Ansley Wine Merchants

«The Germans are geniuses when it comes to beer. But, no one knows bourbon like the US of A.» — Agent Carter: Season 1, Episode 5
I love a good liquor store where the staff is friendly and knowledgable. Ansley is just that. The staff is great and can direct you to anything you need and if they don’t have what you need, they can direct you to a great alternative. Their wine selection is vast and varied — thus the name, but they have a pretty stellar selection of bourbon, rye, scotch, bitters and enough beer to get you through.
What I like most about the staff is that in their helpfulness, they aren’t at all snobby or pretentious. If you want to spend $ 10 on a bottle of wine, they will direct you to the best $ 10 bottle of wine they’ve got. They also offer discounts on mixed cases — a major plus.
I do appreciate that they keep cider in the cold case — so when I need some cold Strongbow — they’ve got it chilled and ready. Plus, a great selection of just about anything when I need a last minute gift for someone. Everything from mainstream liquors to small batch favorites.
One stop shop for all your alcoholic needs.

Went here this morning searching for a decent Pinot noir at a decent price after a disappointing trip to Total Wine.
Immediately ran into Amber who asked my price point and what was I Iooking for. Turns out she’s an Oregon and Burgundian wine geek. Had nice selection of Oregon Pinots and some nice burgundies. Had not seen Omero Pinot in the east. Picked up a 2013 Michelot Bourgogne and a Calista Pinot from The Coast Range. Amber told me about a hot air ballon ride she went on at domaine droughin at 6:30 am last year at the winery. It was so close to my cousin’s house and we wasted a ride to Total Wine, which was totally disappointing. Support your Independents!

This is the best wine shop! Employees are so helpful and knowledgeable and their little notes are so cute. I have found so many impressive bottles of wine here! Happy customer.

Wonderful selection and amazing customer service. Prices are extremely good. Adam helped me to pick out a case worth of bottles and then carried the case to my car, which I had parked about a mile away. Okay, maybe not a mile, but I certainly didn’t make it easy on him. Great store.

I have lived in Midtown for three years now and still haven’t found a better spot to venture through the canals of Italy or the hills of France, and yet with all that fanciness they still manage to quench my incredible thirst. Forget the options Kroger has — shopping for groceries and wine in the same place should be left to the Italians — shop at Ansley wine for the best prices and the plethora of options.

My booze shopping doesn’t take me over to Ansley much but it’s always a positive when it does.
They’re wine merchants, but they have a fairly good selection beer, too. I recall they jumped right into the Belgian high-​gravity scene when the law changed back whenever it was, and they still carry a lot of hi-​grav beers. These days, I’m usually looking for something a tad less alcoholic. This visit they had the new Saison Dupont dry-​hopped bottle and 4-​pack of canned (my preferred beer container) Eviltwin Falco IPA, something I’d not seen before. Saison Dupont is perhaps a top five beer for me, and I always love a good IPA. So I’m looking forward to drinking those two.
But Ansley is mostly about the wine, of course. When I do shop Ansley for wine (which has admittedly been years), I appreciate the sassy signage. It actually helps this wine-​ignorant schmuck make a selection. One thing, though — they don’t sell the small boxed wine, only the larger boxes. Yeah, I know — boxed wine.
Always good service and always a parking space available nearby.

Super disappointed. I am a huge fan o the Spanish wines. It may be «so last year» or whatever you crazy hipsters wanna call it, but I like it, and I was drinking it before it became cool and now obviously after it is no longer cool. I had heard that Ansley had a large selection of the Spanish wines as according to them «They started the trend» (not sure I agree but hey, that’s what they told me). Anyway, I went in and they had a whopping 8 – 10 bottles. I am not kidding, that’s it. Why would you hang a Spanish flag in your store which is larger than your entire Spanish selection?
As far as service they were nice but when the sales rep saw I was disappointed she could have pointed me to some similar wines and used this opportunity to help me broaden my drinking horizons (I do like Washington wines as well) but overall she just said sorry we disappointed and waled away. Ok… next.
Sadly, I actually found more selection and better advice at Whole Foods. Not to bash Whole Foods, but that’s just sad for Ansley. I really just left feeling like I had visited a poorly stocked BevMo. I won’t be back.

Absolutely love this place. They have a great selection of wines you’ve probably haven’t seen before and they have something for every price point. But what really makes the place special, are the descriptions they give each bottle of wine. The staff has tried everything in the store and he’s written up clever, well informed, and hilarious descriptions of each one. They also have a great selection of liquor and specialty mixers for cocktails.

Just moved to Atlanta and passed by this place. First time in, JJ helped me pick a few great wines after asking pointed questions about my preferences. Definitely knew his stuff! When it came time to setup our new bar trolley I didn’t hesitate to return. This time I got JJ and Janie! Janie offered samples, guidance, wisdom and honesty about best choices for the money. I haven’t had that kind of knowledgable service from a store in a long time! They’re clever too, Tequila Mockingbird, come on!!! #awesome

Went to Ansley Wine Merchants on Sunday November 2^nd, and I don’t know if the older male clerk had a bad day or night before, but he was absolutely rude and dismissive. For the record, he was wearing an orange shirt, had a salt and pepper gray beard.
I went to this particular store because I’ve been there before to buy wine for dinner parties or as gifts for friends and the service has always been stellar. NOT TODAY. I asked about the wine I was looking for, I got a short, cold NO. Nor did he ask any questions to find out if there was something comparable that he could even try to sell me. I was in more than a buying mood.
I’ve always been taught not to beg anyone to take your money, believe me I have never been treated with such utter and blatant disrespect, however, I won’t give up on Ansley Wine Merchants because my past dealings with them have been great. I do recommend some sales training for the gentleman (and I use that word loosely) in question. His attitude was deplorable.
And that one star was being gracious.

This is truly what being a small business is about. They are incredibly knowledgable and personable. The entire staff is both attentive and professional.
If I am looking for something new or a tried a true favorite, they folks at AWM are truly the best.
Looking to try something new, ask them about their selection of bitters and how they can make your next drink something special.
(Btw yes I am a fan, what can I say.)

I have been away from Unilocal for a while. Now that I’ve got the app on my phone, I’m on the upgrades. I really appreciate the owner of the Ansley Wine Merchant got rid of that woman and gave me a written apology. I’ve been back shopping there again.

This place is a true gem in Atlanta. Why? Let me count the ways…
1. One of the best international wine selections in the city… and it all fits in a nice, manageably-​sized store. You will be hard pressed to find a better selection, or more knowledgeable people for wines from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Argentina.
2. A surprisingly-​large and sophisticated beer and artisanal liquor selection. If you’re looking for cheap schnapps in mango-​mint flavor, this is not the place, but if you want hard-​to-​find small-​batch bourbon, rum, gin, vodka, or scotch, Janie knows her stuff and keeps and excellent selection. Ask Adam about any beer in the joint and be prepared for a very helpful and informative discussion about the taste, the brewery, and some great alternatives.
3. The signs! Instead of just stocking big-​name brands (e.g., Gallo, Constellation), Ansley takes the time to taste and describe the wine in fun and irreverent ways. Where else will you find a large «El cheap but good-​o» section? The signs are creative, made in-​house, and make wine shopping fun and completely non-​threatening.
4. The staff. The team is really into wine… especially if you catch them on Saturdays, when they are all in and ready to help. Ask Amber about her latest trip to Argentina (and about the wines she tried), ask Michelle about Burgundies and their amazing selection of grower Champagnes, and have some fun along the way… they are 100% unpretentious, but damn, they know what they’re talking about.
5. The prices. Don’t assume that smaller shop = higher prices. To a bottle they match or beat Publix (granted, not much overlap since Publix focuses on mass brands) and Kroger, and unlike those stores, you can get a case discount. More importantly, instead of steering you to cheaply-​made plonk from the Central Valley, they will offer you wine at the same price that has personality and real flavor.
5. The mailing list and wine club. Ansley sells a lot via its e mail list, and not just high priced collectors’ wines. You can get some real steals from them by simply replying to the e mail and picking it up in the store… Moreover, once you work with them and they get to know your taste, they will even pro-​actively mention wine, beer, or liquor that you should try.
I think you get my point. Wine/​beer/​liquor shopping should be fun, unpretentious, and full of adventure. Ansley offers all of that and more. Try it out, enjoy the vibe, and discover a new love for the really good stuff!

Amazing selection, and great prices. Ask for Amber or Adam, they know a TON about wine and help you out without being pretentious at all. Love these guys, have shopped here for years and they’ve always given outstanding service and good conversation.

My partner and I love Ansley Wine Merchants. Their beer selection is not extensive (but good), but we go here because we like the atmosphere. I love the little signs and cards they put on the wines… they’re funny AND informative!
Big plus… they’re dog friendly! We take our pup here all the time and they always give her a treat. She loves AWM too!

This is probably my favorite store in Atlanta. Not just liquor store, but favorite overall store.
The staff is incredibly nice, and treat you like a civilized human being. Coming here is always a pleasure.
Do they have everything? No. Do they have everything you probably need? Yes. The beer selection is small but curated. They’ve chosen a handful of breweries they like and then have a few offerings from each brewery. The liquor selection is good with both the cheap stuff, and some more obscure high end bottles. And you don’t even have to walk past the cheap section for wine. They’ll have multiple under $ 10 wines that taste better than twice their price.

Ansley Wine Merchants is a great place to have in midtown Atlanta. The very knowledgeable employees are happy to offer suggestions based on your personal taste and/​or price range. In addition to their cool and eclectic wines, they also have a nice selection of single malt scotches. If you have time to browse, you will be rewarded, but you can also get in and out of the store in a flash if you know what you need. Bring cash for a discount!

Good wine, good bargains, a no frills vino-​shop where the clerks know what they are talking about.
Now this is not a super Wal-​Mart of alcohol where they will have every kind of dutch-​chocolate-​Albino-​Pear-​Cumin schnapps, but if your looking for a good mix of red, white and bubbly this is my favorite place.
I have kitted out many a party from here, and have burnished my sommelier cred thanks to Ansley. (perhaps I’ve said too much!)

My leasing office is just down the street on Monroe, and I was reminded of this cool little store when dropping off my rent check (or maybe paying up made me want a drink, who knows!). I love browsing in Ansley Wine Merchants mainly because of all the clever little signs they tag on the wine bottles. Some are very descriptive, others just funny, but all are always entertaining.
The staff is very nice and for a non-​supersized store, they have a great wine selection and solid liquor one. Lots of good wines under $ 20, even under $ 15, as well as higher-​end picks.
I used to go to the Chastain Wine Merchants (their former sister store) when I lived near it, but since its replacement have to come down to Ansley Mall to get my wine-​with-​humor fix!

This place is amazing. Not only do they have a great selection of delicious wines and liquors, but they have a very knowledgeable and friendly staff always eager to help you with a selection. This place has the kind of unique charm that makes me never want give my money to anyone else. When you first walk in the store, you are greeted immediately but the staff are not overbearing or pushy about purchases. They have a «best cheap» section near the front and I am constantly filling my little wine fridge with 10 – 15 $ bottles that taste like 30 – 50 $ bottles. They also have «staff favorite» stickers on certain bottles and I’ve found those to be amazing as well. Such a great store for both people who know what they want and people who aren’t sure. Just can’t recommend this place highly enough!
I am fairly knowledgeable about wines and am frequently pleasantly surprised when a suggestion is made for me so perfectly. My boyfriend and I have been giving this store our business for about two years now and yesterday we had such a lovely experience again that I just had to come on Unilocal and share it! My boyfriend and I were having some friends of ours over for dinner. I told him to go get a California Cab to go with our pot roast. He went and asked one of the staff here for something that would go well with his sea-​salt thyme rubbed pot roast. He came home with a $ 13 bottle of Paso Robles Cab that paired PERFECTLY with our dinner. The spices of the pot roast blended superbly with the wine!
Such a great place! Can’t recommend highly enough!