Broad selection, but everything that you can get somewhere else in Vancouver is overpriced, e.g., they charge $20 over list for Koval whiskey and you can get it for list elsewhere. Service is hit or miss in terms of helpfulness and often condescending. If the service was better, I wouldn't mind paying such a high markup, but the combination of frequently bad service and high markups means that I avoid this place and will just get something else if I have to get it here. I don't generally need help finding what I want, but I don't want to support a business with such bad service. read more

Prices are insane. I'd seen a bottle for $110 before that was $75 elsewhere and thought it was a one time thing but I got rang up for these at $84 each BEFORE tax and drove down the street to get them for $50. Not sure why everything is so expensive but the prices are all marked up $20+ read more

Esquin Wine & Spirits - Veuve at another store - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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FABULOUS! That's what comes to mind when I think of Esquin. This should be the go-to spot for finding a great bottle of wine - whether for a special occasion, or just a Wednesday! I can spend hours here exploring the aisles of new arrivals and old favorites. The staff here are so well-educated. Even if you don't NEED help, ask them anyway. You will learn so much! They also offer occasional classes with brilliant wine minds of Seattle. Check out their website for upcoming events, including tastings that they run on weekends. read more

Not worth dying! Their selection wasn't great, and they didn't have everything I wanted, but I needed a couple of things to restock, so I was going to buy anyway--until I saw the employee taking his mask off to sing along with the music, and nobody stopping him. It's not worth dying (and paying extra!) just to avoid the drive to Total Wine. I won't be back. read more

Agree the staff are a mixed bag. Some are really helpful and several will stand around and watch people search or wait in line while the one worker takes care of a dozen people. That said, the inventory is extensive and the insights honest. They curate to a degree...which is to say there are some cheap bottles here which I wouldn't drink let alone serve to a friend. Maybe they should put them in a "Bottles to passively aggressively annoy with" read more

I've been going to Esquin for about 10-12 years. Staff is always helpful, and has good recommendations. Among many other items, I have bought the seasonal wine sampler a number of times in different seasons, and enjoyed it. Also gave it as a gift a couple of times to family members who also enjoyed it-- and would have had no problem telling me it is s**t if they thought that. As I read other reviews, I'm surprised to hear that some found the staff haughty or whatever. As someone raised in extreme poverty and endured many years among self-important middle clas conspicuous consumer types trying to rob me of my humanity, my class resentment remains on a Hair Trigger. I have honestly only had a good experiences asking for and receiving recommendations from the staff at Esquin. read more

Staff is fun and there was so many spirits and wines to look at. Esquin is like an art gallery where you can walk around and cruise through the shelves for hours. Sometimes it can be overload, but it's still goodness. My last visit resulted in a really funny story. It's a bit x-rated so I'll hold my tongue for Yelp. I love this place. read more

I bought a case of sparkling wine from Argentina, pictures and labels in the description were very clear it was the cuvée reserve rose .... However . I got the premier rose , lower tier and when I call a very mean rep Wendy , was trying to convince me that the label was change and it was a new label to keep it simple . Stay away from these store is not worth dealing false advertisement an really bad customer service read more

Great selection of wines. Extremely knowledgeable staff. Well planned and organized tastings on Saturdays. They also have a nice selection of scotch and gins. From an everyday bottle to something for a special occasion, this shop has everything you could ever want! I highly recommend Esquin Wine. read more

I was recently introduced to a really tasty French Bordeaux by my local QFC wine sommelier. I went back a week later to get another bottle, but they had none.... After doing a Google search, I located the desired vintage at Esquin in south Seattle. I placed an order for a case using their website and then picked it up a few days later in-store. The store selection is impressive. If I lived closer, I would visit frequently to see what was being featured. Their website, however, is a little kludgy and slow (the only reason for my 4 vs 5-star rating) making it difficult to shop. The checkout was really messy and the invoice appeared wrong (even though the charge to my bank WAS correct). If they can upgrade their website, I think this is a great place for online wine shopping. They offer delivery as well. Their prices seem good. The Bordeaux I bought from them was the same price as QFC - with the added bonus of a case discount. read more

The one thing I will say for this store is that it has a large variety of offerings that I can't find elsewhere. Despite that, I would not recommend shoping here unless you have no other options. The staff is supremely unhelpful, and three different employees I interacted with on separate occasions all seemed to be grumpy about something completely different. The complete lack of customer service made it feel like you were inconveniencing them by being there, asking questions, and buying their products. The prices on these products were astonishingly high, as well - I later discovered that I paid almost 20% more at this store than I would have at another local competitor. The only bright point in my experience with this store was interacting with Stephanie - she was a bright and friendly presence amidst a sea of terse and dismissive old men. read more

Needed a receipt reprinted from almost 1 month back and they turned it around to us in a couple of hours! (Interaction was entirely over email which impressed me more because seriously who is good about checking their email regularly?) In store experience was great as well but the 5 stars today is for going above and beyond for a customer who'd already been out the door for a month. Thank you! read more

I have spent a good deal of time and money at Esquin in the past year or so. Several cellar selections (say that ten times fast!) as well as quantity buys. The staff are generally helpful - more helpful than not, but it does depend on which staff member you talk with. Actually, I would say that they are all helpful, but not equally friendly. I have found that staff recommendations have nearly always been good ones. Their floor prices are decent, though not amazing. Their selection is amazing. If you love wine, you will love Esquin. If you like wine, Esquin is a good place to get a good recommendation at a moderate price. If you don't like wine then you should extract a juicy commitment from the person(s) that brought you to Esquin since they likely made you spend an excruciatingly long time in the store, bored to tears, experiencing sticker shock, listening to the drone of the wholly addicted wine lover. The only complaint that I will publicize is their poor case discount. I expect to get a 10% discount on a case and there are shops in and around Seattle that will give 20% on multiple case purchases. 5% is almost insulting. On the other hand, if you get to know the staff their you are likely to get an occasional offer for good wine that is steeply discounted. It pays to be friendly. read more

The best place in Seattle for all kinds of alcohol. They have a great selection and when they don't carry it chances are they can order it for you. Prices are lower than BevMo and Total Wine read more

Ridiculous prices on all manner of liquor, and THE worst service of any liquor store (or any store really) that I've ever been to. I have not once been asked if I needed any help when it was quite clear I did, and when I have asked, they uniformly act haughty and inconvenienced. As if the owner told them to be jerks to their customers. I buy all kinds of liquor and I know what things cost. I'm happy to pay a bit more at a specialty store, to support them. But seriously. Today I checked to see if they had grand marnier because my usual store was out, and get this, they wanted $57 BEFORE tax for a 750ml bottle, which is in regular human pricing $42 anywhere else. $57???? That's $71.51 after taxes. Who is shopping here? Lamborghini owners? I don't know what the deal is here and but I'm done shopping there. I'd avoid this place like the plague. read more

Great customer service! They took good care of me when I needed a bottle of wine delivered to a local business. read more

Grappa? What the heck is grappa? All I knew is that I needed help. I did a bit of searching before I found this wonderful store! I called and spoke to a very helpful person that told me grappa was something they had. Walking in, the store is very clean and well organized. Every salesperson was helping a customer efficiently and kindly. When it was my turn the salesperson educated me about what I needed to know. He gave me a range of options and described the difference in quality and price. I don't buy alcohol often so I need all the help I can get. I was really happy to find a place where I don't feel totally incompetent. read more

I'm from out of town, but I drive here for their friendly faces and endless knowledge. Looking for a good spirit that intrigues you or doesn't break the bank? They can help! read more

The wine selection in Esquin is really amazing. I would agree with many of my fellow yelpers in stating that Esquin very well might have the best wine selection in Seattle. With that said, I had an utterly terrible experience with Esquin because of an utter lack in customer service. My fiance and I live in NYC but we got married in Poulsbo and were initially delighted to work with Esquin. We are huge wine fans so for our wedding reception, we really wanted to have delicious and special wines for our friends and family to enjoy and we knew we would have to pay for them. With that in mind, we got in touch with Arnie, one of the buyers for Esquin and agreed to come in a few days before our wedding to begin the selection process. We came in on a Wednesday with my maid of honor in tow, and Arnie recommended several wines for us to take and try. As we were leaving the store with our wines to try, Arnie told us to call him Thursday to make sure he "reserved" all the wines we wanted. With this, we left and assumed that we could pick up the wines on Thursday or Friday morning since we would have to leave for Poulsbo by early Friday afternoon. My fiance went in to the store on Thursday to secure the order and this is when the customer service fell apart and the story takes a dramatic turn. Arnie then said that he had no in-store stock and that he would have to order the wines and he could only guarantee that they'd be in on Saturday. This was a shock, but what was more of a shock was that he was adamant that he had told us this the day before. We would have called him later in the day on Wednesday if he had told us this about this ordering delay because we knew we would already be in Poulsbo by Friday evening. I called to speak with Arnie after my fiance left Esquin in a state of shock. I asked Arnie what was going on, and again, he was adamant that he told us about the time delay in ordering. I explained that neither my fiance, maid of honor, nor I heard anything about not getting the wines by Friday afternoon. Quite rudely, Arnie told me that he was positive he had told us because that was his "standard procedure" and that it was "not possible" he had forgotten to mention the time discrepancy in ordering. Not once did he give me any sort of an apology not even an apology for the misunderstanding itself regardless of who was to blame for it. Arnie did say that he could guarantee the wines would be ready for pick up by Friday evening so with that in mind, I frantically called people that would be in Seattle on Friday night, when it hit me, why am I jumping through hoops for this company? My fiance and I were planning on spending a lot on these wines--eight cases worth or so really adds up--and I realized that another company would probably love to have my business. I called Arnie and told him to cancel the order and that's when he finally gave me an apology, an apology that "I [felt] that way," nothing about his behavior. We went someplace else (see my other yelp reviews!) and had a wonderful experience. I honestly could not believe he could not just suck it up and give me an apology. If Arnie had merely said, "I am so sorry about the misunderstanding," we would have made it work somehow, we loved the wines! Arnie truly knows good wines but Esquin really shouldn't let him deal with customers, he's horrible. read more

Bad Customer Service Lost a Loyal Customer! I used to frequent this place often. They have a great selection of Italian wines. Decent German selection. A great selection of desert wines as well. What happened was about a year ago, I splurged for the holidays and got a case of a late 1990's Barbaresco, plus a couple bottles of a very nice Barolo, Stuff I had before and knew was good and worth the splurge. After the 3rd or 4th bottle in the case, I got into a corked bottle. Bummer. Then opened another, and it was corked too. Undrinkable. Then a third - got lucky, but it was still a little off with that moldy note. So I send them an email asking if I can get a refund on the three bad bottles, No they said, this is a natural risk of buying wine, This was not cheap wine, Investment level stuff. I said thats ridiculous and they were the first wine store to pull a stunt like that on me. So I will never go there again. read more

I've passed by Esquin countless times on my way to work through Georgetown and SoDo. Of course, I lick my lips wishing I could drink my way through the day instead of working, or at least able to drink while at work... Since moving to South Seattle, Seattle's Urban Winery Second Saturdays is a favorite pastime of mine. Several of the winemakers keep telling me to check out Esquin Wine & Spirits. Today I am attending a friend's Blind Wine Tasting. How it works is all attendees bring a bottle of 100% Spanish Tempranillo (this Spring's wine of choice) under $20.00. You then pop open a covered bottle one by one and rate them from worst to best, then compare with other tasters and see if pricing makes a difference. After all of the recommendations, I figured I would venture in here to see what the talk is all about and bring a great find to the event. (Fingers crossed that I'm bringing everyone's favorite, or the very least not a duplicate!) Esquin has a huge selection of aisles lined with wines all organized by country and region. I particularly appreciate the local Washington wine selection. If you're searching for something in particular or are looking to learn something new, ask one of their knowledgeable staff members. A few things to note: -Don't miss out on the back room with even more wines and case discounts! -Free tastings occur on Thursdays and Saturdays. Check out the sign at the entrance to see what is being featured. -There's a customer parking lot just south of the building off 4th Avenue S. Truly a Wino's Paradise! read more

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I'd heard of and about Esquin for years, but never managed to visit their shop until this week. It's a welcoming downscale space with an intriguing diversity of wines: neither ultra-budget nor entirely high-end, meaning plenty for almost everyone who's willing to spend at least $7 and/or doesn't require locked cases full of $100+ bottles. I prefer to buy wine either directly at a winery or a small shop, and tend to avoid behemoth megastores. Given those tastes, Esquin's a natural fit. I'm a fairly savvy wine shopper especially when it comes to domestic (WA, OR and CA bottles), and am easily bored by the ones you always see on the grocery store shelves. At Esquin, I found lesser-known releases from well-known wineries, wineries with niche reputations, or smaller wineries I hadn't heard about: all nice ways to be surprised and intrigued by the mix of familiar, harder-to-find, and new-to-me. Sure, there are some big names, but only the deserving ones! Clearly the folks making buying decisions are doing so thoughtfully, with an eye to value and quality (in a variety of price ranges). The store is organized for relatively easy browsing, primarily by country of origin (though when it comes to domestically produced wines, by either varietal and/or state). I was impressed with the import selection (again, varietals I know but estates I don't); so far those have been fantastic. Finally, a lovely Albariño for less than $12! The only downside of browsing is that prices aren't featured; there's a sticker on the top of the bottlecap, but that can be hard to see without having to pick up each bottle and check. I don't shop for wine only by price, but at the same time I'd prefer being able to easily see just what a bottle costs before I fall in love with the tasting notes (which are typically easy to see, if provided).... There's also a small selection of bottled beer here, but Esquin does growler fills and has several carefully selected rotating taps ranging from (on my visit) Green Flash to pFriem to Anderson Valley. That's where the beer is at! They update their Facebook page consistently with new taps, so that's a great way to keep track of what's currently on, as well as their special sales and so forth. And, free parking in the lot just south of the store on 4th! All serve as many reasons to check Esquin out for the first time, or to keep coming back for many more. read more

Along with Pete's Wine in Eastlake and the Eastside, Esquin in SoDo form the wine triumvirate covering almost all of Greater Seattle's vino needs. I know very little about Spanish wines but found myself in a desperate situation in which I need 2 reds from Espana. A staff member gave me several recommendations. On one of them, he just absolutely nailed it - a beautiful Ganache that was a huge hit & for only $8. A shockingly large collection for Iberian wines, actually, as well as other regions of the globe. read more

Can you believe I am reviewing some "competition" and giving it 5 stars? I am. This place has been around for a while and the wine selection and staff... are amazing. They have great tastings and I literally could spend hours here checking out the selection. Love it here, and on occasion I have been known to refer people here in case we don't have something. read more

Ratcheting my review back a few stars. Their prices really don't make any sense. I needed a bottle of Campari this weekend and stopped by as I was in SODO and I like supporting the small local stores when given the opportunity. A bottle of Campari - nothing exotic- they sell it just about everywhere- was $45 + tax as Esquin. I was puzzled- why was it so expensive? I walked out empty handed and a little sad. I stopped at Safeway on the trip home and they had the exact same bottle for sale for $26 + tax. I would spend 10 or 15% more to support the local little guy- but I can't justify wasting close to $20 on a bottle of booze I can find just about anywhere. I will continue to buy the hard to find and exotic stuff at Esquin- but it pains me to say it- I'm not going to be buying any of the common stuff from Esquin any more. read more

Esquin gets 5 stars not because it's conveniently located near my work, but for... 1. Their wonderful selection that fits every budget; 2. Their brilliant, friendly and knowledgeable staff; 3. Free tastings on Thursdays and Saturdays (which cover array of different themes every week.); 4. Decent seasonal sampler case for only $80; 5. Smallish but great beer selection that never fails to present me with a brand new and exciting Belgian Ale that I haven't had before. read more

So I'm getting hitched and we're doing the deed at the zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, not the bar on eastlake. But you have to go with their caterer and well lets just say they aren't the bestest ever. And needless to say the wine they offer isn't the best and at $23.95 a bottle it ain't a deal either. You can bring your own wine for a $12.00 a bottle corkage fee, which we've decided to do. Down to Esquin we go.... We meet Jerry and tell him we are looking for 2 reds and 2 whites to serve at our wedding and we would like it if each bottle cost $8.00 or less. I thought this would be a challenge but NO!!! Jerry sold us 6 whites and 6 reds to try and all of them $8.00 or under. We found the perfect 4 for our wedding and because of Jerry's wonderful customer service we'll save a little money. Yeah for good cheap wine!! read more

It's a nice space and the staff was friendly in my quest. It's just a bumor that the sake I got from them was a Snow Grass - a rather unpleasantly, melony, rosemary and rubbing alcohol-hinted sake. They did say they can easily order others during 1-2 weekly orders. read more

If you are a wine drinker, you should enjoy this store as they have an amazing selection. I went here primarily looking for Washington Red wines on this trip. Normally, I mostly purchase wines from Argentina,Chile, South Africa & Australia. There are a lot of good wines coming from Washington, Oregon and California as well. Justin helped me locate some Washington wines and recommend a few more which was great. He not only knew about the wines but also about the producers which was helpful in deciding to purchase wines based on reputation and quality. They have some great wines under $20. read more

Esquin is my favorite wine store in the universe. It should be yours too. I could go on for paragraphs about the selection of high-end stuff. From that amazing boutique Cab you had at some restaurant in San Francisco a couple years ago to some crazy-hard-to-find Barolo to all the wonderful PacNW wines being produced today, it's easy to get lost in their racks for half an hour and come out broke. They also hit the value end of the spectrum - you can find tons of great wines in every category or region you could think of (well, ok, not a Barolo) for under $15. I could also tell you about the fun events - free tastings twice a week to go sample new stuff or just meet people enthusiastic about wine (probably half the stuff I've bought here has been from chatting with people as they were shopping - they end up selling me on their faves), occasional lectures about different wine making regions or techniques, and even paid classes for people ready to get serious about wine tasting and pairing. The real reason to go here, though, is the staff. There are different personalities there, and there are definitely a couple guys who enjoy taking time with a newbie more than others, but oh, the expertise! One thing I like doing is asking for a wine pairing for a ludicrously detailed menu. You can roll in with "I'm going to dinner at the house of some friends, and they are planking salmon to serve with grilled fennel salad and wasabi mashed potatoes" and leave with the absolute perfect wine for that. I don't know how they do it, but they do. read more

Hardly anyone in the store and the only two employees were too busy watching a basketball game to offer any help. After asking twice for assistance I gave up trying to get any information from one of them as he acted like he had better things to do. When purchasing a few bottles I told him I also had a pick up of pre paid wine so he called back to have them brought up. The woman who brought them up to the register slams them down like they were a couple bowling pins. Terrible customer service and no respect for the fine wine they peddle. read more

Wine and lots of it. Esquin is unusual is that it not only had expensive wines, but also inexpensive wines that are also good. Every month they have a flier that lists their specials. The staff knows the wine, and I've used their recommendations before to pick up some terrific wines in the $6-7 range. read more

Esquin has a great selection - I love roaming the store and seeing what jumps out at me. Their prices are so so - not GREAT but not too overly expensive either (plus only a 5% case discount which isn't anything to write home about). When you can walk in when the store is slow and there are not too many other customers, I have found the staff to be very knowledgeable. However, the staff is sometimes hard to get to have a one on one conversation about what you are looking for. Overall I enjoy going here and would recommend you hit it up if you've never been. read more

I literally CANNOT GET ENOUGH of this place! It's literally a wine emporium with a really great spirits selection as well. Super helpful staff that knows there stuff, and every time I stop in after work they are holding a tasting. Got to love that. Also - they put out an amazing monthly newsletter that they mail out filled with recommendations, a tasting calendar, and other interesting things for the vino-obsessed. I live in South Lake Union and go to SODO just for Esquin - it's that legit. read more

When I choose to have a drink, chances are what I'll pick is wine. (Maybe that comes from the boyfriend being an avid wine collector?) And where do I like to go to update the stash of wine? Esquin, hands down. Everyone at Esquin is so helpful. Even when I'm in there with a "well, I think I want this... but I'm not sure, and I like this, but not this.." I leave happy. They're super nice and well informed. My only problem with Esquin is the amount of money I (or my boyfriend) spend! I guess that's not really a problem with Esquin. Poor impulse control maybe. It's wonderful though. Go to Esquin. Buy wine (or specialty beer). Take advantage of their wonderful knowledge. (Also free tastings on Saturdays!) read more

If you are a fan of wine, and like me love to go and peruse the wine shelves of your local wine shop, then Esquin is the place for you. I had not yet been down to Esquin because of its location south of the stadiums, in the heart of SODO near Starbucks headquarters. But just the other day a friend recommended I meet up with him down there for a tasting of Bordeaux Grand Cru winery Chateau Lascombes. You can't argue with that so I made the trip, during rush hour of all times. The shop was considerably larger than most of those found in and around the Seattle area, with shelves and shelves of wines (to peruse). There are wines from all over the world, including a major section focused on local Washington producers, indicated by easy to read signs found above each aisle. There are also sections/shelves based on varietal and style. I really didn't get the chance to explore the store as much as I would have liked but now that I know what's available I definitely plan to make another trip down to old SODO. Besides a great wine selection Esquin also offers weekly tastings and wine education opportunities. As well as plenty super hot deals and highly rated super buys. For those more experienced wine drinkers they also offer the country's largest temperature-controlled wine storage facility. read more

After nearly a year of knowing about this place, we finally visited. It's down in SODO, which is out of our way but enroute to Costco we found it. JOY! This place is huge! We were greeted immediately and the man took a few moments to give us a brief overview of the shop and what wines are 'in' (rose) or worth a look. The clearance section in the back is AWESOME! The store floor plan overall is very organized and easy to maneuver. They have a decent selection of Washington wines (holla!), so it's nice that we don't have to head over to Woodinville for a specific bottle (they have Alexandria Nicole!!!). They also carry some wine and gourmet olive oil/pastas, including my favorite "orecchiette" (for little ear shaped pasta). We wound up with 6 in our wine carrier and then also bought their summer 2009 sampler set of 12 bottles. The set is definitely worth it in value and variety. The 6 separate bottles (a mix of clearance and regular) almost equaled the cost of the 12! There will be a winter sampler set too. They hold regular events at their store, try to stop by sometime. :) And if you don't know what to get, just get their sampler for $90. They won't steer you wrong! edit: 7/23/09: 2007 Pineto Brachetto D'acqui Marenco is AWESOME. A sparkling(!) red, light and kind of sweet like mead. Great chilled. Very happy! read more

The selection, staff and employees make Esquin a 5 star establishment. Everyone there is so helpful and really know their wine. Multiple times they have helped me pick wines and unlike other places, they don't automatically take you to the most expensive wines. Their "sampler" boxes make great gifts for the wine lovers in your life. read more

Overall one of the better wine shops in the greater Seattle area. Selection: Excellent - very large selection broken down into regions. Knowledge: Good to Excellent - responses to questions are wonderful, the wine recommendations have almost always been great. Ask Arnie anything...he's great! Price: Decent. Not always the best but overall fairly good. I've bought thousands of dollars of wine from them through the years and plan to keep going back..... read more

I LOVE Esquin Wine Merchants. What a FUN store to browse in for wine! Their selection is huge and organized rationally. Interested in Italy? Go to the Italian section, and then get even finer in your browsing and choose Tuscany, Piedmont, etc. Interested in Washington wines? Even that section is broken down by varietal and region. We have found the staff to be very helpful. They don't hover and sometimes you have to ask for help, but I like that. I admit that I check my hair in the mirror before I go to Esquin on a Saturday and I have occasionally felt, well, like a poor cousin who can't quite afford to hang out in this neighborhood. But really -- that is always due to other patrons and never due to the staff! So there are snobby, wealthy Seattleites (huh) who shop at Esquin, but don't let them intimidate you. This is a shop where you can easily spend 50 bucks for a bottle of wine, but it's even easier to spend $10-20 and that's more to my liking. Today we went to a free wine tasting and the other tasters/customers were friendly, the staff was helpful, and the overall experience was 5 stars. read more