I am always excited to find new wine shops, especially little boutique ones like this where they actually care and have a great variety.
So whilst I do applaud them on their variety, I was a little disappointed they didn't have a greater selection of Spanish reds. I shall however be back to stock up on Italian reds with the hubby who knows a lot more about then I do - and can probably decipher my description of what I like better than anyone else.
This review is for Solano Cellars Wine Shop (specifically their online store, <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsolanocellars.com&s=72d27d074ecbe407b710bd003b30702c37db670aed564ba73e1d1a4fd443d76e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://solanocellars.com</a>).
I was very disappointed in my interaction with Solano Cellars. I placed an order for a case of French white wine after I found out that they were its only importers on the west coast. I got an email confirmation for my order, and my credit card was charged a couple of days later. I chose UPS Ground shipping (because I was in no hurry) and I waited.
And waited.
I did not receive a confirmation that the order had been shipped, nor a tracking number for the shipment.
After waiting for almost two weeks I contacted Solano Cellars via email, including all my order details and asking for an update on the status of my order. I did not receive a reply.
One week later I called them directly to request an update on my order. The person who answered the phone indicated that they need some time to call a couple of people to check on the status of my order, and offered to get back at me via email. I did not get a response.
One day later I called them back again, and this time the same person was able to confirm that the order 'fell through the cracks' and had not been shipped. He offered to ship the case the following Tuesday (this happened on a Friday) but they wanted to confirm that I still wanted the wine. At this point my answer was no.
I wasn't offered expedited shipping or any other apology than 'sorry for the trouble' for an order that was going to be shipped out 24 days after I placed it. I believe that their customer service is seriously lacking: my order and my attempts to get a status update from them all 'fell through the cracks'. I am never buying from this vendor again.
If you want to bring a bottle or two of wine to a friend's house for dinner, come here. Â Tell them what you're eating and how much you want to spend and voila. Â Their prices range from $10- ?. Â No need to linger around BevMo for 20 minutes trying to find the right thing. Â You're in and out in less than 5 minutes.
Warning -- scheduled tasting events can get busy and the bar area is small. Â
That said, I love the bar area. Â It's chill as are the people who work there.
I've been coming here for about 20 years and this is the first time I've reviewed Solano Cellars.
They have a great wine bar here with various weekends that highlight different wine regions. Â There are classes, friendly wine stewards, but most of all there is good wine to be had here!
If I'm not buying a case of wine (They often have monthly specials) I'm at the bar tasting a flight of red, or white, along with artisan cheese plate. Â Out of town friends are always grateful to come here and enjoy the knowledgeable staff, friendly service, and variety of vino.
I'm stoked to know these folks are still around!
We came, we tasted: oaky chardonnays, crisp sauvignon blancs. Unfortunately the taste that lingered the longest was the salesperson's snarkiness. Asking to taste was like pulling teeth: "Do you offer tastings?" [Silence] "Yes." "Are you offering one now?" [Eyeroll] "Yes." "Okay, well, could we do a tasting?" [Silence] "Yes."
The flight was fine, the pours were generous. The server at the bar was, at least, nicer than the guy on the floor and informative. I like the fact that they offer cheeses at the bar (Neal's Yard, no less!). Wine-wise and price-wise, it's solid, not spectacular. I'll save my time, and my daily tolerance for wine snob, for their North Berkeley counterparts, where the tastings are free, the people are cheery and the wines are nicely priced.
Very disappointing. Â I went here on a Saturday for an advertised event on their website. Â When I got there, I was told that they weren't serving anything, but that I could wait an hour if I wanted. Â The salesperson was nice enough to share this news while working on his computer and avoiding eye contact.
Review Source:I like to be surprised. I like going camping and realizing that the coin operated showers are nicer than my own back home. Surprise! I like shopping in Oregon and forgetting there is no sales tax. Surprise! I like running into Rob Lowe on the street for the third time in 2 years, and being surprised that I'm not surprised anymore. Surp...you get the idea.
Well, Solano Cellars surprised me in the best sort of way. After reading Lara W's inspiring review I asked the Solano Ave diva herself to escort me there for my first visit; show me the ropes and such. I knew it was some sort of hybrid wine shop/wine bar, and I wasn't sure where the wow-factor would come into play. I mean really, I've seen a lot of wine shops and bars in my day, so what's the big deal?
First of all, Solano Ave is just a cool strip of local flavor. All the shops and restaurants here have that adorable neighborhoody feel, with that signature North Berkeley quirk. 'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and Solano Cellars was one of the few establishments showing signs of life, so we sauntered in to lounge at the bar...some classy pre-gaming before dinner at Fonda, down the street.
The bottom floor of the shop is all bottles - hand-picked gems from near and far. A few steps up, you'll find the bustling mini wine bar, where said bottles make an appearance for your tasting pleasure. With about 12 seats, and 5 or 6 hi-top tables, it feels like you've stumbled upon something special...someplace only savvy locals know about. The "ambience" is nothing to write home about, but it's impressive how separate the bar feels from the shop; how you'll want to stay awhile. The Michael Jackson playlist definitely added to our comfort, as we swiveled in our stools to Thriller. Oh, surprises.
The wine flights were incredible. For $15, you get 4 hearty pours of whatever is deemed delicious that week. I did the White Flight - 2 Spanish, 1 French, 1 Cali - and was so utterly stunned, that I took home a few bottles. Merry Christmas to me.
They serve some cheese plates too, but it appears they don't serve bread (only crackers), which is a bit of a downer because good wine just begs for a crusty baguette and a stinky rind. Maybe that's something they're working on, but for now it seems acceptable to BYO-bread, if you must.
If you're at all serious about good wine (no, I'm not talking to you in the Trader Joe's wine aisle), ya need to know about this place. I bet you a bottle of Banyan you'll be surprised.
Absolute gem off of Solano Ave.
Amazing wine selection and very nice, knowledgeable staff. They talk to you like a person and answer all your questions, even if you know nothing about wine. If you are interested in learning more, this is a great place to start!
A cozy warm atmosphere in the wine bar and they have great cheese plates and wines by the glass. There's also a calendar of classes and events.
Oh my gosh, I love this place!!
There need to be more places this good for wine lovers. Â But I suppose the scarcity of such a business only makes Solano Cellars all the more outstanding and fully deserving of 5 star praise.
Intimate and comfortable wine bar, with a fail-proof wine list and great bar snacks (cheese, nut, bread and jam plates). Â
I have bought so many unique and thrilling wines here, from fellow aficionados who know how to point you to the wines that fit your specifications. Â The staff are also down to earth people: I always feel glad after stopping in, whether I am at the bar or bringing a bottle home.
I love this little place. Their classes, tastings, and wine bar are wonderful. I have learned so much about wine coming here. I attended "The Biodynamic Genius of Alsatian Wine with Matthieu Deiss" which was a choucroute and Alsatian wine pairing with the winemaker's son presenting the wines. A knock-out, delicious, AND so much fun. The staff here take the mystery out of wine for you and are super helpful without being sales-y.
Review Source:What's not to love about this wine shop?! Great location, wonderful space, kind and helpful staff AND fantastic wines! I tend to buy the same (or very similar) wines because I know what I'm getting and I don't want to spend $30+ on something I won't like. With the help of one of the wine guys I bought an amazing Petite Sirah and an equally wonderful Sauvignon Blanc. I'm going back this weekend to buy more of my two new favorite wines.
Review Source:Wonderful small shop with groovy smart people. Each loves and understands travel in relation to wine and culture. Unique selections of good value wine. Fabulous cheese and wine pairing at their intimate wine tasting bar. Occasional wine making/style dinners. Young, hip taste gurus. Excellent place to learn and relax.
Review Source:Totally forgot to review this place.
Had some free time one Friday afternoon, and was exploring Solano avenue for the first time.
Looked interesting, saw they were offering free tastings (it's pretty easy to get me in!), and went in. The wine they were sampling was excellent, and I was even persuaded to order a cheese plate (also excellent), and did a wine flight that went with it, all for not very much.
Ended up walking out with a fantastic $15 bottle of Pinot Noir.
Fantastic what one may find when wandering aimlessly down a quiet street on a semi-holiday w friends. Â
At the end of an awesome movie at the teeny-quaint Albany theatre, we were too early for dinner & stumbled across this airy wine shop and were drawn in by the unusual selection & small plate descriptions. Â
Then we were told it was 50% off Monday tastings -BONUS! Â Empty when we arrived, the wine bar quickly filled w local patrons obviously familiar w Monday tasting time.
Other than the lack of vineyard views, it was like going to Napa without the long-ass drive & snooty people, and with a far better international selection.
Cheese selection was heavenly- 6 tastes, including a hybrid cow/sheep/goat-amazing flavor. Good soppreseta plate as well & thoroughly enjoyable diversity of wines to taste.
I was reading about Syrah's the other day in San Francisco magazine-and picked out a Washington Corvidae bottle on our way out - got an informative and enthusiastic spiel about the winery, Syrah in general, info about small and underappreciated producers.
Overall experience- charming, unpretentious, flavorful.
A staycation delight!
Great place for fantastic wines and stellar cheeses (either in-store @ the bar, or as part of the monthly cheese club)! Â Staff is friendly and knowledgeable, happy to help you navigate their wine selection or possibly try to special order an elusive favorite. Â Wide price range (numerous options at each price point between $10 to over $100).
We enjoy their Case Sampler Club, which is a monthly selection of a dozen bottles - usu skewed towards red, though can include white, sparkling, or rose wines, as well. Â For about $150 (~$12.50 per bottle), you get a hand-picked variety of small production wines -- some you may know/recognize, others you've never heard of the winery/grape/didn't know that country even exported wine -- seriously. Â And, you know what, they're mostly awesome! Â I LOVE at least 2-3, another 8 are really good, and the last 1-2 my husband has no problem finishing on his own... Â Not bad considering the likely outcome of trying to pick wines from Safeway under $13... [ugh!]
There are also 2-bottle/month Zin, Pinot, or "Special Selection" (best wines from that month's availability) clubs.
AND, if you're in to enjoying excellent cheese with your excellent wine, why not go whole-hog and join the monthly cheese club, as well...
1/2 off happy hour on Monday, until the bottles are gone! That's not all, the hours are genius too -- HH goes 4-8pm!
The wine bar area is in the back of this cute little wine shop, and they offer daily cheese selections and sample plates for pairings, as well as some meat and fruit plates. The bar probably seats 10 at the counter itself and there's a series of tables and stools for groups in the back area. They of course have a great selection of vino, and flights change daily and their wine gurus are always happy to answer any questions as they're very knowledgeable.
It's a hidden gem just as Cyndi S. mentioned in her review, as overused as it is and however desensitized to the term we might be. Great find!
We just walked in on a whim after dinner tonight around 6:15 pm. It was wonderful to spend a few minutes on a Thursday night looking at the amazing selection of wonderful small winery wines from the world over, then chatting with Jason and tasting some fabulous reds at the chic, comfortable wine bar. Jason knows his stuff, and is a delight to talk with. We bought three bottles and already can't wait to make Solano Cellars a weekly habit!
Review Source:I think this is an absolute hidden gem in Albany! Â I love to stop in for some wine tasting before heading to Fonda or Rivoli for dinner. Â The wines at the tasting bar are always carefully chosen. Â The staff is very friendly no matter what your level of wine knowledge. Â I've always been amazed at the selection of wines in the store given the small space.
They offer wine classes periodically as well as other special events. Â I'd recommend getting on their mailing list to find out about those.
Yelp has started asking that reviewers who know the owner should not submit their thoughts on the establishments. In the case of Solano Cellars, I have come to know one of the owners, and all the employees, by being a regular customer. I've been coming every week for many months now not just because I am charmed by the staff, wowed by the selection, and tickled by the diverse group of folks who stop in for an afternoon glass of wine, but because everyone who works here truly goes as far as they can to make me feel comfortable and welcome. While this might stink of partiality, it's true: I'm totally partial to, and continuously enamored by, Solano Cellars.
Without question, I have found the folks behind the counter to be quick-witted, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. It's like their minds work in some kind of enological and culinary genome project; a free-association mental database where I tell them the name of one wine, and they've got four more I might be interested in trying. I am not sure what psychic mind-meld type powers these people are trained in, but I'm content to let them take care of me. They've always been spot-on with recommendations and the daily wine bar offers an excellent opportunity to taste certain wines before you buy a glass or a bottle. More often than not, folks drinking at the bar will take home a bottle or two, which I've never seen at other wine bars in the local area.
I am trying to let go of my partiality here, and offer up a negative. Their prices are reasonable, the selection amazing, and if you want a case of a particular wine they don't usually carry, they'll go out of their way to find it for you. I suppose the only thing I'd like more is if there were a full kitchen and longer hours. But then, it wouldn't be so much a wine bar as a restaurant with a wine shop attached. The greatest thing about this is, though, that even though I can't have everything, I've got a whole lot of what I *do* want in this place. And I'm good with that.
Solano Cellars has been here for 30 years, and I hope it's around for a long time to come. You guys are awesome! Thanks for being one of the most relaxing and enjoyable parts of my week. :-)
This place is great and luckily it's also my neighborhood wine shop. I never feel bombarded by the help, which is sometimes annoying at different wine shops I've been to. They have tons and tons of wine under $20 and I would say the vast majority is great. Although, I must admit, Â some of the selections are overpriced but they make up for it with a selection of good varietals you just don't see much. They're a consistent retailer of Portuguese "Vinho Verde" and I appreciate that.
The service is friendly, never overly pretentious (unless you decide to venture into winetalk with them - and then they'll match you opinion for opinion). I haven't been to the wine bar yet, but it's definitely on my list of things to do. Everytime I walk by there are people at the bar, so it must be pretty good.
A definite go-to place. (Vintage Berkeley on Vine is also fantastic, but maybe half a star lower than Solano Cellars.)
I'm currently scoring about an 80 out of 100 on the yuppie meter. Â
The ladyfriend and I recently went here as part of our "Night Out On Solano Avenue" themed date. Â
We've been to this establishment a couple of times before - just for scoping out the wine selection - but our most recent visit was our first time visiting the wine bar. Â We did a flight of red wines and we wound up bringing home a tasty, reasonably priced bottle of Pinot Noir. Â
This would be a great place to bring someone on a second date if you know that they are into wine.
Usually I am a bit leary of local wine shops. Â Tend to have at least one of three issues:
1. Small selections
2. Arrogant and unfriendly staff
3. Poor prices
I can happily say that Solano Cellars doesn't suffer from any of these issues. Â Very interesting and varied selection for the size of the store, decent prices, and a staff that is uber-friendly and was able to make some great recommendations for a drinking wine/wine I was looking to match with a heavily-flavored meat sauce. Â Planned on just ducking in and wound up staying and chatting with the guys at the store for 30 minutes. Â Plus, to top it off they gave me a complimentary waiter corkscrew after I purchased just 2 bottles. Â Granted it was from distributor but still. Â
Normally, the creedo of supporting local businesses is usually a bit overblown. Â Not in this case. Â More than willing to pay a few extra bucks a bottle for this type of place that is within walking distance of my apartment.
This is a great neighborhood wine shop with a very knowledable staff. They got me hooked on a particular bottle of Vinho Verde that we've been drinking all summer.
There are a lot of unusual varietals that you're not going to find elsewhere and it's easy to walk in, tell the staff a brief description of what you're looking for and they will make several suggestions.
To top it off, they are open late and have a wine tasting area with small bites.
Solano Cellars is tops in my book. Â Friendly, knowledgeable and unpretentious staff to recomend interesting fairly priced wines that you wont find everywhere. Â
The bistro is great as well. Â The food is simple but elegant. Â Always well executed and super-delicious. Â I have been there a number of times and talked to many strangers and no one seems to be a freak- this place actually attracts a good crowd of people who you want to meet instead of try to forget; in my opinion that's a business trait that is seriously undervalued.
The atmoshphere is intimate  and cozy and there is just enough seating so the place feels jumpin' without becoming too lound. Â
Solano Cellars deserves every star. Â Love it!
Solano Cellas is a great local wine shop with a fabulous variety of bottles that you wont really find in many other wine shops. Â I found my absolute FAV bottle of wine here, a Malbec-Corvina blend only $20. Â Delicious! Â Unfortunately, as one reviewer pointed out, the small distribution factor means that they can run out... which happened a few times and then, all of a sudden, nothing. Â No more. Â Im really bummed about that. Â But i love how the staff can come to my aid and say, "since you liked this wine so much, youll probably enjoy this one...". Â The quest for good wine continues!
The staff here is absolutely delightful. Â I feel soo bad that i cant remember her name, but she is a fix here everytime i enter and im so glaad she remembers me and is very friendly and helpful when i ask questions about the wine.
This is just a great wine shop that i highly reccommend.
I was headed for 3 stars until I read that this and Berkeley Vintage are the same people. Â I guess that explains why they had the same wines. Â I just didn't like the space that much -- it felt like it needed to be cleaned. Â And organized. Â And then cleaned again -- how much is rent on this street again?
Hey, I got a good bottle of bubbly for $17 to celebrate the fact that all people in love can now get married. Â And you know what -- that's at least a four star experience.
Solano Cellars is a lovely local wine shop that has the provider of some fantastic bottles of wine for under $20. Â My wine friend and I came here one evening in part of his research project. Â And since I love wine, I couldn't possibly say no to exploring a local wine bar.
You can order wines by the glass or taste through a few wine flights. Â You'll end up being exposed to very nice small production wines of limited distribution. Â The staff is very knowledgeable about the wines that they carry and are available to help answer any questions you might have. Â A lot of the wines have small descriptors as well which I find very helpful and which I then use to ask further information of the staff. Â It's my undestanding that if there are open bottles in the tasting bar of any wine you may be interested in purchasing you can taste before you buy. Â (Thankfully) you're not going to see rating points here, so if you're one of those types that can only buy wine when it's rated 90+ points, you should look elsewhere. Â This retailer doesn't seem to play into the whole rating system which I despise for the way it creates a circus of the wine market.
My friend and I come down occasionally to pick up wine previously purchased here as well as pick up new bottles for a variety of reasons/occasions. Â Since the wine they carry is from limited production wineries, stock sells out and changes over quickly. Â You might find that favorite bottle of wine sold out within a few weeks of trying it, so I recommend taking home two or three when you find one you really like.
I have been introduced to some fantastic south american and italian red wines that are off the beaten path of more popular varietals (all the better mind you because of this).  I have really come to enjoy Solano Cellars for the Italian wines I have picked up over the last few months  I have yet to be disappointed, unlike at BevMo where most of the italian reds under $20 are mass distributed plonk.
I definately recommend Solano Cellars when looking for great wine with a good quality to price ratio.
When the new team took over (despite my love of Vintage Berkeley on Vine St.), I was not so sure I was happy about it. Â I have a decade of memories of eating here and of the owner who was an absolute jerk, but could be convinced (after a snit or three) to keep the food coming out of the closet-sized kitchen.
I should not have questioned. Â Even more importantly, I now actually buy wine here instead of just hanging at the bar and eating. Â Nice team, good knowledge of wine, complete lack of pretension. Â The simple small plates are good and while I sometimes miss the meals of the past, they are doing a great job. Â The ongoing menu is perhaps in the category of a heavy snack. Â The special event menus are fun. Â Always a joy to knock back a bit of the jesus juice and chat with the staff and other patrons!
The wine selection has the bargain approach of Vine St. as well as "higher-end" vintages. Â Â
Give these people your money. Â They are nice and they deserve it.
The folks here are very helpful and non-judgemental regarding their wines. Â Their selection works for me and I appreciate the nice choice of price points. Â I sometimes stop by after picking up an order from Barney's across the street. Â Their Gevurtztraminer selection would also work for the Chinese restaurant (also across the street). Â I'll up my rating to 5 stars after I get the chance to try the wine bar and snacks.
Review Source:I think this could become a regular haunt for me. Yesterday was a gorgeous day and my husband and I thought it would be fun to sample some wines and enjoy the day. We went to Solano Cellars b/c we've passed by it more than few times and yesterday seemed like a perfect day to check it out. The set-up, comprised of wood furniture and decor is comfortable and inviting. Matt, who was working the bar and the cashier, was easy to talk to and generous enough to provide us with additional samples of Washington wine, to compare against the reds that we were drinking. I look forward to going back for a simple dinner (charcuterie and cheese) and wine.
Review Source:A favorite, local business on Solano. We buy wines here on a regular basis (the owners/clerks know what we like and make recommendations based on that). We also hit up the wine bar every now and then to try the flights and some snacks. It's a low-key place to hang out and have some wine. Service at the bar is friendly though sometimes a tad bit too slow when it gets packed up there.
They had a chef's small plates menu one night and we had low-moderate expectations for the event, but it was DELICIOUS! It was only about $35/person as well. We're on the mailing list and look forward to other events this place has.
Been coming here to buy wine off-and-on, probably from around the turn of the century. These guys must be doing something right to be in business for such a long time. I've shopped here long enough to vaguely remember when they started the food service/wine bar many, many moons ago.
They've got knowledgeable, helpful staff who'll guide you to wines based on your taste preference (if you can articulate it) and budget. They have a diverse selection of New World and Old World wines.
Not being a wine expert, I appreciate their mellow, non-patronizing, soft-sell approach. They kinda remind me of Weimax in Burlingame when I used to shop there for wine- knowledgeable and helpful.
Their 10% discount on a case is also a nice touch.
This is a fun place to go for dinner on a date for a change of pace. The wines are great and the food is sometimes  well-conceived and well-made. There are only a few tables so getting a table can be hit or miss and the bartender does double-duty at table service so it can be a long wait  between apps or drinks. We don't plan to eat here, but it is on the list for spontaneous nights out if we aren't already starving. Since it is Solano Ave, there is a slew of back up destinations if a table is not to be found at the Cellars.
Review Source:Solano Cellars has a fabulous monthly wine club which they deliver. 12 wines per month of varying selection. I'm not the biggest fan of white wine, so they added more reds upon request.
I recently came back to the shop with my boyfriend's parents who wanted a California wine tasting experience but didn't want to drive all the way to Napa. The staff was fun and delightfully tolerant of their Midwestern ignorance of wine. (His mother said she normally drinks Arbor Mist which got chuckles of amusement, a little teasing, Â but not a hint of contempt which I thought admirable). They usually have small plates of food to accompany the weekly selection of red or white flights. At under $16 for 4 glasses of wine, this is not a bad deal. The food is quite tasty as well.
I highly recommend going and taking a class here as well, as the staff is lovely to talk to, very knowledgeable and not at all stiff.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
