The Wine Stop

I used to go to their old locale down the way when my ex lived in the area. They’ve opened a new but smaller shop from the other space. They dont have the lounge anymore and the shelves are high and narrow. However they have a good range of high end spirits, wine and beer which is definitely worth check ing out.

I was in the area and needed to buy red wine for a friend’s birthday on the East Coast. I don’t know anything about wine but wanted to get something special. The staff was so nice, knowledgeable and passionate about wine! I got a nice merlot and cabernet sauvignon from Napa, packed them up and totally impressed my friend. Whew!

Like the comments by Nunya B., this review is regarding mail order service. My order took 6 days to be processed (maybe this is typical and I’ve just been spoiled by amazon’s quick turnaround), but so far they have still failed to provide any tracking # despite saying that the shipments were tracked. Since packages must be signed for by an adult, I need to know when it’s likely to arrive so I can try to be home. I’ve sent emails to the customer service account and have waited multiple days with no acknowledgment or response whatsoever. Based on some other reviews here, it seems like ignoring customer questions is their m.o. I’ll update if they get back to me or when/​if I get my package.
**Update** I sent 3 emails over a 1 week period and still have zero response or acknowledgment. I missed the package on its first delivery attempt (a Friday) since I didn’t have the tracking information that could have told me to expect the delivery. Had to wait until Monday for redelivery. The package of course had a tracking number on it. I don’t know why they didn’t bother sharing it with me. Overall, it was a very frustrating experience dealing with them, BUT they did have a hard to find drink for a good price and it was well packaged, so they deserve some credit for that.

This review is of The Wine Stop’s mail order service.
They have a good selection and fair prices, but they sent me the wrong vintage for 5 out of 6 bottles (2013 vs 2012) for California wines. When contacted by both of their email addresses, they did not respond. It’s been 1 week now, so I felt compelled to give them a negative review.

Hands down best selection of spirits in the entire Bay Area. The owners are super helpful and helped me find an amazing gift for a coworker of mine. Indy helped me find a plush bottle of wine within my budget and impressed my coworker and her husband with the end product.
There is plenty of staff to help answer questions even if you are just browsing.
Tired? Head to the back of the store where there is a comfortable lounge set up for you to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass of your favorite drink. They also do tastings!

Good wine selections

Burlingame is blessed with two excellent wine/​spirits shops… and no, BEVMO is not one of them.
But The Wine Stop is.
Why? (you ask).
Service. The staff here is not only friendly but are knowledgeable. They hand pick their inventory and are passionate about what they sell. If you have a question about a particular Oregon pinot, make no mistake they will know and will tell you all about it right down to the last detail.
A Japanese whiskey? Yep, they carry those too and you will leave the shop feeling like an expert.
For those of you who are driving in, there is plenty of metered parking right behind the store. There is also free (2 hour) street parking in (and around) Burlingame.

They have the best selection of craft brewed beer on the Peninsula at fairly reasonable prices. The younger clerk seemed very knowledgeable and helpful. They even had my favorite German Ice Wine which I scooped up. After making the purchase, he even asked me if I needed help carrying the beer to my car. I’ll defiantly come back here in the future. Cheers.

Wow, people be all down on this place. Went in to look at wines then got distracted by beer and liquors. They carry an array of Suntory whiskies and their Hibiki 12 is actually a few bucks cheaper than the BevMo down the way. Wine selection is just ok. I think the beer and hard alcohol are more compelling

came in here for jenni rivera tequila (only place that had it), thats all the positive I had to say about the place! spent 240 bucks on stuff and never been at a place that made me feel like an outsider, or someone that they thought was going to shoplift!
I made the trip from san francisco and I wont be back unless I have to

Excellent prices and speedy service (with a few minor glitches). A wonderful selection of wines and spirits, second only to K&L, and about 20% cheaper all around. I love K&L — it’s only a block from my workplace down at 4^th and Bluxome in San Francisco, but the prices are normal retail. The Wine Stop beats them AND BevMo for the finer wines and spirits. Highly recommended. They even have parking out back (just off Burlingame Avenue) for quick pick-​ups.

The wine stop has provided phenomenal customer service for years, each one of the employees has a great taste in wine beer and spirits. I have never walked out with a bad choice.

pretty good selection, they have a bar in the back but it wasnt open

For those with the most discerning taste. You can find great unique wines here. Always a delight to stop in here.

Yes, as someone else said BUYER BEWARE
And again, the worst customer service.
One man ignored me (the father that VO mentions I ‘m sure) when I said I needed help
I persisted
He pointed to a younger guy, a rather arrogant guy, who did «help» me
What I got were two crapstastic bottles of Pinot. One with a twist off cap which was defective. I’ll never get my money back because I stupidly paid cash (pay with a card and you do a charge back)
I’m going to say that these people don’t know squat about wine and they seem to hate or feel indifferent towards women and gay people.
That aside, they carry brands that you’ll see at Bev Mo.. . hello. . I cudda gone to Bev Mo if I wanted cheapy cheapy.
I expect more in Burlingame. These guys should open a falafel shop. Or leave the area.

Sloppy Service
I ordered thru them online to ship to another state on Dec 17. Kept checking the courier tracking website but it produced no details. Finally called the Wine Stop dec 29 to inquire. The guy who answered said one of the bottles I had ordered ‘broke’ and they had to re-​order a replacement from the winery. I received no call or email notification while this fiasco at the Wine Stop occurred! The person on the other end evaded my questions on why they made no attempt to call me. Instead he pointed out it would be another 2 weeks before they could ship out my order. There’s no way I’m rewarding incompetence and sloppy service by ordering again from the Wine Slop!

Buyer Beware!
I wish I could rate this store lower (ideally, less than zero stars).
Easily the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
The three brothers and their dad that run this place outdo each other in treating customers like CRAP. This business flouts basic rules of client service and will probably not remain in business for long!
Caveat emptor!

Family business that has been here for decades, and they aim to please. Great selection and great knowledge, and if you give them a sense for what you like they will have numerous suggestions for wines you may not have heard of that fit what you are looking for perfectly. Prices are reasonable including on higher end wines where other wine shops gouge a bit more. International wines from more than just France and Italy are also part of the equation, and the staff knowledge extends to those as well. Just ask them for help, they really want to help and tell them what you are trying to solve for you will be amazed how they will give you options and a great solution.

These guys have a nice selection of highly rated wines. They tend to have a lot of the wines recommended by the Wine Spectator in stock at reasonable prices.
I was looking for a 2007 Round Pond cabernet and they had it on display right up front.

I have been a customer of wine stop for many years and always have a great experience. This is one of the best wine store in peninsula. Excellent selections and always low prices. This place has wines you can’t find anywhere else.

My father purchased a case of wine, that was the wrong kind, I also found the same wine, MUCH cheaper at another store, not that it matter in this case. I went to return it LESS THAN 24 HOURS after purchase and they gave me some song and dance about California law not being able to return wine after it leaves the store. I of course asked them to show me this law (they had a computer 3 feet from the counter) and they refused.
This place is over priced and their customer service was horrid. I will actively WARN people not to go there.

If you know what you want, this is a great place!
I got a great deal on a nice bottle of Caymus.
I only saw one employee in the whole place, and he seemed more interested in his phone conversation than my wine purchase.
Great prices if you don’t mind little to nada service.

Being that this is a wine shop in Burlingame, despite the cheesy red stop sign above the door, you assume this will be a classy upscale place with classy upscale wines. The latter, yes. The former, no. They stock Opus 1, Sterling and Cakebread among a sparse selection of my favorite gerwurtraminers, but the classy atmosphere is noticeably absent.
You get the feeling that you’re in a dark and dreary warehouse, bottles kept haphazardly with no regard to their safety and well being. Something like a puppy mill for wine. Talk to the people that work there, you’re glad they only stock inanimate objects. They don’t present themselves in a way that instills faith in their wine recommending abilities nor do they seem to care about wine. One patron asked if they carried wine from a certain vineyard and he received a response of «no» and nothing else. The employee didn’t bother to come out from behind the counter to look for the wine or to find an equivalent wine. He just said «no» and waited for the customer to walk away. Luckily they post ratings from wine magazines to aid your choice.
To sum it up: service is bad, conditions are less than optimal, prices are so-​so but selection is good. Plus an added bonus that they are right around the corner from me and are the only place other than Safeway that sells wine. They have my business.