Perman Wine Selections

We feel lucky to have this place in our neighborhood. We’ve walked by a bunch of times and we always mention that we want to check it out. We finally ventured in this past weekend and I’m glad we did. During our time there, Craig had several regulars come in and it was obvious they considered him a friend and were longtime customers. He took his time with everyone, including us, and could not have been friendlier and more informative. His selections were spot on and he’s curated a great mix of great Price to Quality Ratio wines as we well as high end bottles.
He also has a great monthly sampler program of inexpensive daily drinkers that he curates himself. We’re definitely purchasing that to give ourselves an opportunity to try different wines that we’d normally not think to try.
One of my goals of 2016 is to really learn more about wine and it seems like Craig’s selections will be very helpful towards that!

Interesting place to pick the perfect wine for any event. I passed by a few times and decided to stop in to see what Perman was all about, Glad I did.
All I had to do was tell him what I was exactly looking for and they guided me to a few selections and I was sold. All their wines are reasonable priced between $ 20 to 40.

Don’t buy wine anywhere else. Perman always has a selection of outstanding and reasonably priced wine. They will even keep track of what you buy so that they can give you recommendations based on your last visit. I cannot say enough good things about Perman.

Always enjoy visiting this store. The staff, Craig and Sheb, are knowledgable, friendly, and professional. Great selection of wines you can’t find anywhere else plus spirits and beer.

The beer selection is good, but I got an unpleasant remark when I lifted the 4 pack off of the counter to help her put the beers in the bag. Maybe she was having a bad day

I live nearby and wanted to check it out to grab a bottle for a nice meal I was having and Perman blew me away! I normally drink red wine and asked for a recommendation for a white from Sheb. She immediately recommended 3 that she thought I may like and I went with her first suggestion. I absolutely LOVED this wine (Rall White 2013). I already plan on going back to buy more.
I also picked out a cheaper bottle which we also enjoyed. I’ll be doing all my wine shopping at Perman from now on!

Our company recently held our holiday party at Perman’s and the ambiance, service and wine was fantastic. The owner of Perman’s walked us through every wine we tasted and was super knowledgeable and friendly. I’d definitely come back to pick up a few bottles of wine for parties and/​or gifts.

Great place with reasonable prices and expertly picked selection of booze. Note they have beer and liquor (limited selection) as well. They will never frown on you asking for a specific price range either. I have added this to my list of places that don’t suck.

You have a few really nice things here: Craig — I’m assuming he’s the owner. Good selection and variety.
When I came in he was helping someone else, he greeted me and you can tell that the other customer was a regular and appreciated his help and I could tell by the comments that Craig had never steered him wrong!
I was going to a BYOB dinner. I told Craig where and he knew the menu well. Not wanting a red and white (only a red — can’t drink both) he picked a wine that would pair well with a variety of dishes, not too heavy with good fruit. A really nice wine from Sicily. He chose 3 wines from me to choose from (I had given him my price point) — then I asked him what wine HE would choose. He chose the one from Sicily — not only did we LOVE it (actually loved the wine more than the dinner) it was the least expensive of all three.
I loved and appreciated the service and knowledge.

For a small store, hard to imagine a better selection, or better advice. So not the warehouse woohoo, but the small superb curation in a perfect west loop location.

I cannot say enough great things about this place. More often I’ve dealt with Sheb at the shop, and she’s great. She really knows her stuff. I love that between her and Craig I feel like I have my own personal wine buyers.
I also love the 6 for $ 60 so much. I’d say on average it’s more like 6 for $ 65, but it’s still a great deal. I love trying new wines and tend to get overwhelmed at how many options are out there, so this is a really fun way to try some new and interesting stuff that I never have heard of at great prices. And they encourage you to try some things you maybe wouldn’t want to try (of course they let you swap out if you KNOW you don’t like it). I tried a Sherry for the first time, and I didn’t love it, but I don’t think I would have tried it, or known what the best pairing for it was, without their recommendations.
Support small business and get yourself over to Perman Wine Selections today! Even if you don’t live in the area (I live on the Northside) it’s worth the effort to get down there.

Craig Perman knows what he’s doing on selection and food pairing. His selections are brilliant and his price points give fantastic value. His monthly samplers offer 6 selections for around $ 60, and they have never left me disappointed.
He also offers higher end selections like Barolos, scotches, and even craft beers.
This is one of my favorite shops in town.

Our favorite little wine shop! Craig is the best and always goes out of his way to make sure you’re getting a wine that’s exactly what you’re looking for. If you a bit of a wine nerd, just ask a few questions and be prepare to be amazed by Craigs knowledge. I don’t mean, «this is a blend of malbec and cinsault». I mean, «this producer only created 300 cases in 2005 and the vineyard is located in this quaint mountain village that is set atop cliffs that overlook the ocean that bring the cool, briny breeze the keeps the grapes cool so they don’t ripen too quickly» level of detail. I love it! But, on those occasions when I just need a quick chilled bottle of white for dinner Craig can get me in and out in no time!
Check out the 6 for $ 60. It’s a great way to try a lot of different wines; some familiar some new. A new mix of 6 wines comes out each month.

Take advantage of Chicago’s best Personal Wine/​Booze Consultant!
Whether it’s pairing the perfect wine with a $ 4 Tombstone pizza or shopping a rare $ 2,000 scotch, head to Perman Wine Selections. It is a definite must before any BYOB dining.
Highlights:
— The epitome of beauty and brains, Craig Perman.
— Unique selection of wines, sakes, craft beers and spirits at all price points. Try the monthly 6 for $ 60-​something!
— Shopping to the best of Hip Hop, Rap, R&B and Neo Soul.

Craig Perman never disappoints. His taste is impeccable. Many of his wines are not sold at big box retailers like Binny’s. I have tried many of his picks, and they have all been dead-​on. Prices are incredibly reasonable. I will never buy wine anywhere else!
Craig Perman is a wine genius!!!
And Harold’s Chicken is opening next door in the old Grocery Bistro space. Champagne and fried chicken, anyone?

With the continued consolidation of mega-​retailers in the wine business, and lobbyists pushing for restrictions on wine delivery, it is heartening to know that on the opposite end, there are boutique wine retailers who are intensely passionate about what they do. Craig Perman is one of them.
Perman Wines is a small shop in the West Loop. For a while, it was sort of the de-​facto place for diners going to Grocery Bistro, given that they are next door to each other. I first heard of it through a good friend, at a wine dinner co-​hosted by Perman Wines and X-​Marx. You sign up on the mailing list, and most information is disseminated through email newsletters. There are regular features where Mr Perman would introduce new and exciting products. There are the 6-​for-​$ 60 and 6-​for-​$ 120 samplers. These are sets that Mr Perman selects and puts together. There are also myriad tasting events at the store that are extremely popular and sell out quickly.
What do i like about Perman Wines? For one, the passion about wine. Mr Perman takes extended trips to source interesting wines. In one way it eliminates the whole tangle of importers, distributors, and wholesalers. I’ve been introduced to very interesting wines and vitners. For example, Domaine de L’Hortus is a label I’ve now given as gifts, drank at home, and also served at gatherings. I just also recently tasted a very fantastic syrah from Morocco. Morocco! Who knew? I also like that the small store provides for a very close interaction with Mr Perman. This is not a store with sales staff who only rings the register.
Why 5 stars? Great selections. Exceptional service. Always something new to learn from. Most importantly, there would be occasions for someone’s house wine, but as Perman’s company credo states — Life’s too short to drink average wine.

I heart Perman wine! Craig is the absolute best at finding the exact type of wine I am looking for every time I go in there, and it never disappoints. Every bottle of wine I’ve bought from Craig has been excellent. And the prices… they cannot be beat. He must not have much overhead because his prices are really great. He always finds me a delicious bottle in my price range.
Craig also sends out these occasional emails if you sign up for them that are very informative about wines I’ve never even heard of! He is extremely knowledgeable about wine.
If you are in the West Loop and looking for a great bottle of wine in your price range, definitely check out Perman Wines!

Blizzard conditions outside.
A publishing house entertainment budget.
Five minutes to spare before my dinner reservation.
A group of coworkers had entrusted me to choose a restaurant and bring wine for dinner with a client –who I knew had excellent taste in both — so the pressure was on.
Choosing a restaurant was a no brainer, after hearing so many wonderful things about the Grocery Bistro. And I had a feeling the wine wouldn’t be too hard, either: Enter Craig Perman.
I’ve been getting his e-​newsletters for the past couple of months; every word he writes is dripping with wine knowledge.
So I burst in the door with those five minutes to spare and said, «Help. I need wine. I have a client to impress. But I don’t have much money. Help. And I’m cold. HELP.»
He patted me on the head — okay, not really — and led me to the wall of wine. The selection here isn’t huge, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s hand picked to cater to all budgets and tastes, and I’ll bet it’s all delicious. He found me a bottle of red, a mid-​priced Cotes du Rhone, and a bottle of Prosecco before the meal. Both bottles for $ 33.
Craig isn’t nearly as friendly as I’d expected him to be – I was verging on obsequious as I told him how much I loved his newsletter, and I’d e-​mailed him earlier that day, and he was still pretty blasé — but, you know. He doesn’t have to be friendly. There’s so much knowledge in his head that it’s edged out a lot of the niceties. I get that. I should probably just delete this part, but eh. Personality goes a long way with me.
The people next door at Grocery Bistro love him, with good reason. He knows food and wine pairings, and customers could even pop over after ordering and pick out the perfect match for their meal. There’s some serious synergy there; I imagine neither place would do as well without the other.

Well, well. Quite the combo here with a swell little wine shop next to a bustling babe of a BYOB (Grocery Bistro).
Stop in prior to dining, and they’ll hook you up with some bottles that will tickle your fancy… they’ve got a well pondered selection of wine from all over the world (modest on the champagne), and a smattering of craft beers. I actually made a stop in AFTER dinner, just to check it out… and despite not really NEEDING anything, left with two bottles based on explanation alone. $ 15 a pop, doesn’t break the bank… the prices run the gammut, and there is something for all, most def.
Talk to Craig, if he’s available. His passion for wine is evident. He’s the brainchild. He explained that while he does a nice retail business, he is most keyed into private ordering… which where the newsletter comes in, with a frugal surprise (yay! my fav)
Sign up for the newsletter… much care and devotion are swirled into this lengthy (yet, easily palatable) email. Bonus: It’s mostly text, so you won’t be inundated with crappy stock photography of wine bottles, grapes, vines or anything else random. I hate those… this is straight to the point, penned by the Permaster himself.
My favorite diddy: Perman’s 6 wines for $ 60. It just so happens I have room for 6 bottles in my perpetually-​vacant wine rack. Problem solved by Perman, on the cheap. Announced via email, ordered via email, picked up in-​store. Voila. (good news: metered parking is quite easy outside the store…)
It’s a very nice sampling of six wines… reds/​whites, at a very good price, allowing even the most inexperienced vinophile (myself) to look at her wine rack and ask guests, «I have 6 or so bottles, what do you prefer to drink this evening?»
Ahem, fancy. I like.
Thanks for solving my «how to the hell do I pick out wine like an adult» dilemma…

I just want to say that this guy knows his stuff! Stopped by here to pick up a few bottles of vino to have with dinner next door at the Grocery Bistro tonight and I was impressed.
I found Craig, the owner, who not only was highly knowledgeable about wines and finding me the perfect one (or two or three!) — but was also a good guy in helping me with the quarter situation for the meters (those darn meters again– getting in the way of my good times!)
We talked for awhile about the wines that I like, and that my friends like and he ended up suggesting a couple that I had never heard of and one that I actually knew of. All were delicious and the perfect accompaniment to our dinner. He even has the whites chilled and ready to go!
All in all the prices were reasonable– three bottles of wine were about $ 90 (one Pinot Noir that I picked ran $ 40 alone but was a great value for the vintage and is one of my favorites) The service was exceptional, and I find it hard to believe that this place has been here for about a year and a half and I didn’t know it given the amount of time I have spent in the W, Loop!
Craig also does wine tasting parties with cheeses brought in from Pastoral. His tasting room seats about 12 and seems like it would be a great way to kill an afternoon with some work colleagues.
Parking is metered (I know, I know– bring quarters the next time) and you get about 15 minutes for your quarter. Just enough time to have Craig help you pick out that next great bottle of wine! Cheers!