vinodivino

Last week I desperately needed to get a couple bottles of nice-​er wine to ship to my girlfriend’s parents. I also needed to get to FedEx before they closed. My only options were Vinodivino in the Heights or Upper Falls liquors on Needham Street. Since I hadn’t been to Vinodivino before, I figured I’d give them a shot.
Their whole shtick is to be the opposite of the traditional liquor store experience. Most wine buyers are overwhelmed by the selection found in larger stores. Vinodivino tries to demistify this experience by offering a smaller, carefully-​curated selection backed by an above-​average customer service guarantee.
If you’re looking for the big names from Napa (Caymus, Silver Oak, Duckhorn, Cakebread, etc), you won’t find them here. I ended up getting a bottle of Orin Swift Mannequin (Chardonnay) and Palermo (Cabernet). The retail price for both bottles is $ 72; Vinodivino charged $ 90 (a 25% markup).
They did have Heitz Chardonnay for $ 30 (a markup of only 15%), which is very difficult to find locally. They clearly have good taste, I’d just prefer to see more reasonable prices.
They offer a 5% discount on half-​cases (mixed or same), a 10% discount on mixed cases, and a 15% discount on same cases. Additionally, they have a frequent buyers club that entitles you to a $ 10 voucher for every $ 200 you spend (not quite the same as a discount, though).
I will say that the staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. They really want to make sure you are buying the right bottle of wine for whatever occasion. As with everything in life, you’ll pay a premium for that service.

A rip-​off. Paid $ 12 for 6-​pack of Peak Nut Brown Ale that costs only $ 10 elsewhere, which can be returned to the same store (not at vinodivino).
I’ve not purchased a single bottle of reasonably priced (under $ 20) wine that is satisfactory.
A horrible store. Will not go there again.

Great service and staff. A little pricey but Iv’e never been let down quality wise.

I’ve been vinodivino customer for six years, first in Newton and now in Needham. Yes, their prices are high and selection is limited. But I have never had a bad or oxidised bottle from them. Every other store in the area is like a lottery, you can get a good bottle or a flop. Vinodivino is consistently high quality. And they show wine ratings on labels, a plus for me. I am happy to pay two bucks more to get good wine and not be disappointed.

Walked in here with my husband after discovering Trader Joe’s next door doesn’t have wine. We were looking for two bottles of white and a six pack of beer. When we first entered, the young lady behind the counter didn’t seem to want us to go in the fridge for something chilled: «If you’ll just look on the shelves, I can help you find it in the fridge.»
Ok, sure. We selected wine and beer. We went to pay. She ID’d my (clearly over 21) husband, then asked for my ID as well. Even though I wasn’t buying anything and am a. Clearly over 21 and b. Visibly pregnant. I explained my purse was in the car. She refused to sell to us unless I (again, visibly pregnant) went and got my ID. To… not buy wine.
Claimed this was a state policy and was not especially friendly or apologetic.
Forget it – I’ll go elsewhere. Where they’re friendly.
We left and will certainly never be back. So, chalk this up as one set of young professionals with a fair amount of disposable income you’ve lost, who have a lot of differ parties. You’d think we’d be good customers to have…