Sunfish moved into the same location as Buon Giorno Italia. The wine selection is small but I do appreciate that they have their bottles displayed at a slant and not standing up. After purchasing bottles elsewhere and finding a dried out cork, I do appreciate the effort. I was confused about whom to ask if I wanted advice. Most of the staff seem to be employed on the food side here. Prices are about average for a small store. read more

Sadly, I must update this review and drastically downgrade my rating. We were quite surprised when we were out near Sunfish to discover they moved about a mile down the street from their original location. No big deal, we followed the signs and located the new location, which is tucked off the road in an odd sort of retail center. Unfortunately, we discovered that the new location shares a space with an Italian cafe or bistro type of restaurant. There is a good amount of wine available, which makes sense I guess. But the beer selection, which used to be among the best-curated and most unique in the area, is now not even worth the stop. The walk-in cooler for beer is a sad, sad state of affairs, especially if you know what the selection used to be like. Certainly, if wine is your thing, I'm sure there's something passable if you need a bottle to go with dinner or take to a party. But if you're looking for beer, move on to a different store. Hit Thomas Liquors or Ale Jail in St. Paul. Sadly, everything that made Sunfish a unique beer lovers' destination is no more. We are truly sad about it. This was one of our favorite hidden gems in the Twin Cities. As an aside, we also were not impressed by the service. When we walked in, a girl rushed up to us and asked if we needed help. I highly suspect she thought we were going to steal something. It did not make us feel welcomed. And then she straight-up lied to us. She told us that most of the beer from the old location had been brought over, which is absolutely not true. I am truly sad to say we will not be back. read more

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Sunfish Cellars moved to a new location this year. In the process they bought the existing businesses in this new location. Those being Buon Giorno Italia and I Nonni a fine dining Italian Restaurant. Sunfish Cellars now operates all three businesses in this one location. Their old liquor store has been moved into Buon Giorno Italia and that space has been added to to accommodate their vast selection of wines, spirits, and beers. Sunfish Cellars has been doing tasting of wine and other spirits for a while. Now they are offering Dinner Tastings where they pair fine foods with wines or spirits. My girlfriend and I recently attended the Whiskey Dinner. Wow! The foods were things I have never had nor would ever have. These are a great example of what their I Nonni restaurant can do. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. We had a fun evening in their private dining room with a small group of about a dozen people. This tasting was for the Wisconsin made bourbon, J Henry and Sons. The foods included pheasant, elk, wild boar, Wagyu beef, black truffle, etc. Like I said, foods I'd never have a chance to try. See the photos! Sadly at first I was overwhelmed and forgot to get a photo of the first course. I was stunned at the presentation. It did taste great. read more

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In the middle of a lock-down pandemic, ordered a half case of wine and some food items from Sunfish. They ran my purchases out to my car when I got there and off I went. Picked up a baguette, pasta (packaged in house), and some mascarpone. The wine was a hard to find sparkling Lambrusco that is the wine of summer for me and my BFF's. All the food items were delicious. Ate the baguette and pasta for dinner that night. The mascarpone made its way into a tasty tiramisu. Can't wait for post-pandemic to visit in person. read more

Not impressed. The person I spoke to was snooty and had an attitude when I asked some questions about wine. He told me next time I was looking for something I should go to a wine sellers website. I left without getting anything. I told a friend who said she experienced the same thing. read more

I discovered Sunfish today after purchasing a Living Social coupon, and was wow'd. The place was really clean, friendly, and the cheese guy was a wiz! Their variety in cheese is amazing (#1 = Epoisse), and their prices beat Lunds by about 1/3. Plus, who can beat free cheese samples and amazing prosciutto? While it seems off the beaten path (e.g., not right in the Twin Cities), this place has class, great cheese, and wonderful service to boot. Definitely coming back. read more

This place is amazing. Their wine selection is great, as is their beer selection. They have a nice little wine bar there that serves food as well. But the best thing is their periodic wine (and beer) tastings that are free! I've gone to them intending to just try things but not buy, but invariably when I try 100 wines head to head, I find some gems that I want to get and so I do just that! Well played, Sunfish Cellars! Their prices are a little higher than discount stores like Total Wine, but they aren't outlandish, and the tastings make it so worthwhile. Note the tastings are free but you do need to make reservations, and hundreds attend them. Also they have wine and beer classes every month. They're a little pricey, but there is usually a Groupon for them that makes them more reasonable. read more

If I could rate them less than one star, I would. I ordered a bottle from them in January, and never received. When I contacted Sunfish about this, they were of absolutely no help - immediately blaming me for the mistake rather than taking some step to attempt to remedy the situation/locate the bottle. Don't order anything from them unless you enjoy throwing away your money. read more

Dear Sunfish Cellars & potential customers, I am the friend who was scolded as mentioned in the previous comments from the evening of May 8th, 2014. I had been looking forward to this evening for quite some time. I felt humiliated and uncomfortable for most of the evening. Had it not been for my 5 other friends (one of which I hadn't seen in over a year) I would have gotten up and left! The sommelier Mike Dombrow was an embarrassment to the establishment! Unless you're going for bad word of mouth and making sure wine loving people never come back. My 5 friends and I spend a fair amount of money on wine and now will make the trip to Total Wine & More in Roseville. I have been a teacher in public education for over 20 years as well as spent time in and out of food and beverage sales. Mike's lack of self-awareness and presentation skills are a huge deficit to your wine education program. I would suggest Mike make some huge adjustments to the class design (allowing for people to talk) as well as his "script", tone, and volume (all of which were overbearing and offensive). The immense wine knowledge Mike may have is overshadowed by his lack of knowledge in people soft skills and understanding of customer service. Once the "class" was over I proceeded to leave as quickly as possible whereby I then was able to speak freely with other participants outside. I approached and "apologized" to several other couples. They told me they were all afraid to even speak in the case that they too would be scolded and another couple told me that the instructor was simply rude and that I should go to the wine tasting(s) offered at Canterbury Downs. I hope that this great little venue doesn't go to waste due to experiences like this, more importantly I hope other people don't get treated by Mike the way he did me without a blink of an eye that evening. I also hope these comments are taken seriously! Thank you for listening. read more

My friends and I attended a Seriously Sweet Wines class at Sunfish Cellars...and I don't mean "sweet" as in "It was so awesome it was 'sweet'", which it was, I mean flavor sweet. First and foremost, we were told that it is ok to like sweet wines. You drink what you like. Thank you! How many wine snobs do you run across who look down on you because you prefer sweet or you prefer white? Here's a direct quote from our class, "Wine is just fermented grape juice that we drink because it gives us pleasure. It's a beverage, something we drink to enjoy and share." Isn't that really all it should be about? We sampled 8 wines ranging in price from $14.99 to $47.99. The wines were from all around the world and covered a range of sweetness: Extra Dry Champagne, Ice Cider, Amarone, Bordeaux, a couple of Rieslings, Ruby Port and a very interesting Jean Bourdy Macvin du Jura (still wondering if I liked that one or not). We learned the history of sweet wines and what goes into making a sweet wine. Troy, our instructor was very informative, engaging and passionate about the subject. Afterwards, we checked out the wines - we each purchased 3 bottles of what we all hope will be yummy wines - the staff was fantastic about helping each one of us out, asking what we like and making suggestions. We didn't spend much time exploring - there is so much more to this place. It's huge, has a great selection of wine and beer and despite being in a strip mall, is beautifully decorated (the space where our class was held was very comfortable with nice tables and chairs and artwork on several walls) and it has a gorgeous view out the back windows! read more

GO HERE! A surprise wine bar in Lilydale, MN (close to Moose Country), that also has very tasty flatbreads and cheese plates that can be a meal or easily shared. Order wine flights, 3 wines for $10-$12 each flight, grouped by geographical locations, to get a taste of the wines in that region. There are new flights every week and the friendly and knowledgeable staff can guide you to a good choice. There is also wine and beer on tap. The fireplace adds a touch of coziness and the views out of the large, back window are spectacular, especially in the winter. I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I've never left there feeling like an idiot for my lack of wine knowledge and that's a huge plus for me when it comes to wine bars. read more

Attended a fabulous wine tasting one evening and it was absolutely fantastic. There were 12 tables set up all around and at least 6 tastings per table hosted by people that are happy to share fun facts and tidbits and just talk wine. It was a great opportunity to try some new wines and discover new favorites and mingle with other people that love wine. Some of the table hosts were friendlier than others and my favorite was Table 9 because of the host AND the wine. I discovered a delicious Mauro Molino Barolo that can be aged for 20 years and a Nice Bortolotti Prosecco. Table 5 had some beautiful wines but the host of the table seemed to be a little more inclined to talk to some of the guys in sweaters vs. just some regular people like me. Tip to her don't judge a book by it's cover....I bet I spend more money on wine over the course of a year than half of the people there. I just don't act pretentious. That table had a lovely Gerard Boulay Monts Damnes Sancerre it is a great white that ages well. Some other wines of the evening I feel i must mention would be Anthill Farms Pinot Noir, Matthiasson Tendu Red, Moillard Grivot Chablis, and Covington Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. The little flatbreads they serve are really flavorful. They have a Date Night special during the week. So yes all the wine is divine...but i have to mention the large and amazing specialty beer selection. If you have liquor lovers in your life take a little trip to Sunfish and get it on like donkey kong. read more

Sunfish Cellars Wine & Spirits - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Mendota Heights, Minnesota

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Went to a wine class here on a groupon deal and felt completely ripped off! This was advertised as a wine and cheese pairing class and when we got there we were told that there was no cheese since the cheese store had closed! - what a lame excuse for an advertised class. And the instructor acted as if it shouldn't be a big deal to us! For the class itself, seemed like the instructor was winging answers on the go and although he had a lot of experience with wine, he did a poor job of keeping the class focused/entertained. Overall they were very under-prepared.and as a result we felt under whelmed by the whole experience! read more

I think I need to take a trip to Spain! A friend and I decided to spring for a $25 (or half price) Crowd Cut certificate for their wine tastings. Between the 2 of us, we literally had one night we could do it. It happen to fall on Spanish wine night. Great choice! We were running a bit behind from our slow ass service across the parking lot so we got there and the instructor has to ask a couple people to add chairs so we could sit together. We tried 5 Spanish wines and were given some great history on the each of the wines from the sommelier. He was a fantastic teacher and seemed very knowledgeable on the subject. He actually made me want to travel to Spain and check out the different regions. He corrected most of the class on some of the misinformation in the wine industry. I would highly recommend checking this place out for a tasting. Although, I think the Crowd Cut said wine, cheese and crackers. We ate ahead of time so it wasn't a huge deal, but the cheese and cracker platter is quite small for an eight person table. I would consider going back to purchase cheese as well. I ended up finding a wine I'm dying to try one of these nights. Of course, I keep telling myself I need to not drink the whole thing myself...we'll see how that goes. read more

Attended the Italian Cheese and Wine class and had a great time. The wine was secondary to the variety of cheese presented. Learned a ton about cheese and several times the presenter wanted to make sure that we were happy with the amount of cheese. There were also a few people who didn't show up and the cheese plates were shared with the group. Loved the knowledge that this shop has. Why only four stars you may ask? Well, that is due to them not having a specific wine that is listed on their website. When I asked for it, they made it sound like it was something they no longer carry; however it is still on the website. (I hate when companies don't keep their sites updated) read more

Service was excellent! We got wine flights, cheese platter, spiced olives and a flatbread. The cheese was ah-MAY-zing! We also enjoyed the wines! Atmosphere was cozy, not stuffy. We definitely plan to go back! read more

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I bought a Groupon for a wine/cheese class and I attended the Wines of Napa class last weekend. As has been noted by other reviewers, the class is described as a wine and cheese class, but it's really more of a wine class that comes with a small cheese plate to snack on. This didn't bother me at all, but for people who want to learn more about food pairings, this might not be your class. The sommelier that taught our class was awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable, and entertaining. I'd highly recommend taking one of these classes even if wine isn't necessarily your thing. It's a fun experience. read more

Bill and everyone at Sunfish Cellars are great. My girlfriend and i went to a wine class last Saturday and it was fun and informative. I would recommend this class to everyone, 21+ of course. I have been to may like it, but i would have to say the knowledge that the staff had was more than the others I have been to. read more

When you arrive at Sunfish Cellars it's hard to know what to expect from the setting " Hmmmm ...is this an old Wild West movie set plunked in a strip mall in West St. Paul ?" There is a Moose Country bar anchoring the opposite side of the parking lot and a strange variety of other small businesses in between. When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised with a warm yet very clean modern atmosphere, what I would equate to a what a brand new Embassy Suites lobby must start out looking like. I sat in the wine bar and had a friendly greeting and great service. I enjoyed a quality local brew ( yes, they have beer!) and a friend had a lovely house red . Happy Hour prices were in effect and it looked like a great place to chat with a friend or two , have a little nosh and look out over the lovely river view. The rest of our party arrived and we went through the retail liquor/ wine store upstairs for our wine tasting class . It was a nice loft space with a number of tables set for our class , each with a wine glass , a plate with a small variety of cheese and a few marcona almonds . The class had about 25-30 people total . It could have been so lovely, really, looking back now. The presenter came out and greeted everyone and proceeded to enlighten us how he would like the evening to proceed. Within the first minute we were told that if we drank all of the wine from each tasting it would equal about a half bottle (good information to have) and that he would have no problem calling the cops and giving them our license plate numbers and he would relish the view of them pulling us over outside crossing the bridge. He had done it before and he would not hesitate to do it again! WOW! I can think of about a million ways to say that differently. None of which involve a threat and creating an immediate anxiety amongst your paying guests. He then went on to explain how alcohol affects us and that and he would be watching for signs that we had had too much , were getting too loud ,etc. Okay, now I have to make sure this stranger doesn't interpret any of my behavior as over the line in his view. He proceeded with the most pompous ,condescending , and abrasive presentation possible. Peppered with obscenities , which I'm not offended by but clearly others were. Yes,he did know his wine and perhaps if toned down it could have been interesting , even pleasurable . However his obvious contempt for his customers ( he's been in retail for 15 years we are told) and then the fear created by his overbearing demeanor pretty much ruined the evening. This guy needs to be tucked in an office somewhere NOT dealing with customers , he is bitter , resentful and angry. My friend was called out , humiliated, and told she was to pipe down or he would ask her to leave. Mind you this is a grown woman who had the audacity to be enjoying herself and laughing with friends. The look on everyone's faces reminded me of what it would be like if your friend was spanked in front of the class as a child . I was ready to leave but some of my party were frozen ( no one wanted to be next !) I endured another twenty minutes and then it was over. Not a single person clapped. We filed out and left . Then we went to a dive bar and laughed our heads off at the miserable experience that it was. They need a new sommelier.... I wouldn't even bother with a groupon. The wine bar service was wonderful, and I can't say anything about the retail area which looked interesting and I HAD fully intended on visiting. read more

I placed an order of over $1000.00. I received an auto reply thanking me for my order, I then responded to the owner of the store (Bill) with some questions and that was that last of the communication. I followed up with multiple (4)phone calls in regards to my order without any call back or email . Even the gentleman who "handles the wine " was stunned that I haven't heard back. I will never place another order with this store and I would suggest that you don't either, especially if you would like any kind of customer service or resolution to any issues that may occur with your order. Very disappointing, I spent over $1000.00 and received ZERO customer service. read more

Best quality wine selection in town. Full of interesting and fabulous small production wines. Incredible variety from less commonly seen locales including South Africa, Georgia (the country), and Lebanon. Tastings and classes are a blast and informative. Prices are competative, and sage advice flows freely. read more

My friend and I attended an intro to wine class and could not be more disappointed! This was suppose to be a fun night out but instead we were scolded, disciplined, and sworn at for 2 hours. The instructor Mike was condescending and started the class out with all rules and no levity, this only went downhill from there. He scolded another table and threatened to not serve them for talking too much and lets be honest, this wasn't a college prep class. When people asked questions mike either berated them for asking, told them they were wrong, or simple chose not to answer the question. On another note, the class was advertised as cheese pairing but the only education we got there was when we ate at the wrong time. What presented itself as a fun evening, was awful. Mike should not be in the education business! read more

First, I have to say my wife and I have been to Sunfish Cellars dozens of times, including several of the classes that Mike has conducted. We've always had a great time and have learned things in the process. The wines served at many of the classes were simply stellar. Others were more off the beaten path. Just by way of example, I've never found any wine shop in the Twin Cities that offers a large selection of rare Cotes de Jura wines like Sunfish does. It seems a little odd to me that one particular group complained in a previous review about being "scolded" in a class. I've attended maybe a half dozen classes at Sunfish over the last couple of years and have never seen or experienced anything like they describe. Could it be that this patron and her friends perhaps did something to deserve the treatment they received? Even the woman who was scolded (a public school teacher) suggested that perhaps the classes should be redesigned to "allow people to talk". I can only speculate, but maybe the truth is that they were a little too talky and disruptive, and that's why they were scolded. I wonder how this teacher would react to a group of students in her class who acted that way? Maybe this group's time would've been better spent on a "pub crawl" than trying to have a wild Groupon night out at a wine class that others had paid $50 to attend for the learning experience. Just a thought, but it all sounds like sour grapes to me (pun intended). My wife and I very much enjoy going to Sunfish and spending time at the wine bar. It's become somewhat of a Friday night ritual for us to stop in and have the wine flight (which changes often) and an appetizer or two. The people who work behind the counter are awesome and very friendly. I would also highly recommend signing up for their weekly newsletter. We've bought a number gems that were announced in the newsletter - some for as little as $8. All in all it's a great place to go! read more

I bought a 4-person wine tasting Groupon and was very disappointed in the wine they had us sample. We had approximately 6 samples, which seemed like low quality wines, with the most expensive one being approximately $15/bottle. Were they trying to clear out their lower end wines on us? Although the sommelier was entertaining, I think the price I paid for this Groupon was way too much. They did serve various cheeses and breads with their wines, but the very skimpy portions they give you are not worth the $20/person Groupon rate I got! Will never go there again. read more

Sunfish Cellars looks like a cute boardwalk location in a beautiful area south of St. Paul and overlooking the Mississippi river. Our group ordered several flatbreads to share which were very tasty and well-priced (especially The Savory-yum!). We all tried different kinds of wine, and the wine bar manager took the time to explain each one to us. The wines are priced very well and we were all very satisfied with the quality. It's a hidden gem- definitely will be returning very soon! read more

My friend and I went there for a free wine tasting...it was informative and fun!! They let you try some wonderful wines, the staff are friendly and the appetizer we had was great! Their wine bar is so cute with nice seating and ambiance. It would be a great place to go on a date. It is much more than a liquor store. Awesome little spot! read more

The store and product selection is fantastic and really knowledgable staff...but these classes they offer are WAY over-priced....I would have been REALLY unhappy if we would be paid $50 pp for a class, but got them for $20 pp through groupon. A few chunks of cheese and some crackers for each table of people are not exactly appetizers to me, and the class said it was 2 hours and it was over in 45 minutes, maybe less. But I mean the product that was provided was good, and it was informative, just really overpriced for what you got...in my opinion anyway. I would never do another class...but if I was ever in the area, I might swing in to shop. Update: I replied to the manager in a message and gave him the class date and time so he could confirm for himself. I suppose it could have gone an hour if people had asked a lot of questions at the end. But in order for the Sake class I attended to go two hours, you need to add more content and more samples to try. It wasn't bad, I liked it, but for the one I attended, there is NO WAY you could charge more than $20, going over that would be straight up robbery. read more

Went to a wine class last night and had a blast! The people there are friendly and super knowledgable about wines, but in a way that doesn't make me feel like an idiot like most other wine shops! Great selection of cheeses too! We will be back for sure! read more

Best wine bar in town. Great ambience and location, wines are well priced and broad, food, small plates are well prepared and presented.

Don't waste your time ordering anything online from Sunfish Cellars. As I have discovered, they are not above advertising wines as being in stock which they do not have (and perhaps never did), presumably in the hopes of getting you to order something else after they apologetically cancel your order. Personally, I prefer to order from somewhere a little more honest about their stock, and will not only take my business elsewhere, but will advise my wine-loving friends to avoid this place like the plague. It's not as if there aren't a huge number of other wine merchants online - ones who don't try to take orders for things they don't have in stock just to get you to their site. At least they had the decency to refund my money - but I have a hard time foreseeing a circumstance under which I - or anyone I know - will waste our time (or money) supporting this business again. read more

This is a lovely store!! From the minute you walk in the door, it's impressive. "SC" has gorgeous floor-to-ceiling wood shelves for wine, a sweet walk-in beer cooler and huge craft beer selection, and a staff that worked with me to find exactly what I needed for my upcoming important occasion! I will definately be back!! Thanks SC!! read more

I had been to wine classes before but i was still clueless as ever until i attended the "Ultimate Intro To Wine" class at this place. Mike, the instructor, had a well prepared writeup that he gave out to everyone. During the class we tasted 5 different wines, tried to describe them in the way a sommelier would and compare them to each other on different attributes. Since then everytime i go to a restaurant I feel confident on what i am ordering. Apart from the class, the place has an excellent wine collection, a cheese shop and ofcourse Mike, who can you give suggestions on wines that are exactly according to your liking. If you drink wine take this class and you will not regret it. read more

best wine store in town. great selection, good prices, friendly staff. we can't find wine selections in our hometown so we always drove to the cities. this beats the other stores we have been to here. he has tastings too and a cute little wine bar, which we didn't get to try since it was 11 am. next time! this store was recommended to me by a "wine beserker" and it was a solid. read more

After wanting to check them out for over a year, the hubby and I ventured over last Saturday after hitting the farmers market. We went in to the wine store first, and wow, we were impressed at the selection! Like kids in a candy store! We have been into trying Malbecs recently and one of the staff members was very insightful as he helped us choose two. The actually have a "beer cave", a walk in cooler with a nice variety of local and national beers, all reasonably priced, like the wines. Next we stopped over to the cheese shop. I now feel like I have a personal cheesemonger in Ken Liss. This man not only knows his cheeses, he knows most of the cheese makers too! He let us taste a number of cheeses and had a story to go with each one. To boot, there is a particular blue I have been scouring the cities for for over a year, and Ken had it! Most cheeses run about $25/lb, but for the quality it is well worth it. We ended up taking home 4 types, approx. 1/4 pound each, and enjoyed with a Rustica baguette and our Malbec. Ken serves his sandwiches on Sun Street Breads baguettes, and even threw in a hunk for us to go when w mentioned we hadnt tried it. We will definitely be back, and look forwardd to signing up for some of the classes they offer as well. The atmosphere is very cool, With huge windows overlooking a ravine. Nice cozy spot to share a flight of wines and a sandwich or cheese plate. read more