Total Wine & More

Total Wine & MoreTotal Wine & More
Total Wine & MoreTotal Wine & More
Store

1820 Ashley River Rd
Charleston, South Carolina, 29407-4750
United States

(843) 763-7034 | map
totalwine.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.96
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
40
pDev:
11.87%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by HeyItsChili:
Photo of HeyItsChili
Reviewed by HeyItsChili from South Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
Total Wine has a large number of beers from around the globe as well as a variety of US microbrews and macrobrews. The hophead might nitpick and say that the US selection leans too heavily in favor of the macros and leaves some great brewers like Founders and New Holland out in the cold. People have questioned the freshness of the stock, and I can't vouch for or against this, but it is always something to watch out for in a big box warehouse. The staff is absolutely zero help for the most part.
Dec 01, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.01 by KensWorld from Florida

Nov 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.16 by outdoor7or24 from Georgia

Jun 08, 2017
Photo of toolbrew
Reviewed by toolbrew from Indiana

4.31/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
Large retail space and a lot to choose from! Stopped in while visiting Charleston from Chicago and the guy working the beer section was very helpful with locals and other offerings not readily available to me - COAST, Westbrook, Unknown Brewing Co., to name a few. Would certainly stop here again.
Apr 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by redfish2942 from South Carolina

Mar 12, 2016
Photo of rmank
Reviewed by rmank from South Carolina

3.86/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Pretty large selection. Service is usually good. Have attended a few of their beer classes/pairings which turned out to be fun and worth the price. ALWAYS make sure to check IPAs and other styles that are more time sensitive. I have found plenty of past-their-prime beers on the shelves and never leave before checking the Enjoy By/Brewed On dates.
Jan 06, 2016
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Reviewed by TheDoctor from Canada (QC)

3.87/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
Big grocery store-like store. They do have a good selection, though, and a growler station if you are so inclined. No personality, individual touch, etc. but a decent place to stock up with stuff from all over the place.
Oct 06, 2015
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.81/5  rDev +21.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Just a fantastic selection of beer here. They break out the imports into singles so you can purchase just about everything as a single. All the local beers are here AND they have a giant growler station with many of the local beers (and some other out of state beers) are on tap. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, both up in the wine and in the beer aisles. A definite go to when on the west side of town.
Aug 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.02 by jshusc from South Carolina

Mar 09, 2015
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Rated by steveheady from South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75
Good selection. Staff there are hit and miss.
Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.63 by Beerparrot from Pennsylvania

Feb 17, 2015
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Rated by rongcsc from South Carolina

4.01/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Typical big box store. Good selection.
Jan 16, 2015
 
Rated: 2.5 by DrBrewPhD from South Carolina

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by greenspointexas from Texas

Aug 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by SCanthony from South Carolina

Aug 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Primitivechef from Maryland

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Ant4711 from South Carolina

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by halo3one from Georgia

Jul 02, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Mikeg051 from South Carolina

Jun 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Cubatobaco from Virginia

May 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Jlang2012 from South Carolina

Apr 29, 2014
Photo of Wrigfen
Reviewed by Wrigfen from South Carolina

4.41/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
A great beer/wine/liquor super store. The liquor store is separate from the beer and wine. As a beer drinker I go here almost solely for that with an occasional wine selection. Huge selection of beers of all types. Prices are fairly reasonable and the service, regarding finding things is excellent. I like this place for a large stock up. They seem to have growler fills too, but I am not positive as I never tried it but I see the taps. This is strictly a store as CBX and not a hang out such as Taps or Homegrown. For what they do and offer they do it great. Let's just say those of us that live in the Charleston Metro area are blessed to have a multitude of places to go for craft beer. Some focus on shopping some on restaurant, some on drinking and some on a little of everything. I really hate to rate nyone over the other. They all have something to offer. I am a regular here too as well as other places I have reviewed. This store is great and the staff and cashiers are nice people. Come in and load up. Or go to Taps or go to CBX. But go!!!
Aug 26, 2013
Photo of BlackBelt5112203
Reviewed by BlackBelt5112203 from Michigan

3.82/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3 | selection: 4.75
If you’ve been to one of these places before, you probably know what’s up, but I’ve been here enough that I thought I should review it. The atmosphere is typical of these large chain liquor stores – a warehouse of liquor, wine, and beer. Here they have two long aisles filled with packs and singles of beer, plus a half-aisle of limited bombers, fridges of local offerings and other stuff, pallets of seasonal 6 packs near the front of the store, a nice growler station, and beer scattered throughout. The selection is really very good and prices are comparable. The main things that set other places apart from Total Wine are quality and service. I know that they don’t rotate their selection as often, so you may want to stay away from IPAs that aren’t flying off the shelves. As far as the service, some of them are knowledgeable and interested in beer, but most of them are just regular old supermarket workers that happen to work at a supermarket filled with alcohol. I’ve had lots of problems with newer beers not ringing up at the cash registers because they’re not in the system yet. Some employees handle it very well and figure it out. Others…well, let’s just say I once was waiting 10 minutes for them to figure out the situation.

Nevertheless, this isn’t a bad place to get beer. I’d rather support locally-owned bottle shops like CBX, but if I’m in the area or if I’m looking for limited stuff that disappears from CBX in minutes, I’ll swing by.
Jul 28, 2013
Photo of psicelt
Reviewed by psicelt from Florida

3.84/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.75
Total Wine is a chain store across half the country, so I knew what to expect, for the most part. Forgot about the local laws, so distilled spirits are separated from beer/wine, even in this day and age. Eh, no big deal. What I saw of the liquor section was nicely done, with prices about average compared to what I see at home in FL.

Stepping over to the beer aisle, I was impressed with selection, for the most part. Not as many regional brews as I would have thought, but I still pulled two boxes' worth of bombers. Unlike most TW stores I've been in, this one focuses HEAVILY on imported stuff. Usually the ratio to USA-import is about 50-50, but this one seemed to be more like 70-30. Not a bad thing, just saying. Had I not been constrained by limits on my vehicle's trunk and my bank account, I could have bought another 150+ brews that I've never had before; that's not a situation I encounter very often!

My only real complaint was the (obviously) very busy employee who almost ran me over with nary a "oops, sorry" or an "excuse me". no big deal, but polite service personnel are always a plus. The checkout girl was friendly and helpful, though.

Given the other stores available, I'd opt for one of those for regional beers(at cheaper prices, too), but I saw nothing to compare with the selection of imports that TW had.
Jun 10, 2013
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Reviewed by skm from South Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped in one day when headed back from the historic plantations out on 61. I found this place to be the Toys R Us of alcohol...fine if you want the selection and all, but it was overwhelming and staff seemed a bit put out when I asked for help. Checkout clerk was even rude when I tried to use the wrong coupon by accident. I was also surprised to see certain beers on sale cheaper at Harris teeter the same weekend, so I don't really plan on driving all the way across town to shop there. Impressive stock, though. Maybe a Saturday isn't the best day to go.
Dec 14, 2012
Photo of thadbme
Reviewed by thadbme from South Carolina

3.94/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Total Wine has a pretty good selection, and was where I started getting into Belgians. I asked some of the employees there for recommendations, and they pointed me to someone that was more knowledgable in that area. Boy did he start me on some good stuff. The stuff they have there is more popular and available, but they have a TON of different things that you would have a hard time finding. You won't see the more rare beers like you will at the beer exchange, or the really personal experience, but its worth a stop if you are nearby.
Sep 25, 2011
Photo of MacQ32
Reviewed by MacQ32 from South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Total wine has an amazing selection and offers prices that are as good as anywhere else in town (grocery stores and other beer specialties included), expensive beer is expensive and the same holds true here, but you never overpay in comparison to its competition. They have recently opened a 5 or 6 tap growler stations as well and do beer tastings every Thursday, very cool! Can't grade the atmosphere too high because its pretty much a grocery store for winos and beer heads. Best place for beer in WA or anywhere else in the area dollar for dollar
May 22, 2011
Photo of clemtig76
Reviewed by clemtig76 from South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
This was one of my go to places for good beer when visiting Charleston until The Charleston Beer Exchange opened. Large selection of quality American and imports. Every bottle I checked was will within freshness date. They also have a singles selection that is top notch. The staff is helpful in finding a particular beer but not for much else. Prices are usually better than supermarkets and they have a much better selection. Not a bad stop if you are on that side of town, but CBX is the go to place if you are in town.
Mar 23, 2009
Photo of kiawahisland
Reviewed by kiawahisland from South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
As others have mentioned they have a lot to choose from. Plenty of Microbeers to be found here and the prices are comparable to other places in Cherleston. Plenty of Smuttynose,Boulder,Lagunitas and other crafts to choose from and they were up to date on all the seasonals. However, the one area I could see some improvement on is a more expanded import sections, such as Belgiums, German, and English beers. Overall a good place to find beer in Charleston and convienent if you are in West of the Ashley. Service was on par with other grocery stores and the checkout lady was friendly. Beer quality was good and did not find any out of dates.
Jan 16, 2009
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
This is a decent place to buy your beer, though its warehouse quality makes you a little leery of freshness. There's a decent selection - it has quite a few Belgians, which I like - but it seems like they waste a lot of space on crappy macrobrewed beers. The service can really be an issue. None of the staff will volunteer to help if you're standing there browsing, and when you ask for help they might not know what they're talking about. This place has decent prices - better than most. Overall, it's a good place to buy beer, but Charleston needs someplace better.
Jan 11, 2008
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
Just like pretty much any other that you go into, this was no exception. I try to always visit as many stores as I can when I am in an area, so I hadn't been here and saw it coming up down the road and ran in for a second. Decent selection, nothing really outstanding, but then again I didn't really expect it. Good amount of imports and a great selection of regionals. I thought the singles were a bit lacking to be honest compared to some of the other places I have seen, but hey at least they had a singles section. Overall not a bad place, prices were decent, but I am pretty sure you could find a better selection in a lot of other places, just not sure totally where in this city, hopefully I will be back soon and can find one.
Oct 16, 2007
Photo of softcough
Reviewed by softcough from South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
This place is the mega store of the Charleston area. It has a wharehouse like feel and is the kind of store that tries to have everything instead of selecting only higher quality items. Thats not to say that they don't have many great beers, they certainly have a wonderful assortment, its just that you have to navigate through the masses of quality challenged, mass produced products to get them.

The beer is located in the back end of the building, behind the massive wine section of the store. I have found that the specialty beers often seem somewhat neglected. Freshness may be an issue as I have, in a few cases, been looking at the same bottles of certain slower selling beers for as long as the store has been open. I'm sure this is the exception rather than the norm but it leaves some degree of doubt in one's mind. On the other hand, I have, at times, found beers here that I was not able to get elsewhere in the Charleston area. I recently found a Flying Dog Wild Dog (the barrel aged imperial porter) here after the very limited supply that came into the area seemed to vanish as soon as it arrived.

Service is a little unreliable. If you find somebody that knows the products, they can be very helpful. Sometimes you can't find that somebody.

As I said, the selection is very large for the area. The more obscure beers are kept on room temperature shelves while there is a large cooler area that has a good selection of the faster movers.

Prices are usually very good. If you are in the West Ashley area of Charleston, this is probably the best place to buy beer.
Jun 19, 2007
Photo of MarkSCCOT
Reviewed by MarkSCCOT from South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -21.7%
This is a great source of quality beers in an area where they are otherwise not available. The selection is above average. The service is outstanding if you reach one of a few select employees, but in general you may find yourself lost. The general beer knowledge is still slightly lacking.
They have available a product list and will add you to their mailing list upon request. In general, they do stock what they list, while it may not be on the shelf and you may need to ask.
Prices are much better than average, especially if you buy in bulk.

I had a great experience at this Total Wine today (3/16/07). If you are ever there, ask for Ernest. He is extremely knowledgeable.
Jan 28, 2007
Photo of tigerdoc
Reviewed by tigerdoc from South Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
Huge store with a comprehensive selection of both wine and beer. The wine selection is much much larger than that of the beer but there is still more to choose from than anywhere else in the area. I really like the option of singles, in that you can try something without having to fork over the money for a whole six pack. If your looking for a specific off the wall kind of beer the odds are they don't have it, but when it comes to your basic widely available beers they have just about everything. And the prices are usually about a dollar cheaper than anywhere else. There are certainly better places to find unique beers in the area and the staff is pretty snooty especially when your are asking beer questions, but overall not too terrible.
Jan 23, 2007
Photo of martinhunter
Reviewed by martinhunter from Canada (ON)

4.35/5  rDev +9.8%
Wow, what a store!

Biggest selection of wine I've ever seen.

Beer selection was also terrific. Lots of craft brews at great prices. Considering the alcohol content limits in SC, they still had a huge selection.
I really liked the singles selection, allowing you to make up a mix 6 pack.

They had sixes ( cold if you wanted ) and twelves of all kinds of beers. European beers were available as singles.

Big store with lots of space. Help was available, if you needed it.

Overall, a great store. Make sure to stop in if you visit Charleston.
Jan 02, 2007
Photo of veech
Reviewed by veech from Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
Nice selection of craft brews and tons of imports. They organize their singles for making your own six packs by country which is helpful. We unfortunately have no comparable sized place in Knoxville with the selection that TotaI Wine carries. Ergo I am relegated to loading up at total wine during trips to visit my brother & sister in law in Charleston. One knock is that their website only allows you to view their wine stock. There is no mention of beer anywhere, perhaps due to state laws? It's a multistate chain of stores so who knows. I always find a pleasant suprise or two when I visit. Definitely worth a visit despite being a little out of the way.
Jun 10, 2006
Photo of mclanem
Reviewed by mclanem from Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
This place is diamond in the rough, after visiting this place I will not be going to world market anymore. They had a lot of different beers here. All though I hoped they would have a better sam adams collection I was able to find scotch ale there. They had a lot of sam smith and many american small brews. I found some belgian beers but it was limited since most are to strong for South Carolina law ( I thought prohibition was over) if you live in charleston and like to try new beers this is the only place you need to go.
Feb 26, 2006
Photo of MEANxOLDxTOM
Reviewed by MEANxOLDxTOM from New York

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
So selection wise total wine really cannot be beat in charleston. But the main reason for this is the amount of space they have. Only the last two rows of the giant store are devoted to beer, but hey pretty much cover everything available.

Although on my last trip their beer guy was not there....has has been on several visits...he is extremely helpful. But the store is easy to navigate on your own. They have all your macro's and just about every micro, import and craft that I have seen in the state. Price wise I have to say inexpensive just because they have everything as cheap or cheaper than anywhere else(once again this has to do with the size of the opperation).

They also sell just about every beer as a single. If you are afraid to pay that money for the $10 or $11 dollar six pack...you can buy one to try it first.

The experice at the cash register this visit was out of the ordinary, they item I was purchasing rang up at a different price than was marked....it took a good 5 minutes to get it taken care of, but they were very nice about it.
Feb 19, 2006
Photo of JISurfer
Reviewed by JISurfer from Utah

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
This is one of the better beer selections in the Chucktown area. They are fairly new, but have made a big impact. I've went there a few days ago, and the 6 pack/12 pack selection is great. The singles selection is quite large as well. They've got more of a selection in singles than they do in 6 packs. As far as South Carolina goes, this selection is up around the top. Easily top 3. The staff was helpfull in locateing beers and offering to order other beers they don't have. It's good to see the Charleston area starting to get this onslaught of good beer stores. I thought I was going to be condemned to crappy beer selection due to low alcohol content.
Dec 22, 2004
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
Note: I visited the Total Wine on the day it opened. Things could have changed a smidge since then.

This Total Wine was a great addition in Charleston. The aisles are extremely wide and the store is well lit. It was also impeccably clean. The selection was good and the shelves were constantly being restocked during my visit. I was asked more than once if I needed assistance.

The only thing the store lacked on my visit was a decent single bottle selection. I believe they had stocked the shelves with sixers and did not have extras for the single bottle/make your own sixpack area.

The price was the best thing. By comparison to NC prices on most everything they were better by $1-$1.50 per sixpack. One of the more popular brands in NC was nearly $2 a six less at Total Wine Charleston. I'll stop there again the next time I hit town.
Dec 21, 2004
Total Wine & More in Charleston, SC
Place rating: 3.96 out of 5 with 40 ratings