1010 Washington Wines & Spirits has emerged on the 3 Day Wine Review radar this past year. Instead of promoting the local wine shops because they are friends of mine, I believe in promoting local wine shops that offer the wine consumer a great value and quality products. The 2015 il Fauno is the same bottle at any of the shops. France 44 is never going to have the best price in town and I have purchased one case from them in my life (2003 Amon Ra Shiraz at $60 a bottle). It is a fancy wine shop with the highest prices on wine in the Twin Cities.
3 Day Wine Review Top 5 Wine Shops in the Twin Cities!
I do buy a ton of wine out of state but when I do buy wine locally this is where I buy from as I don’t need any recommendations or help. While Jason Kallsen mentions 2 of my top 5, he misses the boat on WineStreet & Hennepin Lake Liquors.
NUMBER ONE
WineStreet Spirits This is a wine shop in North Oaks (former location in Bloomington) that caters to the serious wine buyer. Get on their email list if you want some of the best deals in the Twin Cities. Owner Brad Weiss knows fine wine and loves Bordeaux. Stocks some of the best wineries around the world. I wish he would bring back the tastings of the 2000s!!!
Why is WineStreet Spirits Number 1: The best deals on wine when they have a major sale. Weekly emails on wines on sale. Great selection of world class wines. Good customer service. Check out these deals purchased in 2019.
2015 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills(USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills) $20.00
2012 J. Christopher Pinot Noir Lumière(USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola – Amity Hills) $20.00
2005 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion(France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan) $25.00
2014 K Vintners Syrah Rock Garden(USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley) $33.00
NUMBER TWO
South Lyndale Liquors Wine Sale is the way to go! Interesting selection and excellent prices. Love the catalog and the best in town. Surdyk’s pay attention. Need to work on pricing off sale times as it is too high for me. There staff knows wine, beer and spirits. The only top five shop with an update inventory that is accurate. This is an area all Twin Cities Wine Shops need to work on as it is frustrating when you go to the shop only to find the inventory is not updated and no wine!
NUMBER THREE
1010 Washington Wine & Spirits Top spot 2020? They really have a lot going for them. Really good selection of wines even off my radar. Sale prices were good enough to become the number 1 Fall Sale in the Twin Cities. Some nice weekend tastings with a real wine glass! They also update their website often with deals and tastings on beer, wine and spirits.
NUMBER FOUR
Big Top Liquors/Sid’s Discount Liquors For me this is the best wine shop in the Twin Cities. You want to know why join my private wine buyers club. Back in the day the home of the 2007 Joh. Jos. Prum $7.00 Kabinett, Spatlese and Auslese wines which are a legendary deal in this town. Wine closeout bins are not what they used to be (They would be number 1 every year if they were) but $32.00 for 2013 Penfolds St. Henri does not hurt. Get on their Williams Wednesday & Tuesday Dash deals as this is where I buy the bulk of my beer at great prices.
NUMBER FIVE
Hennepin Lake Liquors By far the only great wine tasting in the Twin Cities kept them in the top five. $25.00. I got my money’s worth in the first 10 minutes. Wine Sale Prices are not what they used to be however the following deals are worth a visit and the best weekend in-store tasting. There are some really good bottles open on Friday and Saturday afternoon which are also worth the visit. Here is a recent in-store tasting.
Honorable Mention
Sunfish Cellars– Hoyt Hill should get their website back in the game with a more accurate inventory. Once that is established, they will be contending in the top five yearly. They have some of the best tastings in town for the money. Check out their upcoming events here. If they had a bigger store front they would be top five but inventory is not always on the floor. Their Black Friday Sale which runs into Saturday is outstanding! Check it out here.
Wine Shops I Actually Purchase from but not top level for 3 Day Wine Review.
- Total Wine- It is fine for the average wine drinker. Steer clear of all of their corporate labels as the quality is very low. Low 80s for most of them.
- Lakeside Wine & Spirits- Too far from me to get much out of the place. If you live in Minnetonka it is worth a drive and take advantage of their sales.
- Sam’s Club- They used to have better wines and their pricing is not too bad. Again decant for the average wine drinker.
- Costco- Probably the best place to shop for wine in the Twin Cities for the average wine drinker. You will never over pay and there is a decant selection of wines in the bins.
- Surdyk’s- Decant in-store tastings but the inventory is tired. Same stuff on every sale and lacks good pricing on higher end bottles.
- Haskell’s- Best thing they have going is their Cyber Monday 20% off gift cards which can be applied to sale pricing. Also they have my wine of the year for $21.99.
- Morelli’s– Sometimes some really good wine deals on their Monday Madness.
There are several shops that other educators promote but I have never purchased a bottle from such as Cork Dork, Solo Vino, Top 10 & Henry & Son. Nothing against them except I really don’t need the service they provide and don’t want to pay top dollar for the same bottle I can get elsewhere.
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