Wine Country, The

Wine Country, TheWine Country, The
Wine Country, TheWine Country, The
Store

2301 Redondo Ave, Signal Hill
Signal Hill, California, 90755
United States

(562) 597-8303 | map
thewinecountry.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.22
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
20
pDev:
7.11%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by BeTheBall:
Photo of BeTheBall
Reviewed by BeTheBall from Florida

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Visiting from Mass., called on the suggestion of the Russian River distributor (Stone) loooking for Pliny the Elder. Charged me for and saved me two bottles which I loved. Drove there straight from LAX to find my two and more in stock, so I bought six. Also bought some Firestone Walker IPA, which we can't get back home. Thanks guys!
A pretty large store with a very good, but not great craft beer selection, a wide selection of wine, and other quality entertainment and party type goods. Wish I lived near a store like this.
Again, the service blew me away. Even when I got there one of the guys showed me around the craft beer section and answered some questions. Great job!
Aug 14, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.42 by SimcoeKid from California

Jul 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by midlifec from Michigan

Jun 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by SoCalBeerIdiot from California

May 02, 2014
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.56/5  rDev -15.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
I stopped in at The Wine Country yesterday since I was in the area. It's a boutique-like warehouse filled with mainly wine but there is a small beer area to the side. First and foremost, all of their beer was on the shelf from what I could tell with nothing in the cooler. Some of the bottles were pretty dusty and looked to have been sitting around for a while. I wasn't offered help or even acknowledged when I walked in the door. The selection is fairly small but they had bottles that are harder to find. Prices were pretty reasonable for everything I saw, even if they were a bit more than other stores in the area. I didn't buy anything on this trip but I wouldn't be opposed to going back again if I was in the area.
Aug 21, 2012
Photo of Diesel76
Reviewed by Diesel76 from California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3
They have a decent selection... they do get in some of the harder to find stuff, but don't hide it in the back like some other places... that said, they don't seem to have the amount of beer people coming in to look for stuff... so, the harder to find stuff that is sold out all over town, is just sitting on their shelf...

They have the desire to be a great beer shop, but just need the beer people to know to come buy stuff there... and maybe they can get more...

Once a month they do a beer tasting night called Beerventure ... check their site for the dates and the theme for each month, it's a lot of fun, and for $20 it's a hell of a deal, too...
Dec 17, 2011
Photo of bierkoning
Reviewed by bierkoning from California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I would go back to this place, let me first say that.

Selection was decent, two rows for the beer as this is, obviously, a wine focused establishment. They had the usual suspects: Delirium, Unibraue, Stone, and some Trappist brews. Not amazing, but not a poor selection by any means. A few harder to find items, again, I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't disappointed.

Staff was friendly, I had a question about some gin I was purchasing and the woman on the floor was very knowledgeable about her products. Not amazingly so, and there was no history lesson or anything like that, but she knew general flavors and made decent recommendations.

Prices were a little high, maybe 10% more than a Bev-mo, but I'm a cheapskate so that's relative I suppose. A solid place.
Jul 28, 2011
Photo of gregoryG
Reviewed by gregoryG from California

4.36/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
This place is mostly centered around wine but they have a small and impressive beer section in the back left side of the store. the Lady that does the beer there is very cool and always very helpful. they have a really nice selection of belgian beers, and is especially cool for having lots of belgian beers that you wont find at most other specialty beer stores. they also get a good selection of rare beers from time to time. they regularly get shipments of pliny andblind pig. i was able to get ivan the terrible from this store a few months back as well.
May 08, 2011
Photo of IKR
Reviewed by IKR from California

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Good selection, professional staff , and decent prices add up to a good source for beer and a lighter wallet. Catch this place when fully stocked and your wallet will be much lighter but you'll have some nice beers to drink for a while. The wide variety of styles is another plus. Wine country is primarily a wine store consistent with it's name, but the craft beer selection has expanded since my initial visit. For those that like a fine wine every now and then, this store can really make it hard to leave without way too many bottles. The wine selection is exemplary. Thank God for local businesses that blow away the large chains!
Feb 17, 2011
Photo of ebin6
Reviewed by ebin6 from California

5/5  rDev +18.5%
My "go to" store for all things beer. Very consistent selection of local breweries (Lost Abbey, Port, Alesmith, etc.), Belgians (Fantome, trappists, etc.), and of course harder to find beers (Russian River, Cascade, etc.). Had a lot of Cantillon back in the day, but that has dried up all over the West Coast; can't fault them. They'd have it if they could.

The service goes above and beyond. Ask for Merritt, and you'll have all your needs met and a good conversation to boot. She loves all things sour and is very helpful/insightful when it comes to that style in particular (though she certainly knows the rest as well). In short, Wine Country is amazing.
Dec 19, 2010
Photo of fourplayed
Reviewed by fourplayed from California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
Mainly a wine store with regular wine events happening. Good selection of quality beers are tucked into a 20' square un-chilled spot in the back corner. Also some brews in their small 8' tall 8' wide glass door cooler.

Helpful & friendly when you have questions about brews in house and brews not in house.

The selection is very good and you can pull 12oz from their respective 4 or 6 packs to mix match your own take home selections.

A bit pricey per bottle when you do mix and match. Overall price's are in line with a few other local place's I shop in.
Oct 18, 2010
Photo of Swimsum
Reviewed by Swimsum from Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
Stopped in here the other day on my way down to downtown Long Beach. Even though this is mostly a wine store it does have a good selection of craft beer. The selection is pretty small but there are some good finds in here. Lot of CA brews and pretty reasonable prices. This is the closest decent craft beer store located to my house so it's my primary stop when I come home from school. The employees were nice and offered to help me locate anything I was looking for. A good visit for anyone in the area and I'll personally be making many return visits.

Update (June 18, 2009): This place has gotten pretty good since I first came here. It may be because I'm noticing more beers that before I wasn't looking for but have come across some pretty rare beers here. Recently got my hands on some Consecration (they have 4 cases!!!) and can still get Stone 08 IRS, AleSmith Speedway Stout (just got some Grand Cru as well), and some Avery beers I haven't seen else where. Liking this place more and more, stop by if you're in Long Beach
Dec 23, 2008
Photo of opwog
Reviewed by opwog from Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +10.2%
Is the Wine Country mainly a wine store...yes. But do they also have a killer selection of craft beers...hell yes! I was turned on to this place when I was on a search for some Serpent Stout at a time long past when most places still had any. That was the best tip ever, because not only did they still have this rare treat, but they had it cheaper than anybody had it back when it was readily available!

When you walk in you see this sea of wine bottles, but look straight ahead and you will see an isle of one of the best handpicked beer sections that I have seen of its size. Check this place out for the selection and the prices!
Aug 11, 2008
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
Stopped here today on the way home from Long Beach, pretty much right off the 405 at Lakewood Blvd., west side of the street near industrial buildings and a wedding store, walked in and saw the beer fridge first with about fifteen different beers in there including some Hitachino, Drake's Expedition Ale, Duvel, and some Stone offerings, made it over to shelves and saw some things I have not really seen before, highlight was definitely the Bruery's Levud Batch One, it was a 750 ml bottle for fifteen dollars and I passed on it just because of the price, also saw Floris Apple for the first time in a store, it was eighteen dollars per four pack, they had some Port 2nd Anniversary for seven bucks, Samichlaus Helles Lager, Lost Abbey Inferno for ten bucks, others included Stone Imperial Stout, all the regularly bottled Alesmiths including the new Decadence, Thomas Hardy's from 2005 and 2006, Fuller's Vintage Ale, lots of imports, especially Belgians,and many other craft brews, prices were a little high on some things but average on the others, atmosphere was more like a fine wine store, hence the name of the place, people were helpful and immediately pointed me to the restroom and asked me if I had any questions, the selection was very good for the LA or Orange County area, whatever this is considered, will go back in the future, impressed overall
Jun 27, 2008
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
Located on Redondo Blvd. in Signal Hill/Long Beach, just off of the 405, the Wine Country is primarily a wine store, with a fair selection of craft beer, though none of it refrigerated, unfortunately. The have mostly CA micros, with a lot of British and Belgian stuff as well. I picked up a Lost Abbey Devotion Ale today for $9.99, a fair price. A good store if you are in the area, also one of the first places to get new releases of the local stuff and special releases, so check their website often. A good local store, although it is a bit of a drive for me. This a store that gets pretty rare, interesting beer. A lot of Fantome and other Belgians. It's also a great wine store, check it out.
Aug 02, 2007
Photo of RidiculedDisplay
Reviewed by RidiculedDisplay from California

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
Having lived in Long Beach as a youth, I decided a visit to my parents' house was an opportunity to try this place out, since I had heard good things. I was right to do so.

Wine Country is located on Redondo Avenue near Signal Hill and the Long Beach Airport. It is right next to a Wedding Cake place, and before entering you can smell icing in the air. Heh. The interior is dominated, most definitely, by wine - racks and racks of the stuff from wall to wall. There is a rack for liquors (bourbon, whiskey, others) on the left-hand wall. The beer section, small as it may be, is mighty and on the back left-hand wall.

The beer section consists of two, tightly packed U-shaped shelvings, on the right-side being American craft and the left being foreign offerings. The selection is very, very good. I counted Russian River Temptation and Damnation, Port Old Viscosity, WipeOut IPA, Sharkbite Red, and Santa's Little Helper, Lost Abbey Red Barn, Lost and Found, and Avant Guarde, Avery Mephistopholes, Beast, Czar, Salvation, Stone Oaked Bastard 6-packs, Double Bastard, one lone 10th Anniversary bottle (I snatched it neener neener), and more. The foreign side had Chouffe offerings including Houblon, a Fantome beer, and a bunch others I, unfortunately, took little notice of.

Staff is very personable, and I heard one turn on a lady to Arrogant Bastard like a good employee, saying that it was "bitter," to which the woman in question responded "Bitter?!", to which the employee then responded "Yeah, bitter, but people like that. It's what a beer should be." : )

Anyway, definitely worth a stop-in if you are closer to Long Beach and don't want to drive down to, say, Hi-Time or up to Beverage Warehouse.
Dec 30, 2006
Photo of IntriqKen
Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
Very convienent for me being right off the freeway on my way home every night. Wonderful wine selection and very knowledgeable staff...but that's not why we are here.
In the back of the store on the left side are 4 small isles devoted to beer. Don't expect to find any BMCs here, however...they don't exist.
The beers they have are all high quality and fairly hard to find. Be careful on the dates, though...beer doesn't move as quickly as their wines do and you might get stuck with an old bottle. Often that won't matter in the heavier stuff, but i saw some Winterfest in September that I don't think will have held up well. Still, I did walk out spending $75 on some wonderful stuff.
Sep 15, 2006
Photo of TurdFurgison
Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
I stopped here to see if I could find any rare Belgians or nice CA beers while in town on business. It was easy to find but looks kind of like an industrial warehouse from the outside. I never would have seen it if I hadn't checked BA before the trip.

There was a pretty good selection including Unibroue, St Bernardus, and a ton of other favorites of mine. But the prices were too high and I didn't find anything I couldn't buy cheaper at Beverage Warehouse (I stopped there directly before Wine Country). Russian River was $8.99 per bottle and Bear Republic Racer 5 was $3.50. The price won't kill you but why does it have to be 10% higher than Beverage Warehouse?
May 18, 2006
Photo of GoCubsMatt
Reviewed by GoCubsMatt from Washington

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
Don't let the name of this joint fool you. They have a small selection of beer, but they keep the quality pretty much top-notch.

If the review section had a score for price, this place gets a 5. They are consistenly the least expensive of other good area beer stores (such as Morry's, BevMo, and Hi Times). Stone bombers are typically $1 cheaper here than anywhere else.

The selection is small but covers good stuff. The beer area is split into two sections- American craft brews and foreign breweries. The American beers are dominated by west coast goodies, foreign beers are dominated by Belgians. Check out their web site for all the details.

The service here is solid. I asked of the girls working there if they could get any of the special Victory bottles (V-12, Grand Cru) and also if they could get Three Philosophers. She tried on the Victory, but when she couldn't get it, she called me to explain that Victory has temporarily stopped distributing to California :(. When they got the 3P in, she gave me a call as well to let me know. Can't ask for much more than a store that listens to your requests and calls you when they have results.

This is where I buy the majority of the beer that I consume at home. Their selection isn't the best in the area, but their prices are the best and the quality is very dependable.
Apr 10, 2004
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
I cannot believe, or understand why, given I only live 10 minutes drive away, that I have never been here before. Well I know why really, it’s the word “Wine” that continually put me off. Silly really.

Well I finally it made yesterday during a quiet Saturday afternoon. Wine Country is in the Signal Hill area of Long Beach, and not far from LB Airport. It is close to the junction of Redondo and PCH, quite easy to find, being located in an industrial looking roadside unit and has plenty of parking.

As you enter you are deluged with the amount of wine that is on sale here, rows and rows of Bouteille Vino. I almost froze because I could not immediately make-out where the beer was. Also, they were having a Wine Tasting whilst I was here, it was well attended but the Store was still not crowded.

Thankfully my tingling beer senses were working, and I spotted the beer in the far left hand rear corner of the store. A very nice selection indeed, not the greatest by any means but they have some notable greats. There are basically two bays of beers, each with about 4 or 5 shelves. Starting with the Belgium’s to the left and working through many different countries to finish with US variants on the right. Highlights for me were the Cantillon, Hannsens and Fantôme from Belgium, and the great selection of IPA’s from West Coast beauties like Stone, Marin, Alesmith, Moylans, Hoptown, etc. Many of these in fact constituted my first beer run here. English beers were well represented I noted, and included some “hardly-seens”. A few German beers, some East Europeans, and a small range of “odd-ball beers” from all over the world completed the great diversity of the range. There were some clearance beers as well – I always like this concept, you never know what hidden marvels lurk – I found a lonely bottle of Hoptown Paint the Town Red, needless to say it found a new home immediately. Domestic beers are well represented and keenly priced also. Indeed, the Stone beers are some of the best value around, $3.99 for a 22 of Stone Imperial Stout 2003, the best value that I have yet seen.

So do not be put off by the name!! I for one will be back here, to work my through the range of the beers that I have yet to try as well as keeping my stock of Cantillon, Hannsens and Stone replenished.
Jun 08, 2003
Wine Country, The in Signal Hill, CA
Place rating: 4.22 out of 5 with 20 ratings