Chesapeake Wine Company

I’d like to give this place 5 stars but this is a case where management itself has cost a whole star, even if half stars were an option here.
Let’s start with the good:
Purely as a purveyor of alcoholic joy this place is convenient if you live in canton, the hours are great, and the selection is fantastic!!! They even had some non-​alcoholic craft root beer that my SO hasn’t seen since his college days in Milwaukee. So 5 stars there.
On top of just sales, this place offers a dine/​drink-​in menu (only lighter fare like charcuterie plates and flatbread pizzas/​quesadillas but they’re still amazing and filling so it works!), live music, wine/​beer tastings, special events. So it’s not just a quick stop in but can be a destination for an evening out.
The staff is knowledgeable and always ready to make recommendations based on your existing taste so you can expand your horizons with something new. Limited patio seating, and in a strip center, but hey, at least you can sit outside to sip your wine on a nice day.
Now the ding: Overall, it should earn the 5 stars easily. But the owners should leave the service to the staff they hire. They, themselves, don’t radiate the warm hospitality that one desires when drinking. I’m not a wine snob by any means but yes, I do know that champagne is only from France and that technically the rest is sparkling wine. However, when I’m in the mood to drink copious bubbly I don’t want to be corrected whilst ordering. I’m also not a fan of feeling unwelcome with my babies. True, they’re not paying customers. But we are. And we’re repeat paying customers with ties to the community they’re purveying in. So, if you don’t have kids no worries cause they will happily boot those of us with kids as soon as you walk in the door.
Since ownership is about to change, we’ll see how the new place feels and I’ll update you. Until then, I’d still recommend stopping in for a drink or to take home a bottle. You will most likely find whatever you’re looking for here.

I found this place because of Unilocal.I have been here many times. The selection is good, wide price range too. The staff is mostly helpful. But if you get a bad bottle don’t expect a easy exchange. The owner was a total jerk. The bottle I had was clearly bad, wine level was obviously low and the cork was soggy with tons of vains. I live 30 min from this place so I wanted to see if the next bottle was going to be a leaker too. I was about to take the foil off to check the bottle before I left, the owner snapped at me and said «you ate that foil off you’re buying that bottle» he went on to tell me about his 35 years of experience and attempt to put me in my place about how to recognize a bad bottle. What think was really going on is that he is having problems with that particular label. When he did take the foil off my new bottle, it was leaking too! It was all about his bottom line and being hospitable was not his concern. When folks complain about a bottle in my tasting room I don’t question their ability to recognize a bad bottle, customer service is always #1. When I buy wine at this place I always spend a few hundred. This guy just lost a customer.

This place is awful. I went there a couple weeks ago on a date and was embarrassed. We sat in the back which was filthy. The people who worked there acted like they could care less that we were even in the room. The owner, woman, was a miserable person. We will not be back and will be sure to spread the news. Don’t bother people.

We stopped in here on a late Friday afternoon for a quick drink. We ended up staying for 2! The cheese plate was awesome– you MUST try the No Woman cheese. It is a cheddar with jerk spices– AWESOME. The bartender (and all of the other employees) was very friendly and helpful. I look forward to my next visit!

We celebrated a friend’s birthday last night at the Chesapeake Wine Company. None of us had been there before and all of us will be sure to go there again. There was a band (The Racket) and they were outstanding. It was like a small, private concert. The wine selection is (of course) amazing and reasonably priced. They also have beer and liquor. We ate dinner there as well. It’s not a huge menu, but there is something for everyone. The antipasto plate was nice and quite plentiful. I had the veggie pizza and it was wonderful. A tad oily but the flavor was great and the crust was thin and crunchy. Our server was PERFECT — friendly, helpful, knew her wines, was there when we needed anything but didn’t hover. The owner was there too and she was delightful. The place just FEELS good. As I said, we’ll be going back!

They had a special event going on. Would not let us eat the «special» food at the bar even though someone else was. Would not let us buy it to go. They passed up our buy of a case of wine at the time plus at least once a month since we live across the street. The owner actually said to my husband «what part of no do you not understand?» With a smile… the part of no that means you lose a lot of $$$$ lady. Not going back EVER even though it is literally across the street and we liked our waitress.

Love this place! The tastings are wonderful and the owner takes so much pride in the shop and finding high quality wines for reasonable price.

If you want to be made to feel dumb for asking a question about their selection, ask for Mitchell (I think his name was). Poor selection pompous staff. Way too many other options to deal with these people.

Great selection of wines and beers, and some interesting munchies. Employees are helpful and nice.

i love, love, love this place! right around the corner from my house– great wine selection, beer and liquors too. i can go in and spend an hour just browsing and reading the little hand written notes about each wine on the shelves. the owner and staff clearly take a lot of pride in the shop and love what they do.
they also have a great, well thought out selection of cheeses, olives, charcuterie and snacks that you can purchase along with your beverages. pricing is comparable to other similar establishments in the area.
the atmosphere is wonderful for a light meal and a glass of your favorite wine or if you’d like you can choose a bottle off the shelf for a small corking fee. Menus is limited, but tasty– some flatbreads, cheeses, and the antipasto platter is amazing! and they often have live music as well. perfect first date location and doesn’t get so loud that you can’t hold a conversation, which is always appreciated.
from a local’s perspective– this is a fantastic location to add into your rotation :)

A wonderful place for lunch with wine. Feels like it should be secret. Let the fools go to Subway next door.

Reason to go — to buy wine, beer or spirits!
Reason you will return — to buy MORE wine, beer or sprits … and also to chat with the proprietor Mitchell. He personally tastes just about every wine or spirit before carefully deciding to put it on his shelves.
His purchase are focused within each grape varietal and region. He knows his spirits with a particular fondness for gin. Every note about every bottle is done by him.
The fact that this shop also has a tavern license, serves drinks and nibbles and plays great music is an added bonus. The locals know it — you should too.

What a great little shop! I cannot believe I’ve lived in Canton this long and finally stopped in. Fabulous customer service and great wine knowledge.
The house cured olives are a must try alongside the impressive cheese selection (quality, not quantity)
This is a great place to buy nick nacks and gifts for friends, they have all kinds of awesome locally made products like salsas, coffee, gourmet chips, you name it!

After I bought my first wine from this place with some friendly and helpful advice from the guy there, I told them, «I am going to make this my spot.» We live only about 2 minutes away and come here all the time. They have a great selection of wines from decently priced (and by that I mean very cheap) to high end stuff. The guy (I forget his name) is always helpful and has given me superb recommendations for all different sorts of occasions.
They also have live music on Fridays, wine and beer tastings and a great selection of assorted gourmet chocolates, meats, cheeses on display. If you haven’t had Maryland’s famous Mouth Party Caramels (which they sell all over the place), you MUST try their salted caramel Mouth Party. IT IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE OF ALL CARAMELS. It’s the caramel of all caramels. I buy at least 4 each time I go and have 2 for me and 2 for the wifey.
Ok that was off topic but this spot is great for just to pick up some wine or beer or sit down and have a few glasses for the night.

I have been going to CWC for about 6 years now. It is a nice casual stop to have a few glasses of wine on the way home from dinner or have a nice appetizer during the afternoon. It is quaint and not too upscale so as to not deter us non-​wine afficionados. Give it a chance, the prices are fair and the location is low key.

LOVE… LOVE… LOVE THIS PLACE
This review is not for the wine bar… but for the store
Just for the customer service I recieved while trying to help cross my honey pies over to wine.
And the customer service was great.
Very helpful and lots of suggestions.
Now he didn’t like it… but really we should have purchased 3 or 4 bottles of different wines.
I will be back and anyone needs help with wine selections go here.
oh and the little chocolate at the front check out counter… mmmm mmmm mmm tasty little slice of heaven.

Let me start by saying THIS IS NOT A WINE STORE REVIEW. But, (you may be saying to yourself) isn’t this a place to purchase various wines? To which I’m answering, first-​stop talking to yourself and second-​yep sure is, but what the Honeycomb Hideout Hellcat knows and you probably do not, is that this is a GREAT place to hang!
Yes it’s small with probably about 6 or 7 tables & 2 long wooden benches inside and 4 tables outside, but that’s what’s great about it. It keeps the masses out and allows for a great environment to sit back with friends and shoot the bull (or the breeze if it’s nice enough out). I’m not a wine drinker but I am fond of the small stock of liquor they have only because Karen (ask for her) makes the best mixed drinks!
The wine & drinks are about medium priced if you are buying in store to lounge around. The small plates are a delight as well. I never knew that biting into a piece of bittersweet, ashy chocolate on top of a funky piece of old cheese could be so appealing to the palette! =) But these are the tips you can pick up from the wine connoisseurs that happen to be sitting there in the store that probably have about 4 more glasses of libations up in them than you do.
If you are a wine lover and love to buy, next time visit this place and allot some time to stay awhile.

My wine knowledge is starting to grow, I like certain styles now that I wouldn’t have tried with out the help of excellent suggestions I have got here.
There’s a lot going on here, there’s food, a wine bar, and a selection of brews. On the pricey side for everything though.
This is one of the largest selections of Captain Thom hot sauce s so since I enjoy them as well its win win for me.

In the Baltimore area, a place like Chesapeake Wine Co. is a rare and practically unique occurrence so this is easily my favorite wine store/bar…alright, fine, I have several favorites but this one is really cool, too!
First off, Chesapeake has a great selection, which is emphasized by the tasters’ notes that are displayed next to most bottles. The ~15 ever-​changing crates by the front entrance highlight new or particularly interesting wine merchandise and is a good place to focus the search if you’re exploring. Secondly, Chesapeake is open late daily and even on Sundays! For those last minute party or holiday needs, this store can be a life-​saver. This place also features a thorough variety of cheeses, bagettes, and some salami. Chesapeake also sells beer and liquor; thus, a stop here can complete restocking needs.
The wine bar aspect is nice as well, featuring the outdoor option, indoor tables, and bar seating. Chesapeake also has regular tastings that can work great as an opportunity to meet others with similar interests – though most people tend to come in their own groups. Overall, Chesapeake is a classic with the only possible complaint being lacking décor – but, hey, if you’re there for a delish take-​home treat or a glass of wine, your attention is already pleasantly diverted.

Although the wine selection is not vast as a large wine store such as NYC’s Astor Wines & Spirits [
, I adore this business. I appreciate the option to try wines off the shelf, taste a flight or even try the selection of cold beers in the fridge (there is a corking fee). Yes one half is a wine store; the other is a bar that leads to gluttony, a damaged liver and happiness (also provides cheese and charcuterie).
The bar itself has only seating for 5 patrons (best if flying solo and want to socialize with locals) but there are plenty of tables in the back if you bring a friend or an entourage bigger than The Artist Formerly Known As… Restrooms are available too in case you’ve decided to over indulge or needed to relieve yourself from nature calls. Feel free to peruse my uploaded photos.
The staff is friendly here. There may be as few as one or two employees present at a time. One is watching the register, the other pouring wines and cutting cheese at the bar.
Every time I come here, I remember to pick up a bottle of the Jalliance champagne/​sparkling wine (I know it’s not from the Champagne region *sue me* but blended with a muscat grape, it’s delicious). If you are more of a dry champagne drinker, then this isn’t for you.
My usual activities:
(1) try a wine flight or open a beer (I don’t know when I will retire the bottle opener from my keychain — I may never outgrow it)
(2) walk around with my nose in the air, inspecting the available inventory. My favorite game is to determine how many bottles of wine I can buy with only 50 bucks. I lose often as I am mesmerized by a large Pinot Noir that exceeds the cap.
(3) repeat step one.
(4) close my bar tab, where I tack on bottles of wine I picked up
(5) ask my wife if we can return tomorrow
Along with the Brewer’s Art [
and Costas Inn [
, Chesapeake Wine Company is on my list of favorite places to frequent when I am in MD.
Is everything in MD amazing, Pedro? Believe me, the rest of my reviews will normalize as I return to my miserly Scrooge philosophy as the holidays approach us.
IFHTP 3+