai yellow curry over perfectly cooked Jasmine rice or even just a juicy piece of well-seasoned medium rare ribeye steak with roasted shallot mashed potatoes (mmm.. who's hungry?)
anyway, back to the wine.. if you need to get a bottle of wine to perfectly compliment your dinner, just ask the staff. They're friendly and knowledgeable. My fiance and I went a while ago to find a bottle of wine to go with the creamy chicken korma curry over saffron basmati rice I was cooking and ended up getting a tour of the shop from Shelley. She even told us about their sister store in Atwater Village and the wine tastings they host.
It's been a while so I don't remember the name of the wine we had with our meal that night, but I do remember it being a great night. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters.
People thought this was:
Hands down the BEST place to purchase grower Champagnes in Los Angeles. I can guarantee that you will not know 90% of the houses offered for sale here, but every one of them is a work of art.
The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly - and follows my motto to a T, "Friends don't let friends drink Veuve Clicquot".
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Knowledgeable staff, great selection of Italian wine, and very close to work.
I bought a bottle of Garnacha and a bottle of zin, and walked out with $25 less but with a huge grin on my face.
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I've been drinking a lot of Barolos and Montepulcianos lately, and I have this place to blame for it. HUGE selection, incredible staff, great prices...I can't stay away. If you're idea of Italian wine is that god-awful bottle of Chianti with the straw base that we all grew up with, do yourself a favor and swing by this place. You won't regret it.
You can't get a bad bottle of wine at Wine Expo. They just don't have any.
I've been frequenting this shop for about 7 years & these guys are super-helpful, super-friendly & super-knowledgeable. You just walk in, give them a price range (mine's usually $7-$10!) and tell them what it's for--to go with pizza, for a friend's birthday, for sipping on a warm summer night. No snobbery here.
I've also been to a number of their tasting dinners at Il Forno.The food is great & the wine flows freely--I highly recommend you take a cab!!! (And I'm not talking Sauvignon).
So do yourself a favor & pop into this shop instead of wandering the aisle of Ralph's or Albertson's, trying to figure out which $10 bottle MIGHT be palatable.
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Service, Service....Service !!
I am embarrassed to say that I really don't know wine that well, but I do know great service and suggestions when they happen.
Every single time I visit Wine Expo I get a knowledgeable sales person who seems to be able to interpret my wishes and deliver exactly what I am asking for. When I open the libations I am reminded why I return to Wine Expo time and time again.
Cheers to great service, cheers to great suggestions and cheers to the aspirin that makes it all better.
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Okay this place was a real let down. I was told by several friends that this was the place to go to if I wanted to purchase a cheap glass of wine and enjoy myself. But when I went I did not enjoy myself and the wine was extremely expensive. I need to start getting advice from friends that make about as much money as I make annually.
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I have died and gone to Italian wino heaven, where the Moscato and Chianti flow abundantly by the riverside next to my blanket and picnic basket filled with soft cheeses and fresh baked baguettes. The birds are chirping in my haven of free flowing wines, all of which can be purchased at Wine Expo for $9.99, and the sun shines softly on my full drunk belly as I snooze the afternoon away in what can best be described as summer bliss.
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Holy Mary Mutha-O-Gawd, I have reached the Holy Land!!!!
Eric, you are a god among men. Eric happens to be the "beer guy" who is more than well-versed in wines and this weekend he helped me re-stock my bar with an incredible selection of Italian, French and South American wines. Don't let the location or the name fool you because the Wine Expo has everything (wine, champagne, prosecco, cave, tequila, whiskey, a little bit of everything)! This place is in a small, unsuspecting strip mall but it packs a punch. The selection is incredible, the staff friendly and knowledgeable, and the prices are reasonable. This is my new go-to wine shop for sure. I will most definitely make the drive from East to West LA to shop here from now on!
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How much do I love this store!!
Wine and I are best friends and the only thing that gets in our way are those damn human beings that try to stand between us, but yesterday I was hanging out with one of my favorite humans and we were craving the vino (what else is knew). And so we decided to check out this much rumored wine store with the whopping 5 star review on Yelp. I mean, with a rating like that, it must be good. And boy was it ever!
Thanks to Eric "the beer guy," we were taking on a palate elating journey through the richness of Tempranillo, the decadence of Italia and even treated to a thought-provoking explanation on the bubbly. He taught us fermented lessons that I will one day pass along to my kids (okay, maybe that's extreme, but Eric friggin rules!)
Come here and buy your wine. It's a store with a whole lotta knowledge and a fantastic selection and you won't feel dumb asking questions and will leave a few points smarter. Win Win.
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These people know their wine!
They love to help! Help is their middle name! Just let them know what you are eating and your budget and they'll steer you to the perfect wine. Or beer. Or whatever liquor you fancy. There is always a great selection, and some of the fun is just going in and reading their witty descriptions of the wines!
And they don't belittle or sneer at you for knowing nothing about wine. NO SNEERING!!
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The staff here could not be more helpful and they give great advice! They'll ask you what you want to spend and what exactly you're looking for out of a great bottle.
Awesome champagne selection here! (They tend to turn their noses up to the larger champagne houses so you won't find any Veuve or Dom here :)
Bruno Paillard Rose. Bravo! I understand that White Zins are serious trailor trash factor, but have always wondered why rose champagnes could pull it off in style. This one certainly does.
Good champagne for $12 a bottle? Yes it exists. And it definitely ain't Cooks or Korbel. Try the Charles de Fere champagne... So inexpensive yet SO good. With this price, heck yaah, just go ahead and buy a case. It's worth it!
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This is the best liquor store I have been into anywhere, hands down.
They have the most interesting collection of liquor I have ever seen.
From $300 bottles of Vintage Port, to the best $11 bottle of Bourbon, they have it, or know when they will.
They have a good wine and beer selection, but I have not delved into that yet.
The staff is incredibly knowledgeable, and once you talk with them about what you like, and what you are doing with what you want to buy, they'll steer you into the right libation. You want Jack and Coke? Nope, try Joshua Brooks bourbon, its better in coke and cheaper too., You want Argmanac, try this spanish brandy, you'll LOVE it.
You want Caipirinhas use Pitu not the other brand.
They ship too. So you can send gifts to friends from all over.
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From the outside I will admit that this store looks like some crappy hole in the wall liquor store. However, once you step foot inside it's like you have entered the forests of Narnia. Well, not really more like a toned down Wally's. They have a vast selection of wines spirits and beers. I always find is intimidating when I enter a wine store like this because I don't really know where to start. Robert was working when we went and he was very helpful. Ask for his opinion to help with your choices.
This is definitely my new go to spot.
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Great selection, especially when it comes to Italian and sparking wines. Tons of small producers, don't go expecting to find a lot of familiar wines or typical selections from the grocery store. I always trust the staff for suggestions. Also, they've got a great selection of hard alcohol from vodkas to scotches they've got some pretty interesting stuff.
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Seriously one of the best places to buy wine in LA. These guys know wine like the Comic Book Guy knows comics on the Simpsons.
However, they are more than willing to impart this grand knowledge on you and make out of this world recommendations.
This is THE place to buy champagne and italian wine. Their prices are amazing as well. Can you imagine finding a bottle for $5 that tastes like $50??? It's here.
They even picked out wine for me for a gift and shipped it for me.
When I got the thank you from the recipient , they couldn't believe how amazing the prosecco was!
You cannot go wrong here.
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About Ten Reasons to shop at WINE EXPO
Focus: Champagne and unique wines of Italy
- Location - Santa Monica "Champagne Headquarters"
- Selection - unique
- Service - unique, not for everyone, but wine adventurers love this store
- Dependable - you will find something special.
- Creditable - very discerning owners have a high moral wine code
- Prices - very in line with quality
- Knowledgeable staff - and good information posted on each wine
- Website - http://wineexpo.com/
Tell them you heard about it on YELP and LearnAboutWine!
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BevMo is cool and all, but if you're looking for something special you've got to check out the Wine Expo. These guys specialize in small vineyards so you won't find the big names here. Ask them for some advice and they'll steer you to a cool wine you've never heard of, but will love nonetheless.
The champagne selection is vast as well!
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Needing some beer to bring something to a bbq, I popped in the Wine Expo after finding out the hard way that Beverage Warehouse was closed. I heard this place carried a good selection of beer as well as wine (lest the shop title be lying). As far as Los Angeles goes, the beer selection was reasonable: some interesting Belgians and Germans and your California crafts. I looked long to find something special to bring. There was this glorious looking English Stout with "bottled in 2000" on the label, so I had to get that. I really wish I remembered the name. When I opened it at the bbq, I took one sip and BLAM - soy sauce. Fucking gross - I spat it out. Obviously, avoid this one.
Apart from that mistake, the other beers were fine. The employees were very friendly. The name does not lie, the place is mostly about wine. There are bottles of wine everywhere - it's almost difficult to navigate your way walking by them all. Worth a visit.
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I love this place! They are super nice and knowledgeable and have great champagnes and Italian wines at all sorts of price points.
I don't think a thing about wine, but wanted to buy some for a gift and they were awesome. So helpful, they listened to what I wanted and didn't try to impress me with fancy language but actually explained it in terms I could understand and they were so friendly and I will definitely be going back. They also have a good selection of beer/liquor. The place is pretty small but they fit a lot into it and it is such a friendly place I felt like I could hang out in there all day :)
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Unlike many specialty wine shops, Wine Expo actually concerns itself with price and value. Whereas I might feel foolish saying "I rarely pay more than $10/bottle" in any other specialty shop, Wine Expo seems sympathetic to my plight, with many bottles priced at $8.99.
I actually headed to Wine Expo to buy beer, and was pleased to see that they had a good selection of microbrews. They had the heavy-hitting microbreweries well represented: Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Stone & New Belgium, as well as a few lesser known options. I was pleased to note that they had the seasonal brews from all of the above makers. Just about every 6 pack was $8.99 or $9.99, not the cheapest you'll ever see but pretty reasonable.
I have to say, when I saw the reviews, I was like, what? How can a liquor store be so special? But alas, the customer service was almost comically above & beyond. I think I was enthusiastically greeted about 4 times in the 5 minutes I was there, and the guy that checked me out made sure to squeeze every possible nicety into the conversation. I'll definitely be back.
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Someone acutally send me a gift from here last year- 4 bottles of wine and from what I gather, they were super helpful in picking everything out. Staff is very knowledgeable and every few months, they send out a flyer with great reviews/sales.
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These folks know their wine. They are friendly and unpretentious. They'll teach you to love wine. Bring them samples of what you plan to serve at your party, and they'll recommend the perfect pairings...all within your budget. Get on their email list for information on tastings, new arrivals, and recommendations.
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oh my god oh my god i didn't know. until the other day. i was hunting for pisco, for my quechua class (don't ask), and my friend said check wine expo. i was like, yeah. right. the champagne headquarters of the world is gonna carry peruvian (note: NOT chilean) brandy? but they did. oh yes. i spent $100 more than i thought i would but holy moly there's a god. i can't even convey in this e.e. cummings style prose the degree to which the owners know their stuff. i ask for a good viogner, they say, "oh no. you want, what you want, is THIS." and they were right. i want this. every day.
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i'm going right now to buy champagne. they say they are the headquarters. they won't LET you buy veuve clicquot or other over advertised brands. it's not worth it they say. you are paying for advertising. i am always secure now when i bring wine to my wine snob friends' houses. i live one block away, so it's too easy to stop by. when they have my favorite wine waiting for me when i arrive-i am sure that day is not far away- i may have to back off a little. it's really perfect though. you can try all different wines for a reasonable price and you get an advisor to help you.
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Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Farmers Market
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Specialty Schools
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
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