The Wine Seller

The Wine SellerThe Wine Seller
The Wine SellerThe Wine Seller
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

4680 Monticello Ave
Ste 15
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188-8214
United States

(757) 564-4400 | map
grapesbythecrate.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.16
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
31
pDev:
7.45%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.3 by godawgs from Louisiana

Apr 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Iamjeff6 from Virginia

Dec 09, 2015
Photo of oldn00b
Reviewed by oldn00b from Virginia

4.44/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Great place with a limited selection but sometimes some great finds. Biggest draw here is the service - they don't mind taking phone calls or holding something for you until you can make it in. It's got most of the beer they have in a fridge, so a whole lot less of a concern about buying things like IPAs off the shelf that have been sitting warm for months.

Relatively limited selection but some great things. I believe there are 6 taps and they rotate a nice selection of VA brews and national favorites.
Aug 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by embass from Virginia

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.44 by Tyler32 from Virginia

Oct 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Tylara85 from Virginia

Jul 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by midlifec from Michigan

Jun 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by crpeck from Georgia

Jun 16, 2014
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Reviewed by Mantooth from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Nice bottle shop - there's not a huge selection, but it's quality stuff. They have about six drafts - they were all top notch, killer stuff - big fan of the half pint pours. The sandwiches are FANTASTIC - you cant go wrong. I didn't buy any bottles, but we had Alewerks BA imperial porter on draft and a great meal. The staff was also great - very knowledgeable and helpful - no problem with providing me samples of a few other drafts. They do growlers too. Very cool shop.
Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by fishrunner from Virginia

Dec 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Mattyb79 from Virginia

Nov 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by RobDB from New Jersey

Oct 13, 2013
Photo of Papa
Reviewed by Papa from Kansas

4.58/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I was vacationing from out of town and was looking for some beers I can't find at home. They had a nice selection and guy at the store could not have been more helpful. It was easy to tell he is really knowledgeable and into the beers he sells. If I was local this place would be a regular stop.
I'm not a wine or cheese guy, but it appeared they also had a big selection of those.
I would highly recommend stopping by when you have enough time to have a beer. They had five or six awesome beers on tap and a nice seating area outside.
Oct 24, 2012
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Read about this on BA - and wanted to see how it was while in SE Virginia.

Atmosphere: Good lighting, and 50/50 a wine and beer store. Beer is all at the back, wine all up front. In the back the beer is showcased well in fridge cases, taps on the wall for growlers, and racks for bombers of various beers.

Quality: About 95% of the beers here are craft and micros. There are some macro lagers here, but they are in the minority. The craft that is present was higher rated national craft beers or local SE VA beers.

Service: Good service. Was greeted as I walked into the place (I was the only customer) and when I asked about a container for holding a few bottles, the person behind the counter went quickly to grab a 4-pack holder for my single bottle purchases.

Selection: See my comments on quality above, but I'll elaborate a bit more here. This place has very few single bottles available, and if you want to make your own six pack, this isn't the place...unless you want bombers or 750mL bottles, of which there are lots and lots of. So when looking at it that way - there is a great selection of US craft beer bombers here, but for 12oz singles, there is not a lot here.

Value: A bit on the pricey side.

Overall - definitely an above average store, but I've been spoiled by other places where I can build my own six packs with ease. If you want a high quality six pack or some bombers, this is the place, but if you want to sample and try out, this isn't the place.
Mar 28, 2011
Photo of ebby82
Reviewed by ebby82 from Virginia

4.64/5  rDev +11.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Increasingly, I love this place. Phil is the beer guy, and when you walk in, right off the bat, he tells you what he has in that's new. He remembers you, even if you're not there every week.

The selection has become increasingly great, but best of all, just this week, they've added several taps. Now, not only can you get a wide variety of bottles, but there are a few different growler options to choose from.

A great place for beer, and certainly the best of its kind on the Peninsula. It has striven to improve its quality and selection over the last year or two.
Mar 06, 2011
Photo of pnkRed
Reviewed by pnkRed from Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +1%
As others have said, this is a wine store first, but it is also a beer store. About 7 doors dedicated to craft beer and room temperature shelving, they have more than enough options to satisfy the average craft beer shopper. They always have Dogfish, stone, troegs, Bell's, founders, williamsburg alewerks, and legend with a bunch of belgians to choose from. Phil will do his best to get what he hasn't heard of and is always eager to talk craft beer with you. Great prices and a friendly and warm environment keeps me coming back!
Feb 12, 2011
Photo of breweryaprntc13
Reviewed by breweryaprntc13 from Virginia

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
While it is mainly a wine store, they do not hide the fact that beer is also available. Despite the name, I felt as if the store was half beer and half wine, with the beer section spread out over six or seven coolers on the side wall. Beer magazines and newspapers are also spread out on tables by the coolers. The overall feel is a very warm environment for beer lovers to relax and really explore their beer options and learn more about beer. The staff is friendly and the man who helped me offered to try to get any beers from their distributor that I was looking for, but there is only so much they can get from one distributor. However he did a good job of remembering me on my second visit showed me all they had gotten in stock since my last visit. I felt very at home and ended up spending over an hour there talking beer with the staff and another customer. Probably the second best selection of beers I have found in Williamsburg, however without the option to make your own six pack I try to only go here if there is something they have that no where else carries. Duvel, Troeggs, Bell's, Allagash, and other standard craft beers available aplenty, with a few rare gems found from time to time.
May 17, 2010
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Reviewed by beer2day from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
This would be the place to buy beer in Williamsburg. 5 cooler doors in the back with one shelf unit just beyond the doors.

Very good selection for the area with Stone, Rogue, Troegs, Southern Tier, Caldera (cans), Victory, Legend, and Lagunitas all well represented. While there's not a lot of choice here, they do stock the good stuff.

Prices are very good, especially for the area. The folks working there seem to know a little about the product they sell. Hop Stoopid had just come in and we had a nice discussion about that fine beer.

They do close at 8, so get there early.
Apr 12, 2009
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Reviewed by lackenhauser from Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
Nice store, like others said tucked into a shopping center with a target and a Ukrops. Main focus is on wine but has an admirable beer selection for the size.

Troegs, Legends, Stone, Willamsburg Ale Works, Victory, some Bell's, etc. Many of the beers had BA shelf tabs showing their ratings and overall scores. Some decent Belgians to choose from. Very little BMC if any did I see.

Spoke with Phil the assistant manager, for a few minutes, and he seemed eager to talk beer. Worth checking out when in Williamsburg for sure. Not a huge selection overall but what they have is top shelf for sure.
Mar 28, 2009
Photo of Jimbo87
Reviewed by Jimbo87 from Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
I have to say I love this place. They have a lot of very good beers. Imports as well. Prices on some things are great. DFH 120 and DFH WWS are 8.75 each, which is the lowest price for those that I've ever seen. Hopslam was also only like $14 a sixer, but they eventually raised to price to the more common $19. Glad I bought my case early.

The only beer guy I know is Phil, and he's awesome. He doesn't know everything about beer, but he's got a solid knowledge, and he'll take time to talk to you about beer and give recommendations, and if there's a beer you want, he'll try to get it. Like they got Moylan's hopsickle because people wanted it. So the selection changes regularly, which is definitely a plus in my opinion. But the majority of beers don't change, which is definitely standard.

My favorite beer store in Williamsburg. They also do tastings some times. I tasted La Fin du Monde. Between this place and the Wine Cellar underneath the Cheese Shop, you're set. But these prices are usually better than the Wine Cellar's.

They'll also reserve beers for you. At least they did when I asked them to hold 2 sixers of hopslam for me.
Mar 14, 2009
Photo of ocelot2500
Reviewed by ocelot2500 from Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
I live right next door to this place and never realized they sell beer. I walked in and the beer is in the back across from the cigars in coolers. A way bigger selection than I was expecting. There were about four coolers with one dedicated to macros, but the rest had me looking for a while. A good selection of imported and domestic micros. Saw somethings I have never seen in VA before. The staff is friendly, but it seems that not everyone there knows beer (the store is mostly wine). The guy I did talk to seemed to be interested in what I liked so he could stock the store to more suit the clientele. He even was able to order the Stone RIS for me to pick up. All in all, a nice hidden gem of a beer store.
Feb 27, 2009
Photo of PhageLab
Reviewed by PhageLab from Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%
Spent a lot of time calling around looking for Hopslam, finally found this amazing gem of a store. The store is well lit and extremely clean, and the organization is immaculate. The manager was a huge help and was very knowledgeable, he even had BA score cards under some of the brews. Okay, the big thing was the selection. They had only 4 beer windows, and one dedicated to macros, but the beer they did have was amazing. A lot of it I'd never even seen in Va before. Rochefort 10, Bell's Best Brown, Hopslam, Cherry Stout, Sparkling Ale, a whole lineup of Legend bombers, a few of the Smuttynose Big Beers, Weyerbacher Insanity, Two Hearted Ale mini kegs, Weihenstephaner bottles of Kristall, Dunkel, and the regular Weisse, and even bottles of the Aecht Marzen Rauchbier. Also, don't wanna forget the Nugget Nectar! I'm definitely coming back to this store again, if you're in the area and need a restock, this place will have something for you.
Feb 10, 2008
Photo of Bleedingshrimp
Reviewed by Bleedingshrimp from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
I decided to hit up this place after a fellow BA mentioned he scored some Hopslam here. They did indeed have the Hopslam as well as Nugget Nectar and an assortment of good domestic and imports. Breweries such as Lagunitas, Victory, Smuttynose, Stone and Troegs were well represented as well as Weihensthephaner, Rochefort, Westmalle etc. Overall I 'd say that had probably 50 different six packs and a small selection of singles. Not bad for the area really. A good variety but less total breweries represented than say a total wine. The staff seemed knowledgeable enough and pretty pleasant. I'd recommend a stop if you're in the area. You'll most likely be surprised by an offering or two.
Feb 10, 2008
Photo of Braudog
Reviewed by Braudog from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
Surprisingly nice little retail outlet. I actually found one or two beers I’ve never seen before in my life here, and that says something anymore. I found a Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA not seen before in Virginia, plus the usual suspects for high-end micros available here. Not a big selection of singles, but nonetheless a nice pick of quality beers, including some rare imports (Swiss bottle new to me here). They also carry a good selection of boutique wines. The staff is very friendly and seemed to be knowledgable. If you’re in town, stop by!
Feb 01, 2007
Photo of Imstillthegman
Reviewed by Imstillthegman from Delaware

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
Located in a fairly large strip mall with a Target. Little shop with the main focus being wine. All the way in the back there is a rack and about a 4 or 5 door cooler section for beer. They had some Stone, Victory, Tröegs, Legend, Dominion and few others. They even had 2003-2006 singles of Old Ho' and now I am kicking myself for not picking some up for a vertical ($2.99 a bottle). I did buy a couple bombers of Legend and a bottle of wine for the wife. Not a bad little shop, but I hope Williamsburg has somewhere better than this. Staff was friendly and the place has potential. If I ever have to make the trip back down here I will stop in again to see how it's coming along.
Dec 31, 2006
Photo of JohnnyM2002
Reviewed by JohnnyM2002 from Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
If you're in Williamsburg, take the 5 minutes and head out this way.

Beer coolers have a good selection of smaller, local breweries. I picked up some St. George, but they also offer Legend, Old Dominion, Heavy Seas, Clipper City, Troegs, Victory, and Dogfish Head. Also thrown into the mix were some Alesmith, Stone, and a decent import section with several Trappist brews.

The service was very good - the guy was very friendly and wanted to talk about beer for awhile. The have BA papers on most of the beers (i.e. "Storm King Stout is a 92 on BeerAdvocate!") and there is a separate rack for their featured beers. DFH Worldwide Stout and Rochefort were some of the specials. A nice little spot to hit up.
Oct 09, 2006
Photo of tgbljb
Reviewed by tgbljb from Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -14.7%
visited the store on my recent vacation to williamsburg. Selection was limited to a group of coolers to right rear of store. The stores main emphasis is on wine and beer seems to only be a sideline. I was extremely dissapointed by the number of 12 ounce singles available (about 5), since I was on vacation and only had a limited area in the coolers. The six-pack collection was adequate, bu not much that I don't see in other comparable stores. Worth a stop if you are in the area, but not worht going out of your way for. One thing that was dissapointing was that the motel we stayed at had discount coupons for the Wine Seller, but beer was excluded from the discount. I guess this kind of put a chip on my shoulder before I even went there
Jul 08, 2005
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Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
The Wine Seller was a store I had been looking for, but just happened across today by accident. It, like most other VA beer stores, is just down the sidewalk from a Ukrops.

The store is neat and clean and well lit. The warm beer selection of single bottles is very small. The cold beer selection is where this store shines. They even had a few BA shelf talkers on display.

I was asked if I needed help, but other than that generally ignored and left alone. The beer selection has very little to no BMC stuff with the only odd alco-pop taking up shelf space. The beer selection is actually pretty good considering there is no other real place to go in Williamsburg other than perhaps Farm Fresh.

All in all, if in Williamsburg I would suggest a stop. The prices were not out of line, the coolers and store is very clean. The selection is pretty good, and lastly they use BA shelf talkers...
Feb 02, 2005
Photo of meathookjones
Reviewed by meathookjones from Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
This was my first time in the Wine Seller and I visit the area fairly often. Their selection is no the biggest but they have a decent variety for the size. The thing I like most is that almost all the beers are refridgerated. They had a few selections from Victory, Stone, Troegs, DFH, local brewieries suck as Legend, St. George and Wiliamsburg Brewery as well as some belgians. They have a small selection of mix and match singles from the six packs as well. Definatly the best selection in the area and good pricing. They had what looked to be a good wine selection as well, but I am not familiar with wine at all. The service seemed decent as they came over to see if they could help me. I will definatly be stopping by here for my beer needs when in the area.
Jun 06, 2004
Photo of byrd
Reviewed by byrd from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
I’ve stopped into the Wine Seller a couple times now. They don’t have a very large selection of beer, but it’s a well rounded selection. They’ve got one short wall in the back of the store that’s refrigerated for all their beers. Most of it is for 6 packs and 2 sets of shelves are for singles, 22oz bombers, and a small number of 750mL bottles. They do have a pretty nice selection of Belgian ales. Their prices are quite good also. I’ve seen a few bottles that are a dollar or more, cheaper here then I’ve seen them elsewhere. The staff has been good each time I’ve been in the store. My experience was better the second time, however, probably because I had stumbled in on Rogue Beer tasting night – they had about 7 or 8 Rogues available. The guy at the tasting bar was very helpful and loads of fun (I think he was taking a taste every time someone else tried one). One thing I did notice was that they had quite a few beers available in 6 packs that were not sold as singles. There were a some Victories, Dogfish Heads, and a Stone that I would have like to get a couple singles of. At the register, I asked the sales person if they rotated their selection of beer singles very much. She said, no, and that the only rotating that they typically do is with the seasonal beers and some special offerings. Oh well. Other then that though, my ONLY complaint would be that the singles selection is a bit on the small side.
Sep 08, 2003
Photo of scottstrades
Reviewed by scottstrades from Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.8%
We live in Williamsburg (very close to this store) and this is a regular stop for us. Though their beer selection is not large, they (along with the 2 Farm Fresh's in town, with their wine and beer depots) have the best selection in Williamsburg, with a great effort to cover all types of beer (though Farm Fresh does not really alter their beer selection - which is important to me). The Wine Seller's beer buyer keeps things interesting by rotating the single bottled beers (and some 6 packs) and when they add a new beer, they are often the first store in my regular shopping sphere to carry that beer. They were the first of them to carry Wychwood's Scarecrow Ale and had Victory's great V-12 about 3-4 months before Jim did at the wonderful Fresh Fields in Vienna (and Jim was trying his best to get that beer) ! Due to the proximity to Richmond, they get some of Legend's harder to find seasonal beers (the Wheat and Triple). The beer prices are some of the best I've seen and they are willing to do special orders for you of beers not on their shelf (by the case). They have a very good wine selection and carry the best fresh baked bread in Williamsburg (buy it frozen to bake at home for the best results). Their cheese selection is artisanal and they have a nice selection of cigars. The Wine Seller is a great local beer, wine, cheese, and bread store.
Aug 19, 2003
The Wine Seller in Williamsburg, VA
Place rating: 4.16 out of 5 with 31 ratings