Total Wine and More has a great selection of different wines, spirits, mixers and anything else you…read moremight need to make or recreate a cocktail. I love how they even have some of the harder to find stuff so easily accessible and at a reasonable price point. Their employees are always so friendly and knowledgeable about everything and are always so great with suggestions on what to get. They also have tastings and classes that you can sign up for which is really nice to have. Plenty of parking outside as well.

Came here with my girlfriend and decided to buy a 6 pack of beer. Got to the register and when the…read morecashier rung up our total which was $10.01, so we gave him a $10 bill and a penny. He saw the penny and said "sorry I can't take this. They stopped letting us take pennies." Um, what? Okay no big deal, he'll probably just let it slide cause it's only ONE cent. No. He stood there waiting for us to give him more money like we didn't just give him the total rung up. He said "I can take a nickel if you have that." Why, so you can charge us more than the actual price? Just for reference, no, we didn't have a nickel and we're not taking a bunch of coins, hence the exact change. I worked retail when they discontinued making pennies so in this case, I just let it go cause it's pocket lint at this point. He went as far as to call the manager (with an annoyed look on his face like we're the problem). We decided not to buy it because we're not waiting around for a manager to discuss something as small as a penny. What an absolutely ridiculous policy, do better. Mind you, they could just charge it so it comes out to $10 even but it makes me feel like they add the penny so you have to pay more.

This is without a doubt your one stop shop for your neighborhood liquor store. Prices are fair at…read moreMSRP, and items are in the case. It used to be impossible to find Eagle Rare, Blantons and Eh Taylor and now BevMo almost always has them. When I was looking for a special bottle of wine, the manager (Marlon) was able to order an interstate transfer for me so that I didn't have to drive up to La Mesa for it. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable, nice and always helps with a smile on their face. Pro tip, sign up for Club Bev to get their best deals including weekly coupons to make the liquid gold cost a little less!

I've been going to this BevMo for years now and is an important part of the community. The staff is…read morealways top notch and always willing to help. Marlon is always very attentive and knowledgeable for all your planning needs. Latisha is also helpful and adds to the great teamwork at the store. Always a pleasure seeing these two. I wish I could name more of the staff because they are all truly helpful!

The more you know, the better it gets! Taste buds alone do not deliver 100% of your wine experience…read more-there is so much more. I attended one of the Veritas events at Vintage Wine Storage and enjoyed every minute. You'll get to try some awesome bottles that might be way out of your wine budget. And you'll meet fun people and have tasty charcuterie so you won't have to Uber home unless you want to. Highly recommend Meghan and her team. She shares her vast knowledge in a very approachable way. Whether a private party or company event, you can count on outstanding wines perfectly presented.

As people who truly appreciate wine we can't say enough about how fortunate we feel to have been…read moreconnected with Meghan of Veritas Consultants! She has such an enthusiasm for wine that it is infectious! Her knowledge is unquestionably vast but more importantly is her professionalism and personable approach in presenting the wine and keeping it fun and laid back yet educational and informative. Meghan's services go far beyond wine tasting events. We recently took a trip up to Sonoma and Meghan facilitated our tastings with several wineries and we could not have been more pleased with our experience! She has connections to many top wine makers all over and she passes on those benefits to her clients. We feel lucky to have met her and we will continue to use her services for all our future wine country trips as well as local wine maker tastings/dinners. We think she should be an honorary family member!

I'm a beverage geek at heart. Some of my best food and food/travel moments have been when there is…read morea huge educational component to a tasting. However it wasn't until 2020 that I fully embraced my passion in wine - while I have wine tasted in a few places around the world, Paso Robles in particular stressed the importance of education in the wine tasting experience. Many of the tasting room staff and sommeliers have at least a wine certification (usually WSET or CMS) and proudly boast it. So I figured if I'm going to spend quite a bit of time and money on wine, I might as well be an educated consumer in the process. Since I don't work in the industry (I'm actually in healthcare) and I don't want to work in the restaurant biz as a sommelier the Court of Master Sommeliers cert route was a no-go. Plus the CMS route emphasizes self-study and I prefer classroom learning. For a hobbyist who may in the future want to dabble in the industry on the side, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust was the way to go. Being based in SD Wine Smarties with Lindsay was the most practical choice. She offers three levels of the WSET plus the diploma - first level being just a 1-day class followed by the test followed by the 2 and 3 being 4 and 8 1x/weekly classes, respectively, with an in-person as well as an online option. She offers her classes in San Diego as well as Temecula. Having dabbled in wine and tasted wine in parts of CA/Mexico/parts of Europe for at least 5 years my knowledge alone was enough to skip L1 plus for the cost of the class (~$300) I would rather spend on wine club allocations. So I decided to start at L2. If you are not sponsored by your employer the cost is around ~$700 for L2 and ~$1300 for L3 and if you are taking the online portion you'll also have to purchase your wines separately. While you could also skip L2 and go straight to L3 in theory many people have advised to at least take L2 to get used to the WSET testing style and to also get used to the "systematic approach to tasting", which is essential if you want to pass the L3 tasting portion of the exam (L2 is only a 50-question multiple choice exam). Plus Lindsay does have a discount for L3 students who have taken her previously for L2. Lindsay was an awesome instructor who has such passion for wine and has a lot of experience gaining that knowledge from all over the world. She does have a propensity to go slightly off topic to talk about her travels but as a fellow traveler myself I actually enjoyed those anecdotes. But in the end I highly recommend to study off the WSET course material - after all it is the WSET that tests you at the end of the day. Even while handling a full time job and other activities I studied on an average a few hours a week. There was a miscommunication at the end regarding my exam date that I had specifically mentioned a month before in an email starting the class. While the original date wasn't honored she did work with me to schedule an alternate date to take the exam. Turns out that I did pretty well - got a 94% on the L2, which qualifies as a "Pass with Distinction". The best part about taking Lindsay's WSET classes? Getting introduced to wines that I have never heard of or tasted before. I thought I knew a little more about wine than the average consumer but this was before I had ever known about a carménère or tasted a meursault. Because of this class I consider those wines some of my most favorite wines along with the usual Paso or Valle suspects. For this specifically I am super grateful. Looking forward to taking the L3 with Lindsay in 2022 and will update this review as such to detail the L3 experience.

I've studied with Lindsay and taken many of her classes over the last year or two, including WSET 2…read moreand 3. No matter where you are on your journey to learn about wine, Lindsay always makes you feel great about your level of understanding. Lindsay is so encouraging, and her classes are so enjoyable, that you almost don't realize that you've also learned a ton! She has the highest level of certification available (Master of Wine), and within that certification, received the Bollinger Medal, which is awarded to one person each year for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement! Lindsay is incredibly gifted at understanding wine, and sharing that knowledge. I'm so glad she is in San Diego.

A bit smaller than the Venissimo store on Washington St., but no less interesting and useful, this…read moreshop offers a range of cheeses that will make you a better host, or cook, or cheese snob, or binge cheese eater, wherever your interests might lie. But parking for this Venissimo is effed up since some genius replaced the few available spaces with picnic tables. Not sure how to deal with that, other than to park a few blocks away and Uber to the store, or simply drive over to Mission Hills for the more considerate, more convenient version of this shop.

The charcuterie boards are beautiful and delicious. I recommend preordering one of their curated…read moreboards. It was intimidating for me to go into the shop and create a board, so it worked better for me to choose one they created. I enjoyed the mixture of sweet and savory nuts, fruit, jam and pickles paired with delicious cheese. I have ordered two boards from them and they have both been delicious and reasonably priced.

Stopped in with a few friends on a weekday night, didn't get to check the entire place out just the…read morefront bar, it is a really nice setup. The owner was there telling us all about the wine choices. They have an orange rosé that was unique and tasted pretty good. Although I decided to stick with the regular rosé. They have trivia nights on Thursdays and comedy nights on Wednesdays. I for sure want to come back and do a trivia night!

Thought the wines were just okay. They offer a variety of wines, wine flights, and drinks like…read moresangria and froze. We were not too wowed by the different wines we tried including the ones offered in the flights. The sangria was okay and probably would not order again. They do offer food as well which we did not try so not sure how their food options are. The location itself is very cute, has both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff there was very helpful and kind. There is street parking available.

I had such a great time here! I stopped by on my way back to San Diego proper after visiting the…read morelocal alpaca farm (yay feeding alpacas!), and from the moment I arrived, I felt so welcomed. Diane was an absolute joy--she had me laughing every time she came by the table! We did the wine and olive oil tasting, and while not every wine was exactly my style (wine is all about personal taste, after all), they were all well-crafted and enjoyable in their own way. The balance of fruit and acidity was spot on, and I really appreciated the lower alcohol content (most around 13.2%), which is rare for the area. Unfortunately, we missed out on trying the Pinot Noir since it had just sold out, but the newly bottled Montepulciano is going to be a perfect light summer wine! Chris also stopped by, and we ended up having such a fantastic conversation that I truly didn't want to leave. This is the kind of winery that makes you feel like an old friend from the moment you walk in, and it absolutely makes you want to return. And I definitely will! Highly recommend!

I have been wanting to visit this vineyard for some time now and it didn't disappoint . The wine…read morethe ambience was all 5 star . We did a wine tasting and loved each and every single wine . The owner Diane went above and beyond to make us feel at home . You must try their olive oil tasting as well . Had a great experience and will definitely be returning !

We had such a great time at this wine tasting! The selection was fantastic--each pour was…read morethoughtfully chosen and perfectly complemented by the charcuterie board. The meats and cheeses were fresh, flavorful, and paired beautifully with the wines. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and Betty was beyond amazing and informative. It felt like a fun, elevated experience without being pretentious. Definitely booking her for other events!

My wife and I are complete novices when it comes in wine. We know what we like, but we have not…read moreexplored much beyond the occasional bottle here and there. I contacted Betty to arrange a special wine tasting lunch for my wife's birthday. We included a couple that similarly are wine novices. Our goal was a nice visit to Temecula wine country and a beginner's level experience. We want someone to educate us and not talk down to us. Betty and her husband delivered! We had a fantastic experience under her guidance and learn some basics of wine tasting and pairing. Betty was genuine with her knowledge sharing and we never felt talked down to. The facility for the event was a very nice local Vinyard and we even got to meet the owner. It was picturesque and comfortable. We came away with a few bottles of wine and a desire to learn more with future events. Thanks, Betty!