My Favorite Wine Shops

So, I buy wine. I buy a LOT of wine. I buy a lot of GOOD wine. But where do I buy it you ask? There are so many great sources, it's hard to narrow down my favorite, but here are my top choices (other than winery direct):

1. Wine Q - my new favorite source for unusual, small production yummy wines. Their prices are fair, and there is no shipping if you spend over $35, which is easy on 2+ bottles. It's basically Netflix for wine, where you create your own queue, and dictate how many bottles per timeframe you want shipped. 2 bottles a week? 6 bottles a month? No problem!Plus, Brittany and Marshall are just nice folks who go out of there wayt o find really tasty treats for us.
2. The Wine Mine - a tiny shop located under hwy 24/580 in Oakland, where the prices are truely like mining for gold. The last time I was in, I asked the owner for some "weekday wines under $20" and he went one better, offering me a ton of options under $10-15. There is always something new here, and it's right on my way home!
3. The Wine Club - SF was my old stand by before I found #1 & #2. I still venture in here from time to time since it's on my way home, and they are a good source if you are looking for something specific. You can find their inventory on Vinquire.com or on their website, and they have 2 other locations.
4. Bottle Barn - an old Santa Rosa standby, is hidden in an industrial park behind Piner St. They are THE source for Sonoma County wines at a discount, most of which can't be found outside of the tasting room. Plus, they have an annex in Headlsburg, and they just redesigned their website!

I'm still learning about new areas, especially the northwest. I'm looking forward to trying some of the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman's offerings int he very near future.

The Wine Spies posts a new deal daily, and Wine.Woot.com has new deals every Monday so be sure to check them out. I recently got a 3 pack from Twisted Oak at wine.woot for about 25% off of MSRP!