Photo courtesy Maine & Loire
A well-designed shop can make the difference between picking out your bottle and leaving as soon as you can or staying to chat and learn. These are the places we want to wander and linger.
Bottlehouse
Seattle
This 1905 Craftsman home has been renovated into a wine bar and shop by former Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 honorees Henri Schock and Soni Davé-Schock. Vintage-inspired wallpapers and subtle colors create a homey feel, while lots of little nooks and crannies hold caches of bottles or nice spots to sit and sip. Don’t miss the patio, too.
Down the Rabbithole
Sayville, NY
Proclaiming itself “Long Island’s Wonderland of natural, organic & obscure wines,” this shop does, indeed, have an Alice in Wonderland feel. Although it’s small, chandeliers and lots of mirrors make it feel glam and airy—just the type of space in which you’ll want to hang around to explore Owner Jessica Green’s selections.
Maine & Loire
Portland, ME
There’s often an aesthetic to natural wine shops, and Maine & Loire nails it. With its concrete floors, high ceilings and tidy, minimalist racking, it feels bright, industrial and open—definitely not the type of space where you worry about accidentally swinging a bag and knocking everything over.
Monarch Wine Merchants
Charleston, SC
Bright, spacious and modern, Monarch also channels some of that natty aesthetic that invites you to wander freely without fear of bumping into any racks. Midcentury modern globe lights and an abundance of plants add a warm, eclectic vibe. It’s as if your cool aunt’s house also had a great wine selection.
Verve Wine
San Francisco
If you’ve ever stared wistfully at the kitchen in a Nancy Meyers movie, this is the shop for you. An elegant black-and-white color scheme and a big marble-topped island in the center feel welcoming yet refined. High ceilings offer plenty of space for more bottle storage, and a charming library ladder makes those high shelves practical.
