wine-sense

My co-​worker recommended going to this store and I’m glad he did. I don’t think the owner thought I knew anything about wine because I look young. But once she finally got over that hurdle I was able to walk out with 12 bottles of really good wine. The remainder of my opinion depends on how the wines are but I would go back. I however would recommend the owner don’t make assumptions based on appearance. :)

This place is definitely a GEM !! Samanta is knowledgeable and has great wines! I love to try new wines and she definitely know her stuff !! I highly recommend you pay a visit.

I first read about this store online when I was searching for a wine store/​shop around Andover in Unilocal/​google maps. It wasn’t until I was driving to whole foods that I noticed it from the main road. I’ve even seen it while I’m parked in the whole foods parking lot facing towards the wine store. Even though week after week and month after month, it was a store that I passed by very often and never had a chance to go in or give it a try often times due to a lack of time. Similar to passing by a restaurant along a busy street but never having the chance to try it.
This past weekend, I’m glad I did get a chance to check it out. I went in with a couple friends after we were dissatisfied with another liquor store’s wine selection further up the street. It was a «let’s go check out this shop» kind of moment.
The owner, Samantha, is really nice and knowledgeable about the different kinds of wine in the store. She receives shipments very often so the selection changes from week to week. Previous reviews on Unilocal have noted this too and it still stands true. The quality of the wine is carefully selected too.
The prices here are not too bad with most wines ranging between $ 15-​$ ²⁵⁄₃₀. I went in thinking that I would not be purchasing something but I’m glad I did and was happy with it.
In the end, this is a store that I wished I had checked out early on. We learned a lot about the different wines and the selection is quite unique. Great experience, I will definitely be returning back.

Good selection and knowledgeable staff — but over-​priced! Lower priced wine is a tradition to behold in my book.

This is a one-​of-​a-​kind store with a wide variety of delicious, moderately priced wines crowded into a remarkably small space — on balance, I’d wager you’re likely to find a better selection here than in any «average» wine store five times the size. Most of the bottles offered are in the $ 10 — 25 range; she has a large stock of biodynamic wines and seems to go out of her way to offer unusual varietals (i.e., Kerner, Freisa, Lagrein, Grignolino, Scheurebe) that I’ve rarely if ever managed to find anywhere else. I might add this is the only store in the US where I’ve ever located a bottle of Franconian wine, i.e., from the area around Wuerzburg, Germany — although the dry whites from this region are superb the total acreage is low and it’s not easy to get these on the US market.
The owner Samantha takes the time to learn your tastes and advise you when your jaded palate tells you it’s time to venture into new «wine territory». This is a wonderful store for those who want to venture off the beaten path and sample the full diversity and eclecticism of what the global wine world has to offer.

Wine-​Sense isn’t a «liquor store» with vast numbers of wine where one gets lost among the thousands of bottles. It is small – intimate to be sure. Wine Sense can be thought of as a boutique store where the owner, Samanta, not only knows ALL of the wines she sells, but she takes the time to get to know her customers and their preferences. She has opinions on wines and I would rather have that than have the latest product pushed on me. Samanta is in a league of her own when it comes to pairing wine with meals. Whenever I come in with a dinner menu for the evening, I emerge with a bottle of wine to my liking at a good price. She is like my personal wine shopper.

Pretty swell little shop. Most of the wines are well priced and under the $ 25 mark but taste wonderful. How do they do it? Clearly the owner is smart about purchasing lesser known but high quality wines.
Expert advice on pairings and recommendations and friendly service.
Perfect that they are next door to Wholefoods where you can get your excellent groceries too all in one trip.
PASS

Small store but wonderful options of carefully selected wines for all price points and tastes. The owner is extremely knowledgable and learns her customers palates so she’s able to recommend great wines. I’ve been going here for years and she’s always introducing new wines but keeps her best sellers in stock. Educational classes are fun and informative. Tastings are well thought out and consistent. I frequently ask for food pairing recommendations and have never been let down. If you are serious about wine OR you want to learn more from a friendly, unpretentious source, this is the best place to go. Recommend highly.

Forget the grocery store wine selection. Wine-​sense has high quality reasonably priced wines and a staff that will help you find the wine that suit your taste. There are so many wines for a merchant to choose from; Wine-​sense does not stock up on the ‘popular’ wines that you find in most liquor stores, they find smaller lesser known labels that offer excellent value. Our favorite wine store in New England!

Wine Sense is our «go to» wine source. Living in southern New Hampshire we have a state liquor store nearby and every grocery store has a full aisle of wine, but it’s always the same product wherever you go. We make the extra trip to Wine Sense because they DON’T carry what everyone else does. Instead, they carry a selection of great wines from smaller producers, that we rarely find anywhere else.
Samanta has gotten to know us and our preferences and we trust her to recommend wines we’d probably never pick on our own. It’s that kind of personalized service that motivates us to leave NH to brave MA traffic and taxes.

Wine sense is my go to place if I need a bottle of wine. Having been there several times, I have always found the help/​advice to be excellent. Samanta obviously cares about her wines and her customers and it shows.

I was visiting my grandmother in Andover last night and my dad and I went in search of ingredients to make her some dinner. We were at Whole Foods, and questing for wine, so a short walk across the parking lot to Wine-​Sense was suggested. Once inside, I was delighted!
When I lived in New York, I was fiercely loyal to a beautiful wine shop run by a French ex-​pat. Although Wine-​Sense is much smaller, I immediately got the same feeling of a well-​tended, lovingly stocked shop. When I explained that I needed a wine specifically for cooking, but I’d like to drink the rest with the meal, the owner was very helpful. Never once did I feel at all looked down upon for my limited budget, either. She was happy to answer all our questions (we were curious about the shop and other wines, even though we were only there for the one bottle), but she was never pushy.
Andover is a bit of a haul from my regular digs in Boston, but you can bet I’ll be making a point of stopping in here every time I come out to visit my grandmother! I love supporting local businesses, especially woman-​owned businesses, and I love drinking wine. This is a no brainer.
Anyways, in case you couldn’t guess, we loved the bottle of wine she suggested to us, and it was only $ 10. Repeat customer achievement unlocked!

I’ve never trusted someone with wine like I trust Samanta. I walk in, describe my meal, and walk out with a wonderful wine that I’ve never even heard of before. Holiday ham, vegetarian lasagna — no problem. Thanks to her, in the past year I’ve picked up several new favorites from very small wineries, new places, and new varieties. I love being able to get something different and yummy for a reasonable price. Her tastings are fascinating and educational, and she offers a «wine club» type arrangement with seasonal mystery bottles that are a great deal.

The best wine shop I’ve ever visited. Samanta is a wealth of knowledge, approachable, and welcoming. The six-​packs offered at three different price ranges provide an exciting variety of flavors at a good value. There are tastings and a wonderful email newsletter! However, my absolute favorite thing about Wine Sense are the amazing stories about the different wines, the grapes, and the winemakers.
After repeating what I learned about a bottle I brought to share with friends, I was told by one friend that she wants to buy wine that comes with stories, too. I suggested she visit Wine Sense!

Probably the best «boutique» wine store I’ve run across-​and I travel an awful lot. The owner is extremely knowledgeable about wines, and is very creative, and always spot-​on, when making food/​wine pairing recommendations (being gorgeous probably helps, too!).
She has a very interesting, diverse selection, of «standard» wines but also wines made from grapes I’ve never heard of before. If you go there a few times, she «learns» your palate and then starts recommending wines she thinks you may like based on past purchases and feedback, and you end up loving them! I’m not sure I would have bought a «Bellone» or «Vernacchia» wine varietal without a little nudging from her, but they are both awesome.
She has tastings every Thursday from 6 – 8 pm, and always features unique gems from around the world. If you are ever even remotely close to Andover and like wine, this is the place to go-​definitely the best in the entire North Shore area.

This is a great boutique wine shop. The selection on any given day is adequate without being overwhelming, which helps to focus your search. The shop rotates the selection over time, so it pays to stop by periodically and see what’s new. The wines that the shop keeps are probably the best in the area. I’ve never gone wrong with a blind, random pick from this store. With the shop’s focus on a narrower selection of good wines, you are pretty much guaranteed to come out with something good. The shopowner is extremely helpful if you need help with picking out something you’ll like or a food pairing. Overall, this is my favorite place in the area to pick up a bottle of wine.

Lots of folks get their knickers in a twist about selecting JUST the right wine to pair with their meals. NO NEED to do so when Samanta is nearby. She’s created a KILLER list of wines that pair well with those of us that celebrate the Italo-​American «Feast of Seven Fishes.» This list made my mouth water just reading it. Great solution to holiday ‘hostess gifting.‘
For those who don’t really care about pairing perfectly but want to arrive at the party with something unique (perhaps a cool story about the wine) this is a great INDEPENDENTLY OWNED SMALL business you may just want to support.
Any day you stop in she’s there to UN pretentiously (or if you must…) help you make a selection from her ESOTERIC, often SMALL PRODUCTION and always UNIQUE inventory of ‘grape juice.‘
Tastings every Thursday if you are in the ‘hood between 6 and 8 PM.
Cheers and happy sipping.
PS — OH, she’s next to a Whole Foods so you can get your complete meal in one stop!

This is a small, well-​curated wine boutique — a selection varied enough to cover all the bases & then some, and limited enough to prevent decision paralysis. The store has a clean, modern décor, with simple shelving that doesn’t detract from the bottles as you’re perusing.
The staff were helpful without being pushy; we hope to join one of their weekly tasting nights sometime.

Wine-​Sense is a great store with an expansive selection in a small space that is well laid out. The owner, Samantha, is very knowledgeable andalways has a great recommendation. Her Thursday night tastings (free) are packed usually and there is a discount on the wine. She also has a wine wall offering each week which is a bottle priced at under $ 10 but still a good quality bottle. She picks them carefully and we are always satisfied with her selection. She also has selections of higher end wines and her store is where we go when we need to pick up a bottle to bring to our parents.