Holiday Wine Cellar

Holiday Wine CellarHoliday Wine Cellar
Holiday Wine CellarHoliday Wine Cellar
Store

302 W Mission Ave
Escondido, California, 92025-1712
United States

(760) 745-1200 | map
holidaywinecellar.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.5
Reviews:
95
Ratings:
121
pDev:
8.89%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 5 by DemoBudZ from California

Jul 06, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by tonefiend from California

Aug 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.59 by rawfish from California

Jun 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.56 by Bubbawilly88 from California

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Drink_LocalSD from California

Dec 05, 2014
Photo of KATCanada
Reviewed by KATCanada from Canada (ON)

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%
First of all Vanessa is AWESOME. As I sometimes do I called ahead to find out about Pliney and other RR stuff and was able to do a phone order for pickup. Was looking for Temptation but they did not have when I called. I ordered a bunch of goodies and was pleasantly surprised to get a call a week later from Vanessa telling me they had a bottle of Temptation for me if I wanted it! Hell yeah! This place is not for from Stone and is a must visit if in the area. great selection of everything you would want if coming in from out of town.
Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by MickeyHops from California

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by JackNip from Delaware

Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by brewmastercat from California

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by tally from California

Sep 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by aoampm from Hawaii

Sep 06, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Rothobinide from California

Sep 06, 2014
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Reviewed by suburbanfarmer from California

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%
If you're looking to pick up some bottles of stuff that's hard to find, this is the place to go. Helpful staff, ridiculous collection, prices are fair (not as cheap as some, but those others don't have the breadth).
Sep 02, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4.5 by BreweryRun from California

Jul 22, 2014
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Reviewed by mabermud from Washington

4.4/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5
I graduated HS and grew up in Escondido, and whenever I come back to visit my family I always make a couple of stops here during my vacation. If you do not feel like stopping by one of the many breweries in the North County, you could always stop by Holiday Wine Cellar to find and pick up some unique beer offerings. For me, this is the best bottle shop in the North County of San Diego. Wen I stopped in last week during my last trip, I was able to buy Lost Abbey Track 8, Older Viscosity, Peche Mortel, Hopparillo, Swami's, and Belching Beaver Old Dirty Barrel. They even had Mogli, which I can never find in Northwest Washington. This place has a great selection of craft beer, plus it also sells wine, liquor, and cigars. The employees were helpful and mostly nice, one guy seemed like he was having a bad day, but he was still helpful. The only change I would recommend is, brighten the place up a little. Well...it is supposed to be a cellar...
Jul 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by SimcoeKid from California

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by EJosesA from California

Jun 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by greenspointexas from Texas

Apr 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.94 by Bonsall_Phil from California

Apr 19, 2014
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Reviewed by DCLAguy11 from California

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
What a fantastic store. I came out with almost 2 cases of a variety of delicious brews and the customer service was excellent. I received help and recommendations from two associates. Sadly I had to leave some items behind but it was a gem of a beer/wine/spirits store. Don't forget to check out their walk in cooler behind the beer coolers. They also have a rewards program where you can get some discounts later.
Apr 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by jgap from California

Apr 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by bennetj17 from Arizona

Mar 21, 2014
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
First stop a few days ago was to check out this bottle shop close by to Stone. Medium sized beer area in the back left of the store, wine on the right, liquor filling in the front and middle and even a large cigar area on the far right of the store. I didn't even notice the back beer cooler or wine cellar until I wandered back there right before leaving. Atmosphere was pretty good, typical bottle shop feel really. Quality was pretty high all around. Nice furnishings and displays to go along with the beer glasses and beers. Service was pretty good, I was asked if I needed any help once but I was just browsing. Selection was solid all around. A few rarities sprinkled with with plenty of the typical local west coast offerings. Even more can be found in the cooler in the back so make sure you look back there as well. Prices were on par with the others in the area. Overall a really nice bottle shop, I would probably stop in again if I was going to Stone.
Feb 20, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by PlinyBeMiney from California

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by ACY73 from California

Nov 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by EB1 from California

Nov 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by acurtis from New Jersey

Oct 22, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by StoutSnob40 from California

Oct 10, 2013
Photo of HoppingAlong
Reviewed by HoppingAlong from California

4.49/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This is a good bottle shop in North County, San Diego. In fact, it is not too far from Stone Brewery. They have a good, solid selection of beers. Their selection is set up by style and country, with some beers stored in the cooler in the middle of the shop. The staff is super helpful and will answer any questions you may have. They also have a good online presence, so feel free to check them out there (although some of the stuff doesn't seem too up to date).

And while all of this is fine and dandy, one of the best (if not perplexing) thing about Holiday Wine Cellar is that they often have Groupons available for $20 for $40 or $40 for $80-- which is simply awesome and rather amazing. I tend to use the Groupons to stock up on seasonal IPAs or what not; however, it is great to use them for more expensive sours or other beers that you would normally pass on because of the price. In addition to the beer, they have a huge selection of booze and a ton of wines-- if you into that sort of thing.

Overall-- I urge you to check out Holiday Wine Cellar-- and check out Groupon before you head over.
Aug 09, 2013
Photo of claspada
Reviewed by claspada from New Jersey

4.71/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
Wow what a store, I was perusing the cooler and someone came over and said, let me show you the cooler, I was confused until he lead me INTO the cooler where I got the whole view of everything they have, which is everything you could possibly want from the area. Pliny was just chillin' on the floor in a box which made me laugh. Everything is well cataloged and organized by country/location and there is plenty of everything. BA Eclipses, various sour beers, if it's in CA, they probably have it.
Jun 20, 2013
Photo of Grant35
Reviewed by Grant35 from California

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
This place is a gem. Their beer selection consists of all of the latest releases and then some. As soon as I walked in someone asked if I was looking for something in particular. I was just curious to see their vast selection of local beers as well as a huge variety of international brews. After about 5 mins, I was approached by Rick who told me that their walk in cooler had a lot more beers, he wasn't joking. After I spent another 15 minutes freezing my nuts off in the walk in (bring a parka if you want to browse), Rick came in and made some suggestions and mentioned that they did beer tastings every Saturday in the downstairs cellar. Downstairs cellar?? As I made my way down the spiral staircase, I found two more rooms. One contained a more valuable selection of fine wines and champaign the other was a quaint little tasting room where they were pouring a number of the Shmaltz He'brew beers. After about 45 mins of chitchatting with some out-of-towners talking about various Barleywines, the gentlemen who was pouring mentioned that they had a few bottles of 'Mother of all Storms' left (I snagged 2). All in all I was thoroughly impressed with their selection, knowledge, and layout.

After returning a number of times, becoming more and more friendly with the staff, I was informed that they rent out storage lockers for beer and wine enthusiasts. I toured the locker cellar with Rick which was unreal. Every time I go to the Holiday Wine Cellar I find more and more impressive aspects that separate them from their competition.

If you need a special beer for a gift or for a tasting, just go in, let them know, and they'll take care of you!
May 09, 2013
 
Rated: 4.41 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

May 02, 2013
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Reviewed by FosterJM from California

4.36/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Was at a workshop in SD for work and the freeway was a bit open so took a few minute detour.

Atm- From the outside it looks like a old surf shop with a A frame, tiki thing. Reminded me of Aloha in Reno. Small parking right off a corner location.

Quality- Lots of high end stuff in here. A lot of bottles that I had never seen. Didnt have the time nor the $$ to check BA for every bottle.

Service- Wandered a bit before someone asked if I needed anything. Was advised of the walk in and the underground wine lair.

Selection- A lot of great beer in the store. Tons of CA locals, Lots of hard to find euros. Most everything is in the cooler with only a few left out on the floor.

Food- N/A

Value- Everything seemed to be about $1-2 high from some stores that have similar products. Was happy to find the Karl Strauss I was looking for so didnt mind a bit of a price raise.
Jun 07, 2012
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

4.3/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
I visited Holiday Wine Cellar this past weekend since I was in the area. The building itself is pretty interesting looking from the outside. There is a nice old school type of vibe going on inside. They have rows of wine, liquor, and coolers of beer towards the back. There is also a refrigerated beer cellar at the back of the store as well as a staircase that I think led down to an underground wine cellar. The service was pretty good as an employee approached me once while I was looking around. Most all of their beer is refrigerated but there were some warm bottles sitting out on the floor. The selection was exceptional with lots of awesome beer from around the world. They had a bunch of stuff I had never seen before which I obviously bought up. Prices are a bit on the high side but I didn’t mind paying the premium for such an awesome selection. Overall, this is a fantastic beer store and I would highly recommend stopping by here to check things out if you are in the general area.
Mar 05, 2012
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Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.7/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I bought beer from Holiday Wine Cellar through their online shop.

First off, I saw 3 Oud Beersel beers on their website, the Kriek, Geuze, and the Framboise at what I thought were reasonable prices.

I put in an order and received a confirmation email and reply almost immediately. The next thing I knew, the beers arrived and I enjoyed the heck out of them.

Good prices for both the beers and shipping combined with excellent communication made my experience with Holiday Wine Cellar great. I recommend them highly!
Feb 11, 2012
Photo of hopfacebrew
Reviewed by hopfacebrew from Colorado

4.78/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Highly recommended bottle shop. Stopped by on our vacation in Escondido. First time they were closed for inventory, d'oh! The next day they were open, woohoo! Walked in and was immediately greeted, I explained I was from out of state looking for some beer to take home. The lady walked me to the cooler where the beer guy was. Both were extremely helpful. I had never been to a true bottle shop before, pretty cool. I told the guy the same story and he literally went row by row asking if we had such and such beer and his thoughts on them. I ended up leaving with some phenomenal brews. When checking out I found out the clerk grew up a few blocks away from our house in Parker, small world. In any event the prices were reasonable and the service was great. Highly recommended.
Feb 01, 2012
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by here before going to Stone during a recent trip to San Diego.

This is a very nice liquor store that mostly focuses on wine but also has a nice selection of quality craft beer. In the rear of the store there are about six coolers filled with common singles and local bombers. Nothing to get excited over but at least the options of singles is there.

The real selection can be found in a large walk in cooler toward the back of the store. Inside there have a very large and impressive assortment of craft beers from around the world. They carry a lot more imports than most stores I visited in So Cal with tons of German, Danish, italian and Belgian offerings. In addition, they had a lot of great locals and harder to find beers that I didn't see anywhere else. Plenty of great local/So Cal stuff along with beers from Russian River, Stillwater, Drie Fonteinen, Eclipse Variations and vintage pannepøt to name a few.

The beer guy was really cool and it turns out he has family from outside of Philly. He was very knowledgeable and friendly, talking with me extensively about beer. All of the other employees that I interacted with were pleasant and helpful.

This was a great bottle shop that I highly recommend. If I lived in the area I would spend all of my money here.
Jan 17, 2012
Photo of notchucknorris
Reviewed by notchucknorris from California

4.44/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
I've visited this place a few times now and I always leave pretty impressed. The staff is incredibly friendly and seems to be very knowledgeable about their products. I've also been able to find some beers and breweries there that I've had a lot of trouble finding in other places, Midnight Sun being the biggest one. Nearly all the beers are refrigerated and they have a pretty awesome walk-in cooler that has some pretty solid beers in there. If you happen to be in the area, it's definitely worth checking out. One of the best places in North County.
Dec 01, 2011
Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA
Place rating: 4.5 out of 5 with 121 ratings