In Fine Spirits

A great neighborhood shop with an informative, delightful staff. Their displays are thoughtfully organized for the right balance of selection, information, and space for specialty tastings or just browsing around. In Fine Spirits is a friendly community liquor store that has what you want, but makes it easy to find a new favorite.

Love stopping for a bottle of wine here it’s so cute! Lots of sampling opportunities and friendly staff

A lot of small producers and terroir driven selections. This is a place to go and get a good bottle of wine from interesting wine regions from around the world. You can spend your money confidently here.
Cheers!

5 stars for service, friendliness, effort to find non-​industrial wines, location.
3 stars for wine selection.
Really understocked (especially given their size) and don’t even carry wines (or tiny selection, like one bottle) from some of the world’s most important wine regions (e.g., Bordeaux, Piemonte, Burgandy). And you can’t get standards, like Campari or Aperol, even though they carry other great boutique apertifs and amari.
Many of the wines are well selected and unique (a major plus), but several times I’ve popped in to find a bottle to go with a particular meal (like a nice $ 15 Italian red to go with pizza or something like that) and they will have nothing that fits the bill.
But everyone who works here is really nice and friendly. So I do go back, just not if I’m in a pinch for something. It’s unfortunate because they have the potential to be a really great wine store.

I like a nice little neighborhood wine shop.
I wish I had a better impression, but to be honest, I just wasn’t that impressed with both the selection, layout and customer service.
Small store, small selection, but also not a super interesting selection. Meh.
Layout is OK… Kind of a hodgepodge.
Customer Service was non-​existent. No one helped me at all.
So yeah… I’ll go back because I live around the corner. But with a small, boutique wine shop I expect to be wowed.

This is a great shop! We go regularly, and love their selections; they have excellent budget options, as well as delicious higher-​end selections for wine, beer, and spirits. We rarely go anywhere else for wine, and they’re our go-​to shop for bourbon and gin as well.
The knowledgable staff opened our eyes to the wonders of good tonic water (soooo worth it!), and they’re always up for giving you a taste of an open bottle if you want to compare whiskeys, for example, so you know which one is the best choice for you.
Best of all, they’re friendly – it’s great to have them in the neighborhood!

I’ve loved this place since it opened, whined when its adjoining bar /​restaurant closed, but still stroll in regularly for their excellent selection of lower-​priced whites and reds. Two bonuses: frequent, impromptu tastings offered by the staff, and that they buy their own barrel of Buffalo Trace.
Why this place over others? Because I’m classy and loyal to my neighborhood and also like to be drunk. If you’re all or any of those things, visit In Fine Spirits.

Great selection, informative tastings, welcoming staff and reasonable prices!
Currently, they’re carrying an updated and interesting collection of seasonal wines [sparkling cranberry and apple from Montréal]. They also carry Big Shoulder Coffee.

In Fine Spirits has been under new ownership since July. If you haven’t been to In Fine Spirits in a while, I think you are in for a pleasant surprise. The store maintained an excellent mix of wines from around the world at reasonable prices. I’m not a wine expert but Jarran (the new owner) is consistently helpful and offers excellent recommendations. In Fine Spirits is a great part of the neighborhood and I’m glad it has new owners.

If I could just take away a bucket of the honey-​sweetened housemade ricotta from this place, I would, and then eat it all in one day. Best ricotta I’ve ever had, and though I don’t get to go back to Chicago very often, I definitely crave this all the time. As for the rest of the small bites, love that dishes are prepared with house-​grown produce, and especially enjoyed the fig preserve that came with our cheese and charcuterie (which is always a nice deal). Top it all off with a chill, rustic vibe about the candlelit space that’s been money whenever I’ve brought dates here. Win!

I lied. I’ve been back and we kind of like this place now, maybe because the new owners actually acknowledge your presence. What a concept!

Sometimes, it only takes a really poor attitude to ruin a minutes-​old experience.
My hubby and I have really wanted to check out this place, and on the afternoon of July 4^th, after a great lunch at Jerry’s, we decided to head across the street, since it was less traffic and we could really enjoy our visit and pick out something nice to take to our fireworks party in South Loop later that evening. That didn’t happen.
It is unfortunate that the two females who were working had to work on a holiday. Unfortunately, sometimes that happens, particularly in retail, but it is not the customer’s fault. We walked in and weren’t even greeted. There was one other couple who was finishing their transaction, but neither of the females even said hello to us, a simple gesture I’m sure would not have offended the other couple.
After the couple left, neither of them still said a word but rather launched into a very vocal conversation about what a pain the last patrons had been. Out of amusement, I set my timer on my iPhone, just to see how long it might take for either of them to acknowledge us. One walked past us without even a «hello» and headed to the non-​salesfloor area of the store. At almost 9 minutes, the other headed off the sales floor, too, but managed a «if you want anything let me know» in a manner that cemented no commerce from us in this store. Present or future.
The thing is, the hubby and I buy a lot of wine, hence the three cases we just brought back from our last visit to northern California, and we like good wine and good regional choices. (One of us even trained to be a sommelier.) We weren’t even looking for tasting. We just wanted some guidance and good experience here. The shop itself probably lost a sale of 300 – 400 dollars that day with us and many future sales. Pretentiousness is not cool.
I like small local businesses and want to support them, but I first want to know they do not eliminate or offend any potential customer. My review probably won’t make a difference to them, but it will influence where I choose to spend my money and the suggestions I make to friends as to where to shop. This place will not be on either list.

I read about this place in the New York Times travel section and thought it would be a good place to find regional beers. My mom is more of a wine person, and they claim to have an unusual wine selection.
Overall, I was impressed with their focus on local/​regional and unusual. The staff person was a little distant and didn’t seem like she wanted to engage in conversation about their selections. However, she did answer all of my many questions thoroughly and was helpful in making recommendations about their products as well as suggesting a nearby lunch spot. I was a little disappointed in the beer selection, although she did say that their stock was a little depleted. Perhaps they usually keep more on hand. I was happy with the couple of interesting beers I chose and, if I weren’t flying home, would have bought more. My mom, as promised, did find some unusual wine. I would have loved to try some of the regional liquors; darn those TSA regulations! However, they did have BitterCube bitters, a Milwaukee company, in one ounce jars. Hooray! And they also had Big Shoulders Coffee, a Chicago roaster. So I walked away satisfied.
If I lived in the neighborhood, I would come here regularly!

Easily the best small wine shop in the city.
Every time I come to In Fine Spirits I get what I need. The lady that works there is incredibly knowledgable about the many interesting wines they carry. I have been steered to try grapes and regions I didn’t even know existed.
They also offer free tastings every saturday, which is a great way to kick off a jaunt through the neighborhood.

I really like this place. It’s close to home, and has a good selection of wines that vary from inexpensive but good table wine ($ 7) and midrange to the fancier stuff. It took me about a year of walking by before I decided to go in, and I wish I had gone in earlier. It’s been a few months now where this is my wine go-​to as Trader Joe’s is far and always seems to be packed. It’s not stuffy and you never feel pressured into buying anything. The staff is very helpful, and they also have a selection of spirits, bitters, and different specialty beers.

This review is specifically for the wine shop (the restaurant has closed and reopened as Premise).
I had always been hesitant to go inside, thinking the wine would be out of my price range. I’m usually a Trader Joe’s wine girl, but needed something a little more impressive for a wine party. I walked in, described what I usually like and braced myself for sticker shock. He immediately pointed me towards three choices, all under $ 12. Apparently the table in the middle is all between $ 10-​$ 12! I was in and out with my bottle in under 3 minutes. His suggestion was fantastic, I definitely brought the best wine of the night.
Andersonville Wine & Spirits is overwhelming and smells funny, and the complexity of the wine convinced me to up my wine game from my standard Trader Joe’s. I definitely know where I can buy my wine locally in the future. Thanks IFS!

This is one of my favorite independent wine stores in the city. Not only is the staff approachable and knowledgeable, but also extremely helpful. I always know I will get a pleasing wine for both my palette and wallet. The owners know how to pick fantastic wines from $ 9 to $ 90, while circulating different wines into the mix regularly and keeping around some of the customers’ favorites.
A couple times a month, there are wine tastings too. Do I need to say anymore?!?

This is a review for the liquor store. I love this place. I love that they support local growers. They are always willing to make recommendations and help me decide on a wine. I like supporting the local community. They also have wine tastings. You can also sign up for email updates on when they have special events and tastings.

I enjoy «In Fine Spirits» and wish they had tons of other locations — it’s a cute bar/​restaurant/​store with a good business model. I especially love sitting out on the patio during warmer days and having a great bottle of wine or a unique beer.
The staff is very knowledgeable, down-​to-​earth, and friendly. I especially enjoy that they have flat and sparkling water. It’s a simple thing — but it really makes a difference.
A few things have made me knock it down 2 stars:
— They used to have wine flights. As of yesterday, this is no more. A definite disappointment.
— No decanters. I know, I know. But really? If you are a wine restaurant/​shop, you’ve gotta have decanters on hand — especially for $ 50 bottles of wine (that you can buy next door for $ 15…).
— The food is hit or miss. And it can be expensive. Lowering the cost of small plates would really encourage me to come back more often… and you would make a lot more money on wine/​beer that way.
I will more than happily raise this review to 5 stars and come back often with friends if:
1. flights are reintroduced
2. food is a little cheaper — with emphasis on making money on liquor
3. decanters — decanters — decanters

Flatbread. OH. FLATBREAD!
Thin crispy cracker like bread topped with creamy farmer’s cheese, spiced apples, arugula and truffle oil. So delicious. But warning: small. If splitting one maybe get a couple or be prepared to fight over the crumbs. I could have eaten ten of these on my own. It was that awesome.
The cheese selection was far out. Such amazing choices. It’s damn near impossible to narrow it down. Luckily you can choose 3 or more per order. Yahoo!
And of course – the wines. Wine flights and some other liquors as well. Right now I believe there was a bourbon flight. It’s not my cup of tea (too strong!) but I know MANY people who would love a good bourbon flight. I had a glass of a nice white and it was perfect with my flatbread. MMM flatbread. Did I mention it was good? Cos it was!
The space isn’t huge but there’ lots of bar seating. Lovely mellow vibe. Really attentive and helpful staff can assist you in choosing some beverage and cheeses if you’re feeling overwhelmed. And with 60+ wine choices you may need a little assistance!