San Francisco Wine Trading Company
Categories: Wine Bars, Beer, Wine & Spirits [Edit]
250 Taraval St(between 12th Ave & Funston Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 731-6222
Come enjoy our selections every Saturday and receive 10…
Announced 4 weeks ago
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Best Nights: Fri
- Coat Check: No
29 Reviews for San Francisco Wine Trading Company
One of San Francisco Wine Trading Company's Favorite Reviews
This place is arguably the best wine/spirits store in the city. I'm a fan of American whiskey/scotch and napa valley cabernets and this place has everything I need.
1. The prices are amazing and some of the lowest in town for both whiskey/scotch and cabernets. For example they sell papa van winkle 20 year for $79.99. First, most places can even carry this brand in stock let alone sell it for this great of a price. The 20 year goes for about 15-20 buck a glass at bars. (on a side note I was lucky enough to get a bottle of the Pappy 23 year which SFWTC gets in once in a while.
SFWTC also has great prices on cabs. For example their Silver Oak napa valley is 89.99. The winery sells the same bottle for 99.99. You get the point. This is applicable to most of their cabs.
2. The selection of spirits is broad and leans towards the high end. Its cabernet selection is medium but with an eclectic mix with napa valley being the anchor.
3. The staff is amazing and will go out of their way to hold items for you and call you when your desired products arrive. (Alex is the man).
This is an amazing store and a small secret that should be kept on the DL. Make a trek out there and you'll understand why this places is the goods.
Honestly, I do not know or can I taste the difference between wine, but the staff kindly told me that it was an art that requires experience. Okie-dokie. Prices were from affordable to whoa, even if I had money, no way expensive. Good place to impress people, even if you are not an expert. I left a wiser and more appreciative of the art of wine tasting.
Good place for fine wines, we bought for a family party here and were happy with selection. Good neighborhood.
Very friendly service, Great wine tastings and a small but great variety of wines. What else do you need to know :0)
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It's out of the way for me but the selection and prices are things that really work here. Parking is a bit challenging depending on the day of the week, but don't let that deter you. People that want to have an oeno-adventure might enjoy the opportunity. Never have time to spend for their wine tasting, but that's ok...
S.O. and I went to a wine tasting here last week - our second time in the store - and are hoping to make it back their this afternoon. Check out their website for their Saturday winetasting series.
The staff is very friendly, though will let you browse, so if you need any help at all be sure to ask someone.
The selection isn't huge, but everyone there is happy to point you in whatever direction you'd like, and the price are quite reasonable.
Plus, their liquor selection is like a candy store for adults. You'd be amazed how gorgeous a piece of fruit floating in alcohol in a fancy bottle looks.
This joint is the best, and I'm serious. I grew up with a celeb chef dad and he pours only the finest. I drink only the best, even if its under $12 its still damned good. Ask for Michelle, but don't flirt with her, I saw her first.
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Great selection of wines, very reasonably priced, and wonderful friendly and helpful staff. Ordered a bunch of Clos du Chene Vert" and "Clos de la Dioterie" from the Loire Valley and very much looking forward to cellaring and tasting them.
Also picked up a random selection of wines including a Portugese white, a wonderful Albarino, and many more we already drank!
I grew up going to this store with my father and for a ten year old, it was pretty boring. But I'm a bit older now and have learned to love the wine. Last time I was in the city we got word of a surprise guest (NOT a good surprise guest) for dinner and suddenly, I was in the need of some good wine to make it through the meal. Came down to the store, chatted for a bit with Gary about wines I liked, and he recommended a few bottles. Then he mentioned I looked familiar and in a few moments, remembered both me and my father, even though I haven't been in the store in over 5 years.
Now every time I'm in the city, I swing by, chat a bit, pick up a few bottles to take home. I always buy their recommendations, they are always very affordable and always delicious. Seattle's got a plethora of wine bars and stores, but no place quite like this.
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SF Wine Trading Company is a great place to ask questions and find some answers. These people know their shit. I was once looking for a great bottle of whiskey to give to a friend who was born in Ireland. The man gave me an in depth explanation about the difference between three different types of Irish whiskeys including the fact that Jameson is considered the "catholic" drink. And anyone who knows Irish history, knows that you don't want to be giving an Irish catholic, some "protestant" whiskey. Besides this they have a great selection of wines and champagnes at a reasonable price. And they have great wine tastings on the weekends!!! Highly recommended:)
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If you think Saturday tasting events at K&L are bit crowded and lacking personal attention, you must come here on Saturday and try their tasting!
Here, you can peacefully have a Q&A session with the staff during the event. Based upon your feedback on wines tasted, the staff can show you other wines that you may like. And wines are hardly over $20!!
The tasting is only $10, and yet they pour many wines that are $30+ per bottle. This is a great bargain. And after this tasting, make sure to stop by Wine Styles, which is just few blocks away, for another tasting. That's only $5 (but for less # of tastes).
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Great place to go if you want good selection and recommendations on wines.
I go in there and usually am helped within a minute or so. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I drink a lot of wine but am no connoisseur. The wines they've recommended have all been very good and they seem to have a palate for value (wines that are good and not expensive.) Thumbs up!
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Trading Company is Terrific
You know why I like this place? The wine tastings on Saturdays. . . $10 gets you a taste of about 6 or 7 wines from places that one probably never heard of or wouldn't be inclined to purchase pre-taste. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable and the newsletter they send out is well written and informative.
It's also great that you get 15% off on tasting day if you purchase any of the featured wines.
This is a good place to buy pre-arrivals, as prices are very competitive for those wines. . . as for overall pricing, it's not the cheapest and yet it isn't the most expensive in the city either.
Definitely give this place a shot on a Saturday when you want to taste some wine, but you don't want to head up to Napa or Sonoma. . . you'll definitely enjoy yourself.
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This is our wine store. Not like we own it (I wish!) but because we love it so much that I feel that it belongs to us. So, if you are going to go there, please do me the courtesy of asking first, and perhaps submit a small paragraph about yourself for evaluation.
Seriously, this is a wonderful place, and I am surprised to see so few reviews. It makes me want to keep it to myself, but I am a generous person by nature, so here you go.
The variety of wine and alcohol is great, and the staff is extremely nice and courteous. They hold tastings on Saturdays for $10.00 (I participated in the champagne one today), and can try to special order things for you if you don't see what you are looking for. Recommendations are always spot-on, and they have a wide variety of prices to choose from. We have discovered many favorites here. The owner, Gary, is a great guy and he's often there with his wife, advising customers or helping out. The loyal following they have earned speaks to the level of service and personal attention they give to their customers.
Recently, they turned the back office into a room dedicated to spirits, which frees up the front room for more wine, and gives those looking for hard alcohol more room to peruse the shelves.
One day when my husband and I have a family, we're going to have some explaining to do. When baby S. grows up wants to know where the college education fund is, we're going to drive him or her down to the Wine Trading Co. and say "There it is. Sorry. It was a great year for cabs."
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I've been going there for 1 or 2 years and spent a lot of money with them, and have envoyed talking to the staff on regular bases.
Suddenly one day they asked to see my id ... no explanation .... as if I was some kind of stranger.
I'm never going back.
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Local wine shops, like the local butcher, baker or cheese monger are essential for our cultural and gustatory survival. Without these geeks taking pride in their craft like the universe depended on it, we'd be living less interesting lives. So the next time you think that you see that bottle of spanish red for a dollar cheaper at trader joes, remember that the wine guy won't let his shipment of wine sit on the 100 degree sweltering tarmack in SFO waiting for the Walmart truck to show up. He'll call Kermit Lynch and make sure that the wine is perfect or else it's back to Gay Paree.
I recommend asking questions. Everything you tell them helps them pick out better bottles for you.
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Peter L (the old customer who was insulted be cause they asked for an id): Maybe there was an ABC inspector in the store (or maybe they thought there was). Checking ids is a very serious business in the legal drugs trade.....
The closest wine shop to my house and, surprisingly, the best I've been to so far. Personally I get plenty of California wines from all the wine-tasting trips I get dragged along on, so at the wine shops I like to try the international stuff, and they have an excellent (and affordable) selection here. Plus they were very friendly and helpful in selecting something.
Great local shop, wonderful selection of fine spirits. Gary is amazing when it comes to helping you choose the perfect great tasting wine for your budget. Check out their numours tastings, lots of fun. If you have a few extra bucks please pick up the Congac in my birth year 1975 I would love to sample it with you!
Good selection, great advice, and fiercely loyal customers (of which I count myself as one). What I love most about this place is the occasional gentle nudge by the staff to try something different or out of the ordinary, and that advice being based on either a friendly question of genuine interest on their part, or even better, what they remember you've bought on past visits. Try getting that experience at your local BevMo.
It seems like this store is a little past it's prime - is it under new mgt or ownership? We used to enjoy going here - and attended multiple wine tastings, but after exploring around the other wine stores in the city a bit more found SFWTC to be somewhat lackluster.
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We've always liked this place, but go more for the liquor (brandy, vodka) than the wines. Like a few other long-time shops on Taraval, this place offers friendly advice and gives you that small-town feeling.
Dear Bacchus
This is the only place I shop for wine in SF. Their sales people vary in personality so after a few trips you'll probably have picked out "your" sales person who's taste and opinions you'll be in sync with.
Their staff regularly attend classes and keep current. If you know of a wine they've not heard of they are eager to hear all about it. Love this!
This is the place to ask questions, get answers you'll understand. If you aren't used to using wine lingo - that's ok, they don't expect everyone to ramble on and on using wine-expert-speak. But you can surely pick it up and use it if you want to.
Their Saturday wine tastings are really fun and you'll learn a bunch. Get on their email list for announcements of new arrivals.
If you get a bad bottle of wine, a bottle which is corked, just bring it back, hassle free!
I honestly cannot think of a better place to buy wine. They also have a good beer selection, and in the back room is a treasure trove of spirits ranging from common to very special.
Oh, and parking - easy peasy !!!!!!!!!! They are on a part of Taraval where there isn't much going on and they have a big green zone. I've never parked more than a few feet from the doorway.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !
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This place carries Shafer's one point five chardonnay... Nuff said.
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this is my hidden gem for wine and spirits. extremely knowledgable staff and very helpful with suggestions on wine across the board. great selection and clean well merchandised store. easy street parking. wine novices and snobs are both made to feel welcomed here.
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best way to put it is like this, better than safeway but they dont make you feel like an idiot for not knowing the difference between a pinot and a peanut. they have a more interesting inventory then the average joeblow liquorstop and the staff definately know their stuff. theyve opened my taste buds to a few new things. def worth a stop. try to go on tasting day. w00t free booze!!!!!
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While this wine shop is a bit out of the way - it is ALWAYS worth the trip. Having a dinner party and need pairings? Tell them your menu and expect to be blown away by what they recommend and expect to pay what you want - they have recommended some KILLER wines for under $10. They have a lot of exceptional value on their imports. I'm a member of their cellar club and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Seriously, if you enjoy wine - especiall paired with food - and want to increase your knowledge beyond the traditional California wines (which they also have) visit here!!!
I have a pretty extensive wine cellar and own a vineyard and this is where I have been going for years. They really know there stuff. And, they have the best table wines around along with great cellar selections.
Regular wine testing, great selection of wine from all over the world at all price ranges, including some pretty esoteric selections, and an incredible liquor selection -- oh, yes, I'm impressed. and did I mention how great the staff is? Approachable, knowledgeable and friendly.
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