Great service. Listened to me. Did not try to upsell. Wanted a sweet vermouth to sip. Tastes…read moregreat.

Absolutely amazing place for wines. Absolutely amazing…read more I wanted to find somewhere to buy a bottle of wine for friends we were going to have dinner with later that day: he's a chef and the former part-owner of a series of very popular restaurants in Seattle (owned by his family)... so no ordinary wine was going to do. We spied Compass Wines by accident driving from Anacortes toward I-5 Southbound, and took a chance that they might have a good selection of wines with which to choose from. Indeed they do. The individual who helped me not only recommended an exceptional wine -- a 2016 vintage of a Cabernet Sauvignon -- but one that impressed my friend... who is not easily impressed. Not at all. What's more, they were featuring Scotch -- and while my partner and I seldom drink, we occasionally have a bit of scotch every once in a while (we still have a few bottles purchased ten years ago... almost all of them have only had 4-5 ounces consumed). My partner and I are very partial to Macallan, but the Gordon & Macphail won out. Single malts rock! It's been my experience that those wine stores that have great selections cater to regular customers who know a great deal about wine -- but they tend, more often than not, to be a bit snobbish and look down upon those of us whose knowledge of wine wasn't genetically-encoded in our DNA. Not these people: the proprietors were very forgiving and helpful, and they know their wines! (And Scotch!) The individual helping me took all the time I needed to gather information about which Cabernet to buy, and it certainly paid off for me! That kind of service should be a standard for other companies to emulate. What impressed me more was their selection of Leonetti Cellar wines: I've known Gary Figgens, the owner of Leonetti Cellar, for over 40 years -- and have a number of their wines in my cellar. I'd give Compass Wines a sixth star if possible... just on the merit of featuring Leonetti Cellar wines, one of six favorite vintners. I do know enough about domestic wines to understand that this store has a superlative selection -- and I'd love to come back and talk about foreign wineries and wines. I know a good deal about Australian, New Zealand, German and Austrian wines.., but I'd like to come back just to see what I might learn. A friend of mine, working in London for a prestigious law firm, thought he might purchase a derby to wear. He spent three and one-half very enjoyable hours in conversation and being fitted for a derby, and felt so impressed by the impassioned storekeeper that he write him a letter thanking him for a memorable day. While I intended to pop into the store and quickly buy a bottle of wine, I spent 83 minutes in conversation about Cabernet Sauvignon, Scotch, and Scotland. There are many wine stores in Washington -- and the U.S. -- but very few of them are of the quality of Compass Wines in terms of selection, knowledge, and customer service. Try them!