Imported Wine Stores

What is everyone favorite places to get imported wines? I am looking for a place that has good imported wines from the small vineyards in Italy's Chianti region. I have been to Sam's over at Clybourn and Willow and its decent.

Just wondering what other people use for imported wine shops.

bone wrote:What is everyone favorite places to get imported wines? I am looking for a place that has good imported wines from the small vineyards in Italy's Chianti region. I have been to Sam's over at Clybourn and Willow and its decent.

Just wondering what other people use for imported wine shops.

I don't buy domestic wine very much. I tend to drive up to the Wine Cellar up in Palatine a lot as Larry has an amazing selection and very cheap prices. I use Wine Discount Center a lot for stuff that I'm very particular about getting- I tend to order cases from them a lot. Cellar Rat isn't bad, over in Wicker Park, for getting quick, drinkable wines, but not much you'd want to collect and store in there. Everything in there is restaurant wine.

I'm also a fan of Wine Discount and "Larry's" in Palatine is the Wine Cellar on Northwest Highway. Also try Howard's on Belmont, and we've recently been turned on to Lush.

leek wrote:"Larry's" in Palatine is the Wine Cellar on Northwest Highway.

Not a strong Italian section at The Wine Cellar in Palatine.

mhill95149 wrote:

leek wrote:"Larry's" in Palatine is the Wine Cellar on Northwest Highway.

Not a strong Italian section at The Wine Cellar in Palatine.

I agree, though you find a great selection of new world wines in there. PS- they have an AMAZING deal on splits of some older Ridge right now.

jpschust wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:

leek wrote:"Larry's" in Palatine is the Wine Cellar on Northwest Highway.

Not a strong Italian section at The Wine Cellar in Palatine.

I agree, though you find a great selection of new world wines in there. PS- they have an AMAZING deal on splits of some older Ridge right now.

Very strong CA wines selection LK has been ahead of the curve in CA
Rhônes for many years.

Grand Cru wines in Arlington Heights is also a nice shop

The Binnys store in the South loop at 1132 S. Jefferson has a very good selection. Binnys and Wine Discount are generally at the lower end of the pricing spectrum locally. I but a lot of "imported" wine from out of state retailers web sites. If there is something in particular that you are looking for,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/ can be a very useful tool.

deesher wrote: I but a lot of "imported" wine from out of state retailers web sites. If there is something in particular that you are looking for,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/ can be a very useful tool.

until June 2008 that is...

mhill95149 wrote:

deesher wrote: I but a lot of "imported" wine from out of state retailers web sites. If there is something in particular that you are looking for,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/ can be a very useful tool.

until June 2008 that is...

Unless enforcement is stayed by a lawsuit...

leek wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:

deesher wrote: I but a lot of "imported" wine from out of state retailers web sites. If there is something in particular that you are looking for,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/ can be a very useful tool.

until June 2008 that is...

Unless enforcement is stayed by a lawsuit...

you are no doubt, a half-full wine glass kind of guy....

http://winemarketer.com/texas-stores-ca ... lines.html

The only store I know of that specializes in Italians is Convito Italiano in Wilmette. (Full disclosure: I worked there for a couple of years in the mid-80s.)
To my knowledge none of the original staff are still there and the focus has changed somewhat (at least it seems so from skimming their website).
Still, if you're interested in finding wines from smaller Chianti producers, this would be a prime place to begin. Sam's, Binny's et. al. all seem to have much the same selection of major producers. Nothing wrong with it, but not unique either.
During my time there we had an exclusive on a small Chianti producer for $4.99/btl. (sometimes I do miss that strong dollar), that was just delicious. Now, the name escapes me.
Howard, of Howard's Wine Cellar on Belmont is very into Spanish wines as great values these days, though he certainly stocks a good selection of Italians as well. He's definitely worth visiting and talking to if you're in the mood to experiment and broaden your horizons. Meanwhile:

Convito Italiano / Convito Café & Market
Address: 1515 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091
Telephone: (847) 251-3654
Website: www.convitoitaliano.com

Let us know what you find.


Good luck.

FYI- just got this in the e-mail box today:

Wines Of Italy" - The Best of the Best!


Come join us on Wednesday, March 12th for a tasting of 30-35 delicious Italian wines. We'll be pouring only the best noble wines from top producers in regions such as Tuscany, Piedmont, the Veneto, Campagnia and others. A few of the exciting wines you can taste and compare include: Ornellaia 2003, La Spinetta Barbaresco "Starderi" 2004 (95/100 W.A.), Barolos from Giacomo Conterno, Sandrone, Parusso and Paolo Scavino; Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2001 (94/100 W.A.), and Felsina "Fontalloro" 2004. Also, explore delicious, lesser-known wines such as Teraldego Rotaliano and Aglianico del Vulture. We'll provide a variety of Italian meats and cheeses to complement the wines. This unforgettable event is sure to sell out quickly, so make your reservations today.

Date: Wednesday, March 12th
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $35 per person
Location: Wine Discount Center, 311 E. Main Street, Barrington

I can't get to Barrington, but that is a mouth-watering list of great producers. I heartily recommend anyone with any interest getting out there for a taste. Caveat: most of those wines sound really young, so bring a tongue scraper, and some perspective.

leek wrote::)

http://winemarketer.com/texas-stores-ca ... lines.html

Hooray! Leek - excellent sleuthing! While not the total slam dunk against state protectionism I was hoping for, this really makes my day.

- Fillay

fillay wrote:

leek wrote::)

http://winemarketer.com/texas-stores-ca ... lines.html

Hooray! Leek - excellent sleuthing! While not the total slam dunk against state protectionism I was hoping for, this really makes my day.

BUT - I don't believe they are in the same judicial region as we are, so I don't think it's automatically applied to IL. It may only apply in TX. But my suspicion is that a similar suit will be filed in IL, and that the law here will be delayed.

leek wrote:BUT - I don't believe they are in the same judicial region as we are, so I don't think it's automatically applied to IL. It may only apply in TX. But my suspicion is that a similar suit will be filed in IL, and that the law here will be delayed.

Just after I read your post, I came across Eric Asimov's commentary on a recent NY interpretation of Granholm v. Heald which held the opposite of the Texas case (i.e. upheld differential treatment of in-state versus out-of-state retailers). Hopefully retailers will see all this uncertainty as an opportunity to continue to ship rather than a reason not to...

- Fillay

leek wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:

deesher wrote: I but a lot of "imported" wine from out of state retailers web sites. If there is something in particular that you are looking for,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/ can be a very useful tool.

until June 2008 that is...

Unless enforcement is stayed by a lawsuit...

It is going to happen. It will, however, be a sweeping lawsuit that does away with the very nature of a legally required 3-tier system allowing anyone (consumer, retailer or restaurant) to bypass wholesalers and purchase directly from producers/importers.

The first victory was one in US District Court in Washington last year. The federal judge went far beyond Costco's lawsuit and found the nature of a legally required 3-tier system to be patently unconstitutional and put the burden of proof onto the wholesalers for the appeal process. Right now, it's only applicable to Washington, but the law will eventually go to the 9th circuit and then onto the Supreme Court where the current high court composition is almost certain to rule in favor of unregulated trade.

After 7 long decades, the inefficient, parasitic state-by-state wholesale system that does nothing but add cost for everyone involved is finally facing its death knell!

that's a tall order between now and June 2008!
so it looks like
IL residents are
SOL until this is solved on the federal level...

Sam Harmon wrote:
After 7 long decades, the inefficient, parasitic state-by-state wholesale system that does nothing but add cost for everyone involved is finally facing its death knell!

BUT - isn't reserving the regulation of alcohol to the states a pretty big part of the 21st amendment? And as I google this was a 5-4 decision, with the dissenters saying that "the history of the 21st Amendment proved that it was meant to exclude regulation of alcoholic beverages from the normal prohibitions on state discrimination under the Commerce Clause--however misguided that policy might seem today"

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

leek wrote:

Sam Harmon wrote:
After 7 long decades, the inefficient, parasitic state-by-state wholesale system that does nothing but add cost for everyone involved is finally facing its death knell!

BUT - isn't reserving the regulation of alcohol to the states a pretty big part of the 21st amendment? And as I google this was a 5-4 decision, with the dissenters saying that "the history of the 21st Amendment proved that it was meant to exclude regulation of alcoholic beverages from the normal prohibitions on state discrimination under the Commerce Clause--however misguided that policy might seem today"

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

Yes, but the Federal judge in Washington's ruling was based on two components: First, that the 21st amendment doesn't negate or trump the commerce clause. Second, in that context and for that reason, the wholesalers must prove that a legally required 3-tier system that insulates them from market forces is absolutely integral to the underlying aim of the amendment (i.e. reintroducing alcohol sales into the US) and, as such, justifies the "economic harm" done to all other parties (manufacturers, importers, retailers, restaurants and most importantly consumers) in the process.

That's the whole rub. The burden of proof is now on the wholesalers to PROVE that their legally protected and market insulated industry is fundamentally necessary to the rational and legal sale of alcoholic beverages. It isn't, and they know it--which is why they're screaming "underage drinking" at the top of their lungs in some hope that it will make the whole issue go away.

If one reads the recent NYT article, the comments by the head of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers lobby are almost comical. He doesn't even address the underlying legal, market or logistical arguments. All he does is say that this is all about "a few people who have to have their bottle of '07 whatever (I'll call that the "elitist wine snob argument") and say that undoing the 3 tier system will lead to underage drinking (let's call that the "Our 40% margins are really protecting your children argument.") They don't have a leg to stand on, and they know it. They know that half their industry will disappear within 5 years without legal protection from market forces, and that market insulation is what he's trying to protect--not the youth of America.