Vino!

Vino is breathtaking. They have a bakery, butchering, cheese, chocolates and more. But that is so standard at this point for those into food, so many of their offerings are specific and actually enhance the selection available to local consumers. Things such as international cheeses and particular breads can be found.
It was superb to visit this spot. I got some cheese for around ten dollars. Such was good and the store kept making me want to explore it even further. I could browse it for an hour if I wanted to. When I was selecting the cheese, a staff member helped me find something. The medium block was ten dollars, par for the course in terms of price, but the pastries are a darn discount, similar to Starbucks in price, but with lots of foreign influence.
Don’t forget to go here in venturing about Berkeley.

Atmosphere was homey and warm. Its a very cute corner to grab a quick bite. I ordered Café de Olla, which was coffee served in a bowl. It was an interesting mix of coffee and cinnamon, but surprisingly good. They have good quality meals here, even though prices are a bit higher than a standard Mexican restaurant.

This little wine shop has it’s priorities straight: Interesting, affordable wines. Helpful, wine-​obsessed staff. No-​frills ambiance, with bottles on display and boxes below to grab from. It’s like a mini wine warehouse, and you can always find just what you’re looking for thanks to the help of their always thoughtful shopkeepers.
When I come in, I just start throwing out wine adjectives, and the staff and I begin our little hunt for the ideal bottle. I’m always a tad nervous that the «dream wine» I’m looking for will end up being the most expensive BUT I’ve never spent more than $ 14/​bottle here! Their prices are shockingly low, for such unique bottles.
They also have a monthly value-​pack, where you get 6 wines for $ 70. The bottles change each month, but it’s always a fun variety and good excuse to sample some stuff you wouldn’t normally try (for a steal of a deal!)

Ceviche was good. The hard shell it came on was a little odd — I ended up breaking mine up and creating a ceviche salad.

I take Unilocal reviews with a grain of salt. You cant really trust other people’s reviews because everyone has different tastes, expectations, wants, needs, etc. I personally liked this place. I like that the guy waited at the counter and I liked that if I had a question, I could ask it and it was answered with a good wine that I enjoyed. I don’t feel like I should be followed around and asked if I need help even if Im the only one in the store. Just go ask your question if you have one! Dont go home all mad that someone didnt read your mind. Anyway, it’s a small store with a small selection. The wine I got was great and it was decently priced. So this place met all of my expectations.

I totally agree with Gregg. I will always go back to Vino. Arthur is very helpful and always has good ideas.

I don’t get what’s with the reviews about the salesman. He’s always been nice, knowledgeable, and generous with his time in helping find or describing wines: an enthusiast who really knows the product on the shelves.
Also I don’t get the comments about wanting some encyclopedic collection of California wines: that isn’t what this shop is about. Vino specializes in good wines at a great price — end lots, etc. I’ve gotten some really wonderful wines for about 15 bucks, which is why I keep going back.

We ran into this place while walking around the 4^th street shops. Now we make it a point to go back just for stocking up on the reasonably priced wine and in depth conversation on the nuances of Napa vs European wine. The sales person here (Jerry, I think the name is) has always been welcoming and knowledgeable, giving us great ideas for reds and whites all over the spectrum. He also gives us great recommendations for our price range which can range from $ 15 to $ 30 a bottle. The Duncan Peak ’05 Cab he recommended was just sensational.
We’ve recommended this store to family as well. I have no idea how it compares to Premier Cru ‘coz we have never been there, but this definitely seems the place to go for wine that you enjoy and that won’t break the bank.

It was hard to go from Premier Cru to Vino but it would have rated higher if we were greeted and asked any questions. The person behind the counter was focused on the computer and then walked outside while we were still in the store. The wine selection was not bad for the space available. Nothing that made me dig for my wallet and would not be on my list to revisit the next time i’m in town.

Nice variety of wines with a pretty wide price range for such a small space. The people at the store were knowledgeable if you ask them.

I went into this shop because I saw the «Wine for the Week» flier on the door — a collection of 7 wines for $ 70. I read a few of the descriptions and hadn’t heard of any of them. But for $ 10 a bottle and a chance to taste new things from all over the world, it seemed like it would be worth a try. I only know a handful of wines under $ 12 that are any good and I’m tired them.
It was totally worth it. We liked all but one of the bottles and loved a couple of them enough to keep buying them regularly. We’re half way through a different «Wine for the Week» collection and so far all of the wines have been quite good.
I say 4 stars because they managed to come up with over a dozen obscure and delicious wines for a great price. If you drink wine every day and you love variety, you know that just isn’t easy to do.
$ 10 a bottle? C’mon! You just can’t beat it.

After reading the reviews, I had to put in my 2 cents about this local favorite of mine. Sometimes people seem intimidating to others for good reason, and sometimes people are just being oversensitive. I tend towards oversensitivity myself, so I understand. I may have even gone into Vino once or twice without saying anything either, but then I did. I asked for an Italian wine that was spicy. He gave me wonderful recommendations in every price range, and was very friendly about it. I have been many times since with the same results.
He is not the most outgoing fella in town, but he’s good at what he does and he’s a very nice man.
If you want a good bottle of wine and aren’t afraid to talk to someone who doesn’t jump down your throat to assist you, go in and you won’t be disappointed.

Convenient small wine shop on 4^th street. The selection is limited but good for a quick bottle pick up. Located by the great pasta shop and Café Rougue.
In a pinch, Vino can supply a nice bottle of wine.

It’s a small place with a somewhat limited selection but it does offer a quick solution if you want to grab a bottle and drink it in what someone called the «Gournet Ghetto»…I like that. I found the selection of under $ 20 bottles very limited. There are way too many vinyards in the area that are producing excellent wines that I would rather see here than some obscur wine that takes a PHD to appreciate.
Again, it’s a good quick stop but I didn’t find any stellar selling points that would keep me coming back.

I wasn’t going to remark about the unfriendly salesman because we came in and browsed and didn’t buy anything and sometimes that pisses people off, but apparently from the other reviews here, it seems like everyone has had the same experience. Really cute shop however. Nothing particularly cheap, and I would be scared to ask for a recommendation from the salesman there because he looks like he hates his job.

The guy here sold me two bottles of wine. Unfortunately, he gave me one bottle of white and… wait a minute, this isn’t what I bought. The bottle of burgundy I purchased became a pinot from santa maria. No, it wasn’t that the AOC suddenly decided to rule that true burgundy comes from the place with its name in France…
The sales-​dude just put the wrong bottle in my bag. O. Well, that’s kind of annoying because I bought one thing and you gave me another.
Plus, you never gave me a receipt. So, when I come back and the correct bottle of wine costs more, I have to assume you didn’t charge me for the more pricer wine the first time, too.
So, now I’ve gone home, had to come all the way back, shell out more bucks for what I don’t know for sure I wasn’t charged for the first time, AND you didn’t even apoligize or compensate me.
I feel like I did something wrong and you won’t tell me. Why? I’d like to know. Your wine was good but thats over-​shadowed by the fact that your service is total ass. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.

I walked in this store and explained to the man working there what I was looking for. My tastes are quite varied and my likes can be somewhat vague when I try to articulate them, yet he didn’t seem put off by this and toured me around the store stopping to explain each recommendation he had for me.
I left with a number of selections, all in my price range. Everything turned out to be suited well to my palette, with one so good I ended up buying a case.
This is exactly what I am looking for in a neighborhood wine shop.

This is a nice neighborhood liquor store. They have small, focused selections of all the essential luxuries. Single malts, boutique bourbons & gins, various varieties of good sherry. I’m embarassingly wine-​ignorant, so I can’t comment on their wine selection, but as a cocktail snob I was impressed. The guy behind the counter was friendly and knew his stock.

Expenisve at times but not too bad. Nice selection of Pinots however and a decent collection of Champagne as well. Not a place I’m going to travel out of my way for but if in the neighborhood might be tempted to stop in. Shares a door and a space with Tacubaya.

Pleasant, convenient, well decorated little wine shop on Berkeley’s 4^th Street Gourmet Ghetto. Selection is small, mostly in $ 12-​$ 25 range. I wouldn’t make a destination out of going here but if you’re in the neighborhood and need some wine it fits the bill.