Need a bottle or two of wine for dinner tonight? Want to learn about wine? Where is the best place to buy wine in Los Angeles? In a big city such as Los Angeles, wine shops can be found across the city. From large chains to small independent stores, which one is the right one for you? Whether in your neighborhood or across the city, here are some of our favorite wine shops.
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WEST LOS ANGELES
Wine House
2311 Cotner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
www.winehouse.com
The Wine House has been a family-owned business for more than 40 years. Bill Knight and his sons Jim and Glen have curated one of the largest selections in the country, including more than 6,000 domestic and imported wines, spirits and beers, housed in a 18,000-square-foot facility next to the 405 freeway in West Los Angeles. Inside the store is a serve-yourself tasting area with a rotating selection of wines in enomatic machines. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions.
TIP: If you are looking to learn more about wine, the Wine House is the place for wine education. In addition to offering regularly scheduled wine tastings and classes featuring wines from around the world, the WSET certification courses are offered here as well.
CULVER CITY
Bar & Garden
6142 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232
A charming little store located in Culver City, Bar & Garden looks like a bar inside a garden as the wines are displayed among fine wood elements and greenery. Owned by Lauren Johnson and Marissa Mandel, Bar & Garden specializes in unique, small production wines, predominately from Europe, who do not use herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers or fungicides in their vineyards. This is one of the best wine stores in Los Angeles for anyone interested in natural wine.
TIP: Tastings are held every Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The cost is $12-$15 and includes cheese, charcuterie, bread, and other bites. On Fridays, there is a “Five for Five at Five” until the wine runs out.
VENICE
Lincoln Fine Wines
727 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Sitting on Lincoln Avenue, between Venice Blvd and Rose Ave, Lincoln Fine Wines is not a very large store, but it is packed wall to wall with boxes of wines from around the world. The staff is approachable and happy to answer even the most random questions. Whether you are looking for a $5 bottle of wine or you want to splurge, Lincoln Fine Wines has wines to fit all budgets. This is one of the best wine stores in Los Angeles if you need some handholding before selecting your wine.
TIP: Weekly wine tastings are offered every Wednesday from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. Tastings cost $10 but if you buy any of the wines from the tasting, the $10 tasting fee is applied towards your purchase.
SANTA MONICA
Ester’s Wine Shop & Bar
1314 7th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Esters is a chic wine bar in Santa Monica offering a selection of well-curated and fun wines, without pretension. Grab a seat at the bar or on the patio and enjoy a glass or two of wine, paired with a deliciously cheesy and carb-heavy menu. Esters is a place to socialize but also to discover new wines and if you sip one you like, you can purchase it in the retail store to take home. The staff is knowledgeable, and Esters also has guest Sommeliers come in and pour from time to time.
TIP: Esters offers weekly Sunday Wine Tastings from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Drop by anytime within the window and learn about new regions and taste new, or possibly familiar, wines at your own pace. Ten-Cent Tastings are offered on Tuesday nights from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Get a splash of wine for 10 cents and get 10% off purchases.
BEVERLY HILLS
Wally’s
447 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90201
Located in Beverly Hills, with a second location in Santa Monica, Wally’s offers a restaurant inside a retail store or a retail store inside a restaurant. Chilled to cellar temperature, the walls are lined with bottles of wine from around the world and the floor is filled with tables and chairs. Wally’s is the kind of place that you might head to when you need to buy wine but will stay for a bite to eat, or you will go for a meal and walk out with a bottle of wine.
TIP: If you sit down for a meal, the selections of wines by the glass is rather impressive but be prepared as the prices are quite high.
Héritage Fine Wines
9400 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
Sitting on the corner of Canon Drive and Little Santa Monica Blvd., in the heart of Beverly Hills, Heritage Fine Wines is more than a wine shop. Heritage Fine Wines is a wine bar, piano bar, tasting lounge, French restaurant, boutique, and rooftop. Parisian-born owner Jordane Andrieu has curated a selection of French, European and domestic wines that range from unpretentious to rare.
TIP: Happy Hour is offered from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Tuesday through Friday. Wine and champagne are available for $8-$12 and a food menu includes cheese, charcuterie, bruschetta and various toasts for $10 each, as well as three oysters for $6. Live Music is offered on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Enjoy live music while tasting six wines for $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Wine education is offered on Sunday afternoons.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
Helen’s
412 N Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Helen Johannesen is the beverage director of Jon & Vinny’s, Son of a Gun, Animal, Petit Trois, Trois Mec, and Kismet. If you are a fan of the wines on these wine lists, then head to Helen’s wine shop, tucked inside Jon & Vinny’s. There is also a second location inside the Brentwood Jon & Vinny’s. At Helen’s, there is a focus on small production wines that are made with integrity and lower intervention winemaking. The wine shop is small but the ever-rotating selection of quality wines at every price point will keep you coming back.
TIP: You can join Helen’s Wine Club, a great way to enjoy these limited-production wines. As a member, you will receive curated monthly shipments of wines with descriptions, as well as food pairing recommendations.
Domaine L.A.
6801 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles 90038
Domaine LA is one of the original shops for those seeking organic, biodynamic and natural wines. Opened in 2009 by Jill Berheimer, Domaine LA has approximately 400 wines, with a concentration on grower-producers from Europe, Australia and Chile, as well as some of the “coolest” of the California producers.
TIP: Wine pairings are offered on Sundays from 2:00 pm -5:00 pm. For $15, wines are paired with food, such as cheese and crackers but local chefs are known to make an appearance with creative pairings such as oysters, bahn mi, lasagna, and Spanish tortillas.
HOLLYWOOD
K&L Wine Merchants
1400 Vine St, Hollywood Los Angeles, CA
K&L Wine Merchants was founded in 1976 in the Bay Area and today they have two stores in Northern California and one store in Southern California. In addition to a selection of domestic wines, K&L buyers travel to Europe throughout the year to buy direct from producers. Not only does this enable them to offer great prices, but they also often find wines not otherwise available in the US market. And, if you are looking for something rare or special, K&L conducts fine wine auctions online.
TIP: Every Thursday night, from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm, K&L offers an in-store wine tasting for only $5.
SILVER LAKE
Silver Lake Wine
2395 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90039
www.silverlakewine.com
Opened in 2003 by wine industry alums George Cossette and Randy Clement, as well as April Langford, Silver Lake Wine was the go-to for small-production, boutique wines. Today there are two Silver Lake Wine locations, with the second one in the Downtown LA Arts District, as well as Everson Royce Wine & Spirits in Pasadena and the Marche wine bar in Burbank in the group. Established as an eastside institution, Silver Lake Wine still offers artisan wines without pretention. Silver Lake Wine offers wines at all price ranges but you should check out the $15-and-under selection as well as rare, hard-to-find collectible wines.
TIP: Weekly wine tastings are held on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm (the Downtown location offers tastings on Tuesdays from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm). The cost is $15 and three wines are poured along with cheese and bread.
LOS FELIZ
Lou Wine Shop & Tastings
1911 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, CA
Located in a strip mall in Los Feliz since 2014, Lou Amdur has been the go-to shop for those looking for esoteric natural wines. Lou Wine Shop carries approximately 400 wines, most of which come from small European wineries and vineyards. All wines are organized by flavor profile, and Lou is always on hand to share stories about the winemakers. Lou Wine Shop is a small store, but it thrives on passion.
TIP: Thematic wine tastings, which cost $10-$15, are held on Tuesday and Friday from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm and on Saturday from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
ECHO PARK
Eve’s Bottle Shop
2112 Sunset Blvd Ste J, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Located in the Mohawk Collective development on Sunset Boulevard, Bar Avalon is a casual neighborhood restaurant where you can start your day with coffee and end your day with wine. At Bar Avalon, Beverage Director Nathaniel Muñoz has curated a wine list featuring wines from the Americas. Connected to Bar Avalon is Eve’s Wine Shop. With approximately 200 selections, Eve’s offers all of the wines on the Bar Avalon wine list as well as some of Nathaniel’s favorite wines from around the world.
TIP: Every Friday from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm, meet a winemaker or importer who will be pouring their wines for $15. If there is a wine that you love at Eve’s Wine Bottle Shop that is not on the Bar Avalon wine list, you can purchase it and corkage is 18% of the retail price. So, if you buy a $40 bottle of wine in the store, you will pay an additional $7.20 to enjoy it with your dinner.
TOLUCA LAKE
Vendome Wine & Spirits
10600 Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake Toluca Lake, CA
One of five family-owned stores throughout Los Angeles, Vendome Wine & Spirits Toluca Lake has been open since 1987. Vendome Toluca Lake has a great selection of wines, craft beers, and small-batch spirits. It is a retail store but also a local hangout. A large rectangular tasting bar sits on one side of the store. Locals gather here regularly for tastings that are offered. But you can also purchase a wine or beer and drink it at the bar, as long as the staff pours it for you.
TIP: Head to the wine bar almost every night of the week for a wine tasting featuring a different region in the world. Definitely check out $1 Pour Wednesdays as well as the monthly Wine & Vinyl Night.
WOODLAND HILLS
Woodland Hills Wine Co
22622 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA
Founded in 1978 by Paul and Carol Smith, this family-owned wine store has been in this Woodland Hills location since 1998. Today second-generation Kyle Smith oversees the 12,000 square-foot retail store, along with a very seasoned wine staff. With a comprehensive inventory of over 2,500 of the world’s finest wines, including wines sourced through their direct importing program, their knowledgeable staff is on-hand to help you pick out a wine.
Across Los Angeles, there are wine stores featuring great selections of wines with knowledgeable staff. The key is to find what will draw you in. Is it the location of the store, the wine selection, the education or tasting offerings? No matter what, these are the stores that will keep you coming back for more.
