Wine Impression

Awesome store! i went in with no knowledge of good wine and was pleasantly surprised with the detail and care that was given to me! Thank you!

I stopped in here to pick up a good bottle of wine for a family member. The store itself is amazing, and with so many different types of wine you can be in there forever. They also have cheap to really expensive wine for any occasion. The gentlemen that helped me was so helpful, and patient with me since I had no idea what the hell I was getting. So if you a wine junkie or just enjoy some good wine, you gotta go here.

I question the (numerous) rave reviews, but this is an OK wine store. I conclude the intersection of wine enthusiast, Unilocal and presidio heights is a small, but effusive, ebullient crowd of tipplers.
There’s a decent selection from the eclectic and peculiar, to the main stream. All priced within reason, if predictably a little on the high side, give or take, but you wouldn’t be coming to this store for bargains, just for a non-​chain-​store purchase instead of the big discount or supermarket aisle.
Some interesting Champagne selections, so I’ll be back. The folks their seem well-​informed and the shelves are well stocked with good stuff. You probably won’t invest in your cellar from these shelves, but you can certainly pick up a few decent bottles of plonk (I think I coined the phrase «cellar savers») to save that cellar from being ransacked by your boozing friends. :)
Also a couple of beers, a wall of spirits and cocktail mixers.
Very much the «local» sort of shop. FYI, more parking in back.

The people who work here always are helpful and knowledgeable. I’ve never been disappointed with anything they recommend.
Really good selection of California French and S American wines.

BEST WINE SHOP IN SF. Hands down. Unpretentious if you promise to be the same! Wide range of many delicious wines. I especially like their VAST selection of white wines (in cooler and on rack) from Italia y Espana, many between $ 15 – 20.

This place just sucks. It may have the worst service of any wine store I have ever been to. Going to buy wines for the holidays should be fun, and when you are spending hundreds of dollars at a small store, the staff should be helpful. Instead, it is a total buzz-​kill going here. I usually put up with it and just buy something, but today I just could not bring myself to give them the business– so I walked out empty-​handed.

A great wine shop that carries a really nice selection. Good variety of price points, and really kind service. I never feel rushed or pressured to buy something. During our last visit, we bought two French Rhone blends and a Pinot Gris. Excited to try them!

Impressionable little place.
I discovered this lovely wine shop while working at a clients home nearby, and figured I would stop in to pick up a bottle wine before heading home.
Wine Impression is located off California blvd in a little shopping center sandwiched between a handful of shops and just a few skips away from Starbucks on the corner. There is one hour parking available in the lot in the back of the shops, which is quite pleasantly convenient.
Decent sized shop. And they seem to have a decent selection of wines that are priced from affordable ($ 15-​$ 20.) to quite expensive $ 100+). The majority of the wines seem to all be quite unique.
I was approached by one of the owners I believe, and asked If I needed any assistance. I told him I was just looking for a decent Cab/​Zin for under $ 20.00. He then suggested blend called Clos De Los Siete which is a blend of Malbec, Cabernet, Merlot Syrah and Petit Verdot. And it was right under budget.
This wine turned out EXCELLENT! Smooth and velvety is what the gentlemen that helped me described the texture, and that is exactly how it was. Superb in taste, complex and smooth.
I will probably stop by again on my next visit out this way.

Triple threat: Peter, Raymond & Rusty in the house this evening. As usual, whether I need champagne to impress or something to go with a Cantonese meal, these guys will have a terrific recommendation. This is a friendly wine shop and well stocked. I live in the neighborhood, but I have friends who drive across town just because we all trust the folks at wine impressions and enjoy learning more about wine each time we return. Thanks!

I LOVE wine impressions, and am embarrassed that this is my first time writing a review. The gentlemen at this store really know their stuff, not just about the wines they carry, but about all the liquors that they carry. Recently, I visited to buy a scotch for a friend who had done a great favor for me, but needed help as I know nothing about scotch. I spent about 20 minutes speaking with one of the owners (there are three of them and they are all very friendly), and he gave me an incredible education, such that I feel like I could walk into any store and generally find my way around the scotch section… not that I would, I will always go back to wine impressions! He helped me pick out the perfect scotch for my friend, while being conscientious of my friend’s taste and my budget. On previous occasions they have helped me to pick out rum, and wine. A great neighborhood store with very friendly owners and very knowledgeable who are happy to give you one on one attention, and tell you everything you could ever wish to know about what you’re looking for. And when you give them the price point you’re looking for, you aren’t treated any differently.

Fantastic wine shop with great service. After telling the gentleman what I was having for supper he pulled out a white wine from the cooler. I was pleasantly surprised how affordable the suggestion was (less than $ 15). When I got it home and opened, I was even more pleased with how delicious it ended up being.

Excellent specialty wine shop! They are so knowledgeable and good stuff for all price ranges. Every time I have been there I have always found steal on good stuff like champagne and hard liquor. They also carry some really obscure liqueurs. I love supporting this smaller business and I definitely recommend giving this place a shot. I think they may sell wine by the case as well but don’t quote me on that.

The knowledge of the floor staff is impressive. I’d recommend anyone even somewhat nearby to come here. While I don’t live very close, I get my hair cut nearby and wanted to make use of the parking validation behind the Laurel Village Ctr.
Seeing inside was a bit tough so the size of the store was a very pleasant surprise. Of course, I was looking for a pretty specialized section: portos, amidst dessert wine. I walked by it at least twice before it, near the back. BTW, stores with two entrances is a really nice feature at Laurel Village, after their almost-​free parking lot.
Here’s where my visit started getting good: Wine Impression carries nearly 10 labels of 10yr tawny port. Nice variety for such a specialized product, right? There wine selection must be comparable as well. Anyway it’s far more brands than most wine stores, even the locally «famous» places.
In addition, the cashier (owner?) spent several minutes with me to talk about their standing within the portosphere. DYK that one of the port manufacturers sued the government for its right to get different grapes outside the mandatory process? I hadn’t known it either, but I chose the bottle from that company. Turned out to be a real hit, as you might guess.

This place is great! I usually go here if I am ever in Laurel village, which is about once every couple of months. Every time I have been in they have been nothing but helpful!
Their wine/​food pairings are nothing short of being spot on. Tell them what you are cooking for dinner and the price and style of wine you are generally looking for, and they will pick the perfect match for you.
Had them help me navigate my first bottle of Scotch and I must say that it was quite good.
Great people, great wine selection!

Me, being the furthest thing from a sommelier, am totally lost when it comes to picking wines. When I came here I did my best to look pathetic enough in hopes of soliciting some help (Plan A). No one took the bait… dammit! So Plan B: I cut the BS and asked one of the owners for some advice. I gave him a price range and told him I was looking for some cabernet sauvignon, muscat, and a white. He was quick to show me a couple of options. SO EASY… and FAST!
I ended up trying 2 of the 3 wines I had purchased and…
1) THE best cab I’ve ever tasted (outside of a winery) – and my bf’s mom, who’s an avid wine enthusiast, loved it too!
2) It was a sparkling muscat. Best muscat EVER. Friends even took a picture of the bottle so that they could find some when they went back to LA.
Tips:
1) Friendly and knowledgeable service once you initiate some dialogue, otherwise they seem to ignore you. Cut the BS and just ask for some help, asshole! =P
2) They have weekly wine tastings.

I have to admit — I was apprehensive about going back into Wine Impression after my previous experience with a VERY surly older gentleman who worked there (he made me feel as if he thought I was going to shove a bottle of Chardonnay in my oversized purse). But after purchasing some meat from Bryan’s (two doors down), I thought I’d give it another shot.
The store is a bit cramped (to be expected in SF), and some of the bottles a bit dusty, but they have a generally good selection of domestic and mostly French and Italian wines, varying in price point from $ 7−200+. They also have a section for spirits and even carry my beloved Crème de Cassis (mmmm Kir Royale!). Peter was super helpful, suggesting a few things that he thought might suit my tastes, and I ended up buying two bottles — a Syrah that was lovely (for $ 10!) and a bottle of Bordeaux (have yet to try that one). This experience completely erased my memory of the first visit, and I think I’ll be stopping in whenever I’m in the area.

I wanted to get my father some nice dessert wines for Christmas and they were super helpful in picking out reasonably priced but very high quality dessert wines.
The best part is that even though I’m in my twenties, they treated me like they would someone who’s been going there for years.
In the end, my dad was super pleased, I was treated like a human being, and I didn’t spend more than $ 50.

After all of these years, I have to update my review…
Feel free to step up and make contact first — the staff tries to let people explore without invading customer space… and once you do make contact, be prepared to find out everything there is about a grape varietal, vineyard, or winery or liquor producer.
Now for their offerings. Find gems from all around the world. The wines are primarily placed by old world and new world wine regions. Most of us are used to New World categories by grape varietal, whereas Old World is by region. Their buying power is reflected in the rare product and ability to get larger quantities. If you want top grade bubbly, it’s the place to be able to get the quantities at. It’s fun to mill about in the shop as well.
Wine Impression loves paying tribute to both the historic rare producers and fun newbies that may have a lot of potential. The shop especially prides itself on supporting local producers. Make sure to grab a schedule of upcoming featured producers — the winemakers, brewmasters, liquor producers spend the day or weekend sharing their gems with visitors. Many of the featured guests never bother with public appearances, especially as small producers.
The quirky, eclectic staff is made of die hard fans that drive from long distances to help out and local industry folks gaining the highest immersion education. The owners are laid back and fun… so seasoned in their industry, they continually judge the most prestigious wine & liquor competitions in the world. My experiences range from nearly the last 10 years of family wine import and distribution as well as being a neighborhood customer.
As for the cologne comment from Mr. and Mrs. L… Wine industry people typically do not use scented products of any sort because they do indeed throw off sensory analysis. Just as most do not eat sweet before a power tasting, because everything will taste sour afterwards.
Wine Impression founders can most likely tell you how a wine’s finished just by taste… Consumers are going to see more and more reflective labeling and you’ll eventually be grossed out by the ingredients of the large production & bargain wines you’ve been buying at the huge discount stores!

I was torn, horribly, horribly torn, in my star rating for A Wine Impression. On the plus side, the shop has a nice selection and the owners are incredibly knowledgeable in that comfortable and friendly way that allows for any question. I got a fantastic education on sherries (my new obsession) and spent some delightful time discussing the merits of Greek wines.
On the minus side, I had to wait a loooooooooooonnnnnnng time to have that conversation.
I’ve been in A Wine Impression several times now and it seems like a typically nice San Francisco shop in which to browse. The charm and the draw, however, is the knowledge level of it’s owners — but there aren’t enough of them to go around! If this shop were the size of Vino SF or D&M it might work — but this place gets enough business and has enough space that they really need a couple more passionate salespeople. Should the owners discover a good cloning method and multiply themselves about three times, I will add another star.

Aside from a good inventory, the most important things in a wine merchant are staff that (1) listen; (2) tell the truth (including when they don’t like the inventory); and (3) care about the customer’s satisfaction.
Rusty isn’t «staff» per se since he’s a part owner, but he did tell me that I was spending too much on an inferior bottle of wine my first visit. I’ve trusted him implicitly ever since. Although we’re not always on the same page on some wines, I know he’s not just selling me stuff to sell me stuff.
Oh yeah, they’re all right about the Sunset Barbera. I still order it from them and have it shipped to DC. (Doesn’t mean any of you can have some. ITS ALL MINE!!!)