I have been frequenting AG usually 1 or  2 times a week for over 2  years. The staff is always very pleasant and knowledgeable.  You can tell that the Chef is always finding new ways to tempt our palates because the food is always tasty and choices are interesting.  I have however been concerned about some changes recently made to the menus.  The type style is appropriate but the font is too small for some people.  The descriptions of the wine are not as helpful as they were formerly (too short). Keep up the good work.
Review Source:I am sad to say I have to change my review to 3 stars. Â This use to be our favorite place, but unfortunately so many owners involved who don't seem to care about the customers and they have raised all of their prices and added corkage fees. Â Even on the beer! Â We use to go here as an affordable place to relax and enjoy the wine and food, but now with all of the changes, we just can't afford to go as much. Â It's sad because they do have great food and good wine selections. Â I hate when what makes a place so popular goes to their heads and they get greedy. Â :(
Review Source:Cliff notes version of my review: If you are really into wine, consider yourself a bit of a wine snob, or have a spoiled palate you will be unimpressed with the wine bar selections and find yourself wanting something more.
The husband and I have made our rounds around all of the local wine bars but had yet to stop by Amazing Grapes. Â A livingsocial deal popped up in my e-mail so we decided we'd finally check it out because our favorite wine bar in SJC was closed down that evening for a private event. Â I had already read great reviews on yelp so we were really excited.
I was a little bummed out to find that this place was a little over-hyped on yelp :(
A few disappointments...
(1) no wine flight options at a wine bar? Â What's up with that? Â Don't you want us to get to know the wines you sell so that we might purchase a few bottles? Â They do allow you to buy 2 oz tastes of the wines listed on their menu but to be honest that selection is mediocre. Â
(2) There's not much creativity behind the wine selection to choose from on the menu, only about 7 or 8 whites and 7 or 8 reds that are all average. Â I settled for the Fog Head Pinot Noir. Â It was very fruit forward but lacked the earthiness and complexity I like in my pinots. Â My husband did enjoy the moscato he tried, but he's pretty easy to please. Â I'm more of the wine snob I guess.
(3) No premium wines are available by the glass or to taste. Â You would just have to buy the bottle from their retail area. Â Most of the other wine shops we've been to have the option to purchase a good chardonnay or cabernet by the glass. Â For example - Uncorked in RSM usually has 4 premium wines tapped like Duckhorn Cab, Silveroak Cab, Prisoner, etc.
(4) Figgy Cheese - super hyped up on yelp reviews...not what we expected. Â We thought it was average...
The positives: friendly & efficient service (although it was a bit of a headache to get them to let us use the livingsocial deal...in fine print it just says to present it on your iPhone or print out the deal but they do not allow you to present it on your iPhone. Â I had to snap screenshots of it and e-mail it to the manager); the live music was pretty good on Saturday night; Angels baseball on the TV behind the bar also a plus.
Atmosphere is an older Coto/RSM crowd...a lot of cougars that evening! Â haha
We might be back if they change some of those things - add wine flights, get more creative with the wine list, etc. Â But for now we are sticking to our favorites...
I have been a frequent visitor to Amazing Grapes over the years but always to purchase wine and beer. Â I was always interested in the wine tasting but had never tried it.
On Saturday, 3-16, I told the wife that we were going to head to RSM for wine tasting and dinner. Â A little out of her Lake Forest sphere but that's another story. Â
We arrived around 6:30 and got a table right away. Â A solo guitarist was playing music that provided the right amount of ambiance. Â Not too loud, not too soft. Â
The revelation was our server, Jessica. Â Since we were rookies, she took some time to explain both the wine and food on the menu for the night. Â We made our wine selections and she still brought out the bottles so we could taste the wine first, certainly a nice touch. Â
Along with the wine selections, there are also four beers on tap including a pair of unusual selections from the Bruery along with Green Flash Palate Wrecker, a double IPA. Â Nice choices.
We did go with the Figgy Cheese as an appetizer. Â A great combination of figs, goat cheese and rosemary.
The entrees were good values, especially for the price and considering the nice atmosphere. Â I had the penne alla Vodka which was good except for a slightly watery sauce which I attribute to residual moisture in the penne. Â My wife had the roasted beet salad with chicken which she greatly enjoyed.
Again, the service was friendy, courteous and quick. Â Jessica was great. Â
While I am the food lover in the family, my wife "the perpetual dieter" stated that she wanted to go back soon which is the highest rating she can give!
Beautiful decor, friendly staff and delicious wine. Â I should have gone during happy hour as my wine cost $7 for 1 glass. Â The reason I am giving 3 stars is that there is definitely a "type" of people that go here and I do not fit that personality. Â The band was Country Western and they were amazing and had fabulous voices. Â I, however; do not like Country Western music and have never been able to get into it. Â Also, the vibe was older, white and wealthy. Â I am more laid back and happen to teach High School students. My husband and I just didn't really fit in. Â Otherwise this place is very unique and if I lived in Santa Margarita or Coto De Caza, I would try and hit up their happy hour.
Review Source:I seriously love this place. Â A great combo of wine shopping, wine tasting, great food, and live music. Â Our wonderful server, Brooke, gave great recommendations (both wine and food) and gave us generous two ounce pours (probably closer to actually four ounces)! Â I highly highly recommend the tortured tomatoes and the dark chocolate orange gelato. Â
This place is a little pricey, but completely worth it for wonderful music, ambience, food, service, conversation, and, most of all, wine!
Excellent atmosphere and great service. Boutique wine and craft beer store with a small bar and restaurant in the back. You can bring any bottle of wine or beer to the bar or restaurant during happy hour and they will open and serve with no corkage fee. Food is excellent and the wine and beer selections are the best in town.
Review Source:This is my girlfriend and my go-to place. Â I'm pretty sure we've tried everything on the menu here (sometimes in one sitting) and LOVE it all. Â Figgy cheese is still one of our favorites, we sometimes refer to this place by it. Â
This is how a typical decision about whether or not to come here on a Fri/Sat night goes:
"Figgy Cheese?"
"Figgy Cheese."
*car door slams*
Try this place, you won't be disappointed. Â Great (and underrated) beer selection.
"Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now i see."
John Newton, Amazing Grace: Hymn
Okay, getting caught up on Wine Shop reviews so that I can create a "Wine In The OC" list. Â Amazing Grapes has been around for a few years now and is an excellent example of a neighborhood wine shop. Â Smartly chosen selection with solid prices, occasional inventory blow outs and discounts via the web combined with a friendly tasting room bar that includes food and you have an establishment that has found a definite niche in generic, salmon colored roofed Rancho Santa Margarita. Â
Definitely sign up for their web emails and if you are in the area, visit the tasting bar and order some wine with tasty food from Chef Gerri. Â They usually have live music playing too on the weekends. Â Wish this wine bar was closer to Irvine but then how much wine can one guy drink? (I'm loving trying to find out!)
Love the selection of wine and beers from around the world with locals too!
The staff is super helpful and the wine bar flights are a fantastic way to way to try new wines.
They may not have a happy hour, but the servers are generous about sample pours so you don't feel like you're buying into a glass you don't want. Sometimes it pays off. I bought my first California Chardonnay the other night!!!
Just remember, no wine bar Monday and Tuesday.
I really like this place. The atmosphere is fun, and the food is great too! The only reason I knocked off 2 points is because they do not have a happy hour! There are two wine bars in the same general area, Uncorked and Wine Works, which both have excellent happy hours. I would love to go to Amazing Grapes more, but I'm more inclined to go to either one of the 2 nearby wine bars that will give me a happy hour!
Get a happy hour Amazing Grapes! Please!! :)
Believe it or not, there are a lot of hidden gems in RSM. Amazing Grapes in one of them. Part wine shop, part social meeting place, they seem to have a little bit of something for everyone.
We've been meaning to try this place for years. People who don't even live in RSM have told us how great it is but somehow we hadn't made it over till about a month ago. I'd like to become a regular here! We shared some appetizers and wine with another couple and everything was fantastic. We shared the gorgonzola walnut bruschetta, the truffled mac n cheese, a cheese and salami plate and then a bbq chicken quesadilla. Okay, so maybe it seemed more like dinner than appys! Good food, good portions for sharing and the kind of food that goes great with wine.
Great service, friendly crowd. It seemed like a real local place and that everyone kind of knew everyone else, but we were instantly very welcomed.
The next day we set out to buy some wine from their extensive store. Low and behold, they carried a great selection of California and far beyond and much lower prices than I'm used to paying.
I was just perusing their web page and they seem to have a lot of wine flight nights featuring some great California wineries. If I don't get back this week I can assure you, it won't be long till I do!
We visited Amazing Grapes for the first time last night and was completely surprised
by the selection of wines, food, and the great service!
We brought a large group of about 16 in and the staff really took care of us. I joined about 20 mins after the event started and was greeted by the server Cassie, who I recognized and met had met before. Â She very attentive, let us pick a bottle out from the store and corked it for us for only $5 (nice), offered water, and suggested the Mamas pizza.
Great food, Pizzas were great, Wine selections are amazing with lots of options to enjoy! The service was excellent!! Thank YOU!!! Â
We will be back.
Erica
This is a great place to have a glass of wine and some yummy food.
They had a nice wine selection and their food is very good.
Weekends can be a bit busy so I recommend making reservations. Although there was one time when they gave our table way to another group so they comped our meal. But overall we had a great time.
First time. Loved the people and place. Food was amazing, but I was a little disappointed about the cork fee of $5.00 when I was purchasing a bottle of wine (2 by the way-over $16.00 per bottle), that really ticked me off, but the management staff was very generous and waived both fee's. I'm glad that happened or I would have just went home and corked one of my own bottles myself. Over all... still good times.
Review Source:People! If you love wine and beer and good upscale food, COME HERE! The wine selection is seriously ENDLESS! The wine store is awesome, i'm like a kid in a candy store when i come here because i will spend hours upon hours browsing at all of the wines they have! It's broken down to types of wine from region so that you can find the wines easier. They also have a long wall of AWESOME beers (Stone beers, anyone?!) in the fridge, i mean, COME ON, 2 dollar beers, HOW CAN YOU PASS THAT UP?!!
The food is really freaking good. I LOVE the Beef on Wick. The beef is cooked just right to perfection and the au jus is delightful, makes my taste buds dance with joy! Also, for an appetizer, you have to get the tortured tomato crustini, kind of like Bruscetta, but WAY BETTER. The goat cheese arugala something or another is up there too (i cant remember the name of the plate right now but it has goat cheese and arugula on it)!
The service is exceptionally great. There are a few girls that work there, and they are all great, but our favorite is Brooke. She's very knowledgeable in her wines and always has above par recommendations. She's very attentive and after coming here a few times, she totally remembers our names and always greets us with a hug! She's great, so if you come on, ask for her if she's working!
Amazing Grapes, you have a returning customer in me, for life!
As Ernest Hemingway once remarked, "Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural...brought to the greatest perfection..." And perfection is what wine lovers will find at Amazing Grapes in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Founded by Greg Schroeder and two other wine-loving partners over four years ago, Amazing Grapes delivers what wine lovers want. "Our customers--some from as far away as Florida--get excellent value and superb service," says Schroeder. "We have the most competitive prices in the nation. And we ship nationally and deliver locally, where allowed by law. We'll even carry your wine to the car for you."
Those eager to share a unique new wine with their special someone no longer need the erudite vintner's expertise so whimsically displayed by Paul Giamatti in the movie Sideways. "Unlike a big-box retailer or health food chain, we can tell you the history of a particular wine and what it tastes like," says Schroeder. Customers on their email list get an extra perk--a 'heads up' about new 'finds' before they hit the general market. "We discovered this great Woltzing Bear 2004 Pinot Noir from Rancho Ontivaros Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. It was the highest rated (95) Pinot Noir in the world and our customers could get it for just $41," proudly exclaims Schroeder. "It sold out in minutes."
Whether it's an intimate dinner for two or a wedding reception for hundreds, customers seeking the right vintage will have no trouble finding it at Amazing Grapes. They have over 2,500 different wine labels in stock at all times, plus a wine bar pouring of over 30 selections. Almost without exception, what's shown on the website is what they have on hand. "Before we became wine merchants, we were customers. And one of our pet peeves was ordering a wine only to discover that a store or supplier didn't actually have it," says Schroeder. "To remedy that, we leveraged wine ordering with the power of the web to create a system that ensures that what you see on our site is what we have in stock."
New arrivals include everything from a very affordable (about $6) Garnacha de Fuego from Spain (rated at 90) to a $1,700 Cabernet Screaming Eagle from the Napa Valley. "One recent 'best value' was a Clos des Papes from the Chateau nef du Papes, a 98-pointer for an astonishingly low $60." The store will also go the extra mile to find that perfect wine for its customers. "We once sourced an exotically expensive 6-liter Bordeaux Château La Tour '82 at "$34,000. The customer just wanted to display it in his cellar," noted Schroeder.
Amazing Grapes hosts regularly scheduled wine tasting events as well as its Amazing Wine Bar. Open all day, every day, the bar features over 30 wines (rotated weekly) and an extensive selection of international meat and cheese offerings to heighten the wine tasting experience. Those who join the Amazing Grapes Wine Club will delight to receiving a carefully researched red wine each quarter. These may be recent discoveries or selections from smaller, award-winning artisan wineries. "We recently picked a Fuente Spina 2001 Ribera de Duero from Spain. It was rated at 91 for just $21. Naturally, each selection must pass the discriminating palates of Amazing Grape experts before they're shipped to club members.
When visiting Amazing Grapes for wine tasting, one can't help but be inspired by their slogan: "You don't have to drink wine to have a good time, but why take the chance?"
Let me just start by saying this: outward appearances can be deceiving. Â I live right down the street and have driven by this place on multiple occasions. Â Even walked right by it and I always assumed it was just a small little wine store, maybe with a few racks of select wines, but I was wrong. Â
Amazing Grapes has quite the large assortment of wines and some beers. Â They even a nice big area where you can order up glasses of wine and some food to enjoy. Â It's definitely not as humble as the exterior might lead you to believe. Â Which isn't a bad thing. Â I was pleasantly surprised to see that on the Saturday I came with a friend for a few glasses of wine, they even had a little jazz band playing some unoffensive lounge music. Â Not inspired by any means, but definitely a nice way to set a chill and relaxed mood.
A few highlights:
They have just a few reds, whites, and dessert wines for you to order by the glass. Â I assume that these change on a daily/weekly basis. Â The prices were somewhere in the range of $4 to $10 per glass and they're not too stingy on the pour.
Now I love wine but I can only take so many glasses. Â Especially since I don't really like white wines very much, after 3 glasses, I'm usually ready for a change. Â The great thing about this place is that you can walk on over to their beer fridge and pick out a bottle and they'll allow you to bring it back and drink your beer of choice right their in their dining area. Â It was also nice that they don't charge any kind of corking fee, as I know some places do. Â I wonder if they'll let you do that with their wines as well.
The staff was really mellow and not pretentious, which to me is always nice. Â I generally dislike wine snobs and it's nice to be able to have a conversation about wine without bringing in words like tannins. Â Yes I know what that means but I prefer to use choice phrases like, "fruity on the back end." Â
It's great to have a little wine bar within walking (read stumbling) distance from my house. Â I'll definitely be coming here a few more times, that's for sure.
I did one special event tasting (Catena winery from Argentina) and it was a really good event. Â The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Laura Catena was there in person. Â I met her in 2002 at the Wine House in West LA and she's a gem of a person. Â
Anyway, you can order some decent apps to go with the vino tasting. Â
The staff at the tasting were very knowledgeable, initiated conversation and were quite friendly. Â The selection here is pretty good but not great. Â But then this is more of a polished neighborhood "mom & pop" shop variety versus the warehouse store or your local BevMo (who stores bottles vertically and near a sun-drenched window). Â This place is the polar opposite of that venue.
I've dropped in here a few times over the past 2.5 years and the staff have been mostly great. Â On one occasion I did receive mediocre service. Â I asked for some assistance in finding some full-bodied Shiraz or Zins with jammy fruit (like Tait's "Ballbuster"). Â I was looking for a "slight" break from the monster cabs that I have been aging and consuming in my collection at home.
I believe he asked me my price point which I indicated was around $20. Â At that point he kind of powered through a couple of picks and "seemed" to dismiss me and I was left wondering if it was due to being not worthy for failing to drop enough coin at the establishment. Â The store wasn't busy so that wasn't it. Â Who knows...
Of course I realize that people can't make you feel anything. Â And I'm not saying that I left with the thought I should return to my "imaginary trailer park" and open a bottle of Thunderbird that I don't own. Â However, I've been to enough fancy tastings and around people with coin (this is South OC after all) to know when you're getting a slight waft of "sniffiness" from the upper crust types and that is the impression I left with. Â
Again, this wasn't a horrible experience because the guy was not over-the-top rude and ended up giving me a couple of decent picks. Â Possibly he was having a bad day. Â We've all been there and very likely done that. Â I worked in customer service for a few years so I know...it is far from easy.
It won't prevent me from returning to this store. Â As it is, I often have to hit various stores to locate what I am looking for.
This is an awesome local wine store!
+Friendly, knowledgeable staff
+AMAZING values (much better than Bevmo, etc..)
+Huge selection of foreign and domestic wines (and beers too!)
+Pliny the Elder (for you beer connoisseurs)
+Online services where you can order for pickup or shipment
+Online "blow out" page where great deals are posted daily.
+Nice display of products (I don't feel like I'd be buried alive if there was an earthquake)
I leave much happier from Amazing grapes than other wine purveyor because they actually care about my service, load me up with cool wine facts and get me the most bang for my buck.
P.S. Check out the wine bar too, it's the best in OC!
This wine shop is hidden in the back of a non-assuming strip mall. Nothing to look at from the outside, the marrow of the shop is a solid selection of wines and a fun little restaurant.
The wait staff in the restaurant tend to be hot or cold. Our waitress was cold. To be fair, she'd had a long day. She didn't seem interested in our orders and often forgot to bring some of the order to us. On the flip side, the other waitress was a ton of fun, quick, and seemed pleased to have us in the shop.
We enjoyed our cheese/meat tray. While the salad came late, it was also nice. The menu is standard wine pairing fare and suits the venue.
The wine selection, as compared to other wine shops, is generally well-chosen but can be a bit lean if you have unusual varietals that you enjoy. I wanted a French viognier, but there wasn't one in stock. The petite syrah selection was also narrow. While this doesn't mean that you can't find something here to tempt your taste buds, it is surprising that these 'now mainstream' varietals were not well represented here.
4 stars for ambiance, once inside.
3 stars for hot/cold wait staff
3 stars for thoughtful but somewhat limited selection
I'd go back again, but there are other wine shops that I enjoy more.
The perfect place for me and Mrs. L.
She loves wine and Amazing Grapes' super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable staff always steers her in the right direction with great recommendations.
I love beer, and while I hate repeating myself, Amazing Grapes' super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable staff always steers me in the right direction with great recommendations.
Are we sensing a trend?
There's definitely not a finer purveyor of wine and beer in the area.
Love the selection of wines. Â I've been recommended a few harder to get wines, Cliff Lede, Cakebread, etc. and the staff was able to help me out. Â I try to limit my wine consumption, so every bottle I get has to count. Â The help from the staff has been a little here and there. Â I've gone there enough times that I feel comfortable talking with them. Â But I think the newbie wine person may be put off a little.
Review Source:We are so lucky to have amazing grapes in rsm. One day my husband and I wanted to do something different than the usual restaurants. We cruised by amazing grapes and they were having a tasting for $15. We decided to check it out.
The wines we tasted ranged from $25 to $200- that's right, we got substantial-sized  tastings of $200 wine for $15!! What a deal! During the tasting, all of the staff was extremely helpful and friendly even though they got BUSY! We also ordered a cheese and meat plate that was ok-not spectacular but not bad either.
After this, I joined their Facebook page and get alerts about upcoming tastings, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but I always try to make it if Ican.
We have been patronizing amazing grapes for probably 4 years and always leave with a good bottle of wine and a good feeling.
Came here bc the groupon and loved it.
First, Lisa, our server, was awesome, very attentive despite how busy it was there. We came on a night where there was a tasting w the winery Frias, six generous tastes for $20. The proprietors (Fernando) were so friendly and personable as well. I scarfed the food, I was a bit tips by the time I had the pizza, but it tasted delic to me. The artichoke dip I had sober and was yummy.
Overall, great atmosphere/feel to the place. Bc it was in a wine store I didn't expect much, but was surprised by the venue and service.
My bf isn't very into wine so he just bought beers from a section in the store. Â All the beers wer less than $2, and he was pretty pleased.
4.75 stars
I love Amazing Grapes. I have been here 5-6 times for their wine tasting events. They are always a good deal at $15-$20 to try 5 or 6 kinds of wine. And they are very generous with their pours! And all of their food is delightful. They only serve small plates and cheeses, but I always come hungry because I can't get enough of their sheep's milk cheeses and their beef on wick sandwich.
I don't just come here to eat and get tipsy either, I also come here to shop. They have a great selection of wines and they have a clearance section full of goodies. Their beer selection is small, but they carry a lot of the beers I love: almost all of the Stone brews, Maui Brewing Company's Wipeout IPA, Pliny the Elder, and other delicious guest beers. You can purchase anything in the store and consume it in their tasting area. Its marvelous! I highly recommend coming with a group of friends and enjoying an evening here.
I met a couple of friends here for a girls night out and we had a great time! Katie took the time to recommend wines to us based on our palettes and cheeses that would pair well with them. I'm usually strictly a red wine drinker, but Katie helped me find a white wine that I enjoyed as well. I ended up buying a bottle of wine that Katie recommended and my husband and I both really enjoyed it.
I definitely recommend this place for a quiet night out when you're in the mood for wine! The prices are very reasonable!
Since moving to OC I've been searching for a boutique wine store and I have found it in Amazing grapes.
It's tucked away in a small shopping center in Rancho Santa Margarita and has a very nice selection of wines from around the world. Â The price points on the bottles are very competitive and the staff are really knowledgeable. Â They take the time to talk with you to help you narrow and define your wine choice based on your palate.
There's also a wine bar inside the store which usually filled with people from a wide age spectrum. Â There are no teenie boppers, or posers... just adults who "come as they are" for a nice glass of wine. Â The tastings are very generous in size for the $5 price point. Â Similar wine bars charge $12 - $17 a pour. Â An added bonus is that Amazing grapes also has some tapas.. not substantial but enough to compliment the wine and ensure you are not drinking on an empty stomach.
Every other weekend, they have wineries come in to perform tastings for about $20pp, Merryvale, Cain and Rubicon have been a few which have passed through in the past 6 weeks. Â Yes, you will taste almost a full glass of the $100 bottles each of the wineries produce.
Although, the location is a little out of the way and destination with little else to do, I was able to enjoy about 3 1/2 hours this weekend at Amazing Grapes. Â I believe it's worth the drive to spend a quiet evening with adults who truly appreciate a nice glass of wine
I met a good friend here for wine tasting and some apps. It was chill, the service was great and the staff seemed to know their wines. I tried a few really good ones. Fun time. Needs to be better promoted, as I had no idea it even existed, until my friend suggested it. The wine store is large and has a vast selection to buy.
Review Source:Went here Friday night with a bunch of friends. Â This is yet another in the trend of spaces that sell wine and have a tasting area. Â This store, however, is much larger than most. Â
We arrived before everyone else, so I took my time and walked through the aisles of reds. Â They have a very nice selection and prices ranged from about $7 to $150. Â All in all the prices were good...maybe a little on the high side...but for a good selection in a pinch this would be a good place to visit. Â I think that the 04 Hess purple label Cab was $15. Â Nice.
Stop by and try a few different wines. Â They have decent sized pours and have a nice menu of palet cleaning snacks, including a wonderful selection of cheeses. Â
We started with a wine sample or two and then picked out some inexpensive bottles of wine to drink. Â No corkage, they just pop open the bottle, leave it on your table, and tack it onto you bill. Â We took a few stabs at some bottles that were around $10 each and could not have had a better time. Â
The only complaint that I have is that they closed at 9PM while the bar/tasting area was full. Â Our waitress told us that their intent is not to have a bar, but to sell wine, so they try to de-emphasize the drinking part of it. Â Fair enough...