The Best Cellar

Being in dire need of a top quality bottle of Valpolicella for a Verona stylized Romeo and Juliet theme party, hopefully without a drag queen Juliet (As most of the Juliet types of Wilton Manors tend to be. LOL!) or a death ending scene, I stopped by The Best Cellar, and glad that I did.
I was immediately greeted by the owner, Richard, who not only had precisely what I was looking for in a Valpolicella wine, a «Classico» of the original production region grape, but also graciously gave me a darn good education about it. And, having myself spent a considerable period of time boozing it up in and around the area of Verona I knew to be on spot correct.
There are a good number of reasons I really like The Best Cellar. The store is well set out, good arrangement, really gorgeous in a classical style, with a good variety of some difficult to find select wines. Best of all, I found them all to be at prices I would consider reasonable. Also the good advice of the owner, Richard, can prove to be invaluable in making good value selections. For example I selected a wine priced at $ 35, but Richard advised me of an equally outstanding substitution priced at $ 13.50. I ended up purchasing both bottles but when later comparing the two together, found the differences between the two imperceptible.
I should also note that The Best Cellar has an emailing list, which if you sign up, will keep you posted as to the availability of select wines, most of which come from smaller estate vineyards not found in any other wine stores. You will also receive notices for evening wine tastings at a cost of approximately $ 20 charged with your reservation but most often later applied in full toward your purchase price of a case, should you so choose.

I can’t speak to the quality of a tasting event here but I don’t doubt it’s a great time. Recently a friend took me in this shop. I had been before but the owner I thought was standoffish. My friend did have to prod him a bit but once he got started talking about the wine and letting us taste; down the rabbit hole we went. By the time we left, The owner had poured us each five separate tastings of incredibly good wine. We left with five bottles because he carries uncommonly good wine. He knows this. I opened the Merlot with my family tonight. They loved it. The Zin I bought was the best I’ve ever had and the Syrah was amazing. And I don’t like Syrah. So, all of that said, if you want to buy high quality wine at reasonable prices and dare to come in this shop to try them; you won’t be disappointed. It was a great fun experience for me and I still have two bottles left to drink at my leisure. Cheers!

Looking for great wine at value pricing? Go no further! Richard’s Best Cellar is fantastic! He will teach you about wine and his tastings are out of this world! You get to taste a lot of great wines before you buy them. We are lucky to have the Best Cellar right here in Wilton Manors! Kudos to Richard!

I’ve been here in years past and I can tell you it’s down hill from here. Rich has become more aggressive in his sales techniques. I do not appreciate being made to feel as if I have to purchase a bottle of wine and when I do purchase the «customary’ bottle I’m made to feel guilty that I’m not purchasing more.

Richard is the best host with great entertainment, often generous bonus wines and simply a love for wine that is shared with his guests. I would not recommend wasting time with any other wine shops in SoFLo. BTW the wines are offered and stupid good prices too!

Half of the wines were good but the host talks (actually yells) the whole time and ruins the mood. Plus, he is super pushy about selling the wine and tries to make you feel bad that you only paid $ 20 for the wine tasting. Not for a younger crowd. Not for a date. The cheese was old/​gross and the place was a little musty. I might stop in to buy a bottle of wine but not to listen to that guy talk for 2 hours in a place with no atmosphere.

I recommend Richard’s to everyone of my customers as the owner of a painting studio right across the street. His selection of wines is amazing. As you purchase from him on a regular basis, he understands your taste preferences and makes suggestions he knows you will truly enjoy. This is a must do for locals and visitors. Don’t miss out on Richard’s Best Cellar wine tastings and wine selection. The wine tasting bar is beautifully decorated. Great parking-​no issues there.

Richard hosts the most fun, entertaining, and delicious wine tastings you will find anywhere. He always serves up the most delicious wines at great prices. I’m a repeat customer.

We had a great experience. I have been here numerous times. This is a great place to have a get together. Richard is repetitively knowledgeable. I know he has to make money but do hope he could give better deals or offers in the future for the wine. I will be back. I went with my husband, and family.

WOW. Just wow. I bought the livingsocial deal and when I called in to RSVP for the wine tasting I was asked for a credit card to «hold the spot.» Since this is already paid with livingsocial, I refused and was told that «you livingsocial people have to understand that this is a prestigious wine tasting class, not a party.» And that «all restaurants do this… you obviously haven’t been to the Mai Kai.» Not only have I been to the Mai Kai, several times, no one does this. I will not trust a company I’ve never been to, to have my credit card information for no reason.
He then went on to explain that if we show up at 8:01 that our credit card will be charged $ 45 a person and he doesn’t want to «waste wine on us.» Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there… he also mentioned each person MUST purchase two bottles of wine EACH, which was not mentioned in the livingsocial deal. And his reason was that «you are only paying $ 15 for two people to drink all night.»
Rude, no thank you.

This is my fourth time here and possibly my last. Richard tells the same stories each time and doesn’t teach you about wine. He doesn’t explain how the wine is made or what to pair it with. He tells you to drink it so you have a longer life.
He always acts like everything is the last case and we need to rush to buy it. Many of the wines were repeated from the tasting I did 3 months ago.

While I just discovered this gem, I’m so excited to go back. I stopped in on Saturday w/​my parents and husband to find the owner, Richard, and a friend chatting while sharing some wine and cheese. We browsed for about 30 seconds and were invited, so graciously, to join them. We browsed some more, purchased a bottle of wine to share, then enjoyed a few hours learning about the wines Richard carries and about his wine tastings.
I’m so happy to be a local. I’ll definitely be back… SOON!
Richard, if you read this, thank you so much!

Wow… this is quite a deal. $ 15 for over 2 hours and probably 15 if not more tastings. The owner also offers fabulous deals on all the wines you try. There is cheese and bread on the table but I understand you can bring your own munchies as well which I suggest.

No idea where to start. This was my first wine tasting experience. Some friends had mentioned how entertaining Richard is… and that was an understatement. One of the most funny times I have had. Richard is so dramatic and his tales of how many cases of each wine is beyond funny. The session was educational. I had never tasted a red zinfindale. I also reinforced many ideas such as that I hate most dessert wines. My friends each bough several cases of wine. We had a table full of interesting personalities. I was kinda surprised more gay men were not present. Very little eye candy. But a great wine tasting for $ 15.

We have done Richard’s wine tastings & organized large groups several times over the years and his quirky personality usually is pretty entertaining. The last time we went during the holidays, we organized for a dozen friends to meet and arranged with Richard that we would bring appetizers to share… with the request from Richard not to put anything but mild cheese out until after tasting to not spoil the flavor of the wine.
The wine was good but we aren’t so psyched to plan another event here. Richard was very rude to our group, practically scolding us like a school teacher for talking to one another. We understand the presentation value and his desire to sell us wine but we also like to have a good time… and let’s face it, after a bit of wine tasting we were all laughing it up! The tasting was also so slow this time due to his melodramatic pauses that we ended up bringing our food out early because everyone was hungry! As usual, our group bought lots of wine but one friend was so fed up with Richard’s attitude that she didn’t buy anything on principle. This is a nice wine bar but there are lots of choices popping up in town… I am not sure if/​when we will return.

Wine tasting was an adventure. I couldn’t say that there were many favorites in the tasting but a few hit some notes. The owner was entertaining somewhat and as someone else said, it improved with the pours. But don’t expect a generous pour or more if you are curious with a certain bottle. All in all a good time with friends but it seemed like HSN meets wine but in a less assuming way. The wines tended to be discoveries and may not wow a more experienced palette. Just my 2 cents.

That was fun! Entertaining evening priced at $ 15−20pp for Zin-​Fest during which we explored a list of a dozen Zinfandels of Napa Valley and a few bonuses, including a champagne-​ish sparkling version, at a lovely table of 6 other guests. Richard, your eccentric host, and Jan are friendly folks and you can bet on making new friends or running into old acquaintances at this sweet spot. Learn a bit about the flavors and savors of vino while you munch on cheese, crackers, and a bite of bread. One guest brought her own olives — awesome idea though it affects the palate– guests can feel free to bring their own munchies. End the night by taking home a delicious and very well priced bottle of your favorite (s). This is a great place to start-​off date night, loosen up, learn about wine, and then embark on your next adventure, or head home to drink a glass from the fine bottle you purchased as a souvenir from your wine workshop. Located next to the Old Florida Seafood House, this unassuming strip mall boutique wine shop will be a spot you’ll come back to. I know I will. Chin chin!

Just went to The Best Cellar last night for their $ 15 wine tasting, after hearing good things about it. On the plus side, $ 15 is a great value for what you’re getting. We tasted 12 different wines, met some very nice people and had bread, crackers and cubes of mozzarella set out for us at the table.
However, the place was packed with people and Richard, the proprietor, only got to explain the different wines very briefly as he was constantly running around filling people’s glasses. Also, besides a sparking wine at the beginning, there was only one white on the tasting menu (not including a dessert wine). The order we tasted wines in was somewhat arbitrary and most came from Australia.
We also couldn’t help but feeling like we were in the middle of a fire sale, tasting wines that the shop was actively trying to get rid of. When we only chose to buy one $ 16 bottle at the end, my husband was chided for not buying more bottles I guess since some people were buying entire cases of wine. This is a fun night out, but not the most educational wine tasting I’ve ever been to.

Oh my, where do I start? I came here for the $ 15 «wine tasting» class and I left a little confused as to what had happened.
I’m not going to lie, after speaking with many people who have frequented other wine bars and wine tastings, this class is still one of the best deals in FL.
Just don’t expect to come here for a formal, educational wine class, expect to come for the entertainment. The owner is a unique fellow who basically approaches the class with the intention to sell you as many wine bottles as possible. He has a lot of out-​worldly stories to tell, but he gets rather entertaining after a glass or two of wine :)
The store itself is clean and rather modest and the prices overall are reasonable. I wouldn’t necessarily bring a date here, but it’s a great place to come with a large group of friends.

This place is the best kept wine secret in Wilton Manors/​Ft Lauderdale.
Huge variety, you can go for wine tasting or just hang out and enjoy a bottle of wine with your friends.
This place is word of mouth and If he served Tapas, I believe even more people will come!
I learned so much with Richard about all the different wines and regions!
You have to go there, and meet him, he’s a real character ;-)