Solera – A Shrine To Wine

My FAVORITE place to shop wine. This is wine HEAVEN. The staff is super informative, helpful and clearly have a love for wine. One staff member helped me pick out a Pinot Noir base on what I told her I liked and BAM I officially have a new favorite Pinot Noir.
The selection itself is detailed and labeled — exactly how a wine shop should be.
This place is my absolute go to.

I have just moved to Boston and I was looking for my «go-​to» wine shop since wine is one of my favorite drinks, (A close second after well done caipirinhas). I was legit in heaven. The nice lady helped me pick out the perfect port wine for the evening. When I took it home it exceeded my expectations. I will definitely be going back to try one of their other choices.

I just had such a wonderful experience here tonight. The staff are informed, helpful, and not at all pushy. They were doing a tasting of two different wines, a Riesling (Anew, which I really liked) and a Zinfandel (the name escapes me – it was good, but a little too bold for my taste). After the tried them, the woman in the shop (Nadia, I think her name was) asked me about the types of wine I like. I said I like sweet reds and Merlots. The selection of Merlot was fairly small, but I was more intrigued by the two sweet reds she suggested to me – both of which cost less than $ 20. One was on sale for $ 12.50, so I couldn’t resist that. That was actually a semi sweet blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cesanese, if you’re interested. After I picked out what I wanted, they politely hung back while I explored, even though I was the only one in the shop, which I really appreciated. The owner (?), an older gentleman with an Irish (?) accent, was especially helpful and made polite conversation with me since it was my first time in the shop. When I told him I just relocated here, he recommended some restaurants and markets in the area.
My overall impressions: helpful staff, cute shop, wide selection (but none of the big names – go elsewhere for those!), low prices with plenty of things on sale. I loved it and I will be back!

The folks at Solera are really nice. I order my wines while I am on the subway and just pick them up on my way home. Super convenient! Here is a link to their page
. Majorie, Maria and Michael are really helpful in the wine selection processs too.

This place is the jam. Michael is a wine and beer wiz, and the rest of the staff is helpful, too. Their prices are reasonable, and I’ve get to grab anything off the shelf that isn’t at least drinkable. Ask about good boxed wine, they’ve got it down to a science.

AWESOME! Great selection! The owner and staff are super friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. Look forward to stopping in for their advice (which is usually spot on) and a low pressure, nice atmosphere.

I like this place and I like these people. I’ve been coming here since they opened, and they’ve been instrumental in my appreciation of aged grape juices, and especially those coming from South America (I believe one of the owners is from Venezuela, which may or may not have anything to do with anything). The Irish gentleman, being Irish (which also may or may not have anything to do with anything), is charming and great to chat with about alcohol and other pressing world matters, and he always seems to remember me. Having since lived in numerous places, I’ve really come to value these kinds of shops and their owners; people that value you as well as your patronage. I think they call that ‘community’, in some places. And it’s not the biggest most eyeopening collection filled with esoteric wines, but they’ll always send you home with something you’ll enjoy, and won’t break the bank. And they’ll TALK TO YOU, you know, like shop owners used to do, so goes the lore about the good ol’ days. I’ve never felt like I was being sold or being hounded like a potential shoplifter – and I mean, sometimes I look like a potential shop lifter. And these two have never batted an eye, and I find myself having engaging conversations about their products, politics, world travel. Its as if Rozzie is having some sort of renaissance though I’m not sure of all of the ramifications, here… Regardless: Support good neighbors, if you want to live in a better community.

This is a great boutique wine shop with a great selection of wines in different price ranges. I went in on a Tuesday midday and my mom and I were the only customers. The staff was friendly but gave us space to wander around and look at the selection. After about 15 minutes we finally asked for her help and she was very knowledgeable and helped us pick a few tasty and affordable wines.

Pretty decent selection. I have discovered many wonderful wines here. The staff is very helpful. The prices are really good too! I can usually spend under 25 bucks and leave with some good wine.

Solera is just what a wine shop should be: simple and to the point, but with a selection that is both broad in its appeal and discriminately refined. I’ve not been disappointed with any of the Spanish wine; they even have a couple choices of Cava if Champagne is not within your budget (I actually prefer it). Both French and Italian options are quite extensive and cover the key regions with precision.
That said, they haven’t seemed to neglect their beer offering at all as a result of their focus on carefully selecting wine. There’s often Scottish Ales, undoubtedly provided by a homesick elder and Solera’s proprietor; domestic all star nominees and organic favorites alike; and all very fairly priced (given the nature and quality of craft beer) at $ 9-​$ 12 per sixer.
A fancy cat struts about her kingdom in regal fashion. Don’t look her in the eye; she will steal your soul. Patron the garden; an oasis in the Village! Now, go get yourself some lascivious libations and whet your palate…

I have been frequenting Solera for years. Maria and Marjorie and Michael are just good people — I love stopping in for the «quick» bottle of wine for dinner after a long day, often to end up leaving 20 minutes later totally perked up AND with the perfect choice.
I’ve learned much about wine from them, and they know my tastes to a tee. I no longer go to the big stores like Blanchard’s or Macy’s in my area because I can’t abide a ubiquitous California Chardonnay or Cabernet. Their selection is highly international, diverse in flavor for all palates, and with prices to fit mainly the modest budget.

This is a great wine shop. Their selection is very different from the larger shops and while you may not find your favorites there they are great at helping out. Their prices are a bit higher than the big mass merchants but they clearly do a lot less volume. However if you let them know how much you are looking to pay they will stay within your budget. I’ve gotten a few really great wines there based on their recommendation.

Ok, my friend and I had just been to the fabulous cheese shop around the corner. We then went to this shop to get pairings. The minute I got there, a nice woman asked me if I needed help. I explained the cheeses I bought and asked for help pairing and getting the correct amount.
About 15 –20 minutes later, I walked out with a case of wine, all of which turned out to be fabulous choices. They also gave me a nice discount for buying a case. I will definitely be back.

The best way to really learn about wine is to 1). Find a good local wine shop, 2). Shop there a few times a month, and 3). Tell the folks that run the place what you liked. This may require taking some notes while you drink. God knows my memory isn’t what it used to be…
But Solera is EXACTLY the right place for all that. Michael and Maria and Margery will remember you and your tastes after about two visits. If you are looking for generic major label American varietals or trendy mass market favorites (please, no more «Yellowtail»!! Please!!!) you don’t need to shop here. But if you’re open to a Rioja or a Chateuneuf-​du-​pape or a domestic Malbec (a domestic Malbec? Are you serious?) try this shop. Take a deep breath. Enjoy the dialogue. Wine is great fun. Solera just gets it right.

Adorable and friendly little wine shop in Roslindale Village. The staff obviously know and care a lot about their wines, as seen through the little handwritten placards all over the shop. There’s tons of affordable bottles in the $ 8 to $ 20 range as well as higher end stuff. A bonus is that they carry my husband’s favorite beer, Hoegaarden.

I am trying hard to understand why people like this place. For me, the service is seriously overbearing. The management seems to find it impossible to let you look around without pouncing on you and offering advice even when you’ve said you prefer to look at what they have first.
I once bought a bottle of champagne here – they didn’t have the bottle I requested on ice, so they then produced a much more expensive bottle that was chilled. Fine, these things happen, but the classy thing to do is to offer me the more expensive bottle at the price of the one I originally requested.

So this is a good wine store. Fine. But what makes it five-​stars worthy is that it’s reasonably priced and we had this lovely exchange with the guy who owns it:
Wine guy (in Irish accent): What kind of wine to you like?
Me: Anything dry?
Boyfriend: That’s not even true, you liked that Reisling the other day.
Me: Okay, it depends on my mood. But I hate oak.
Boyfriend: It totally depends on the day and the food and her mood.
Wine guy: Right. One time somebody asked me that, and this is no reference to you or anything, but he asked me that, he said «what’s your favorite wine you’ve ever had?» and I said «I can’t remember her name.» You know?
Me and Boyfriend: Exactly!

So after a tasty meal at Sophia’s Grotto, we strolled on past Solera. Paul jokingly goes, «Hey look they have lambic.» Since me and Jessika have become addicted to Lambic like Amy Winehouse is addicted to crack, we ran inside.
And you know what???
THEY HAD IT! WHAT?! We cleaned house on that. Jess got the raspberry and apple, I got the peach and black current. What made it hilarious is that Paul was genuinely kidding.
I was also eyeing some concord grape wine, when the owner caught my eye and said, «No you will not like that. It’s not good.» I immediately liked him. We all started talking about wine and Ireland? I don’t know, I was too busy starting at all the wine. The owners were really nice. I love love that this place just looks like you are walking into a real wine cellar.
If I lived in Roslindale, I would definitely come here for my wining needs.

A great compliment to the Boston Cheese Cellar (next door).
In addition to the diverse wine selection (and frequent tasting opportunities and recommendations), the fridge in the back has a diverse selection of beers, including many Belgian varieties.

Yes, this place is fantastic. The very best thing is the level of care, knowledge and enthusiasm that the staff have for the particular wines they carry. The impeccable taste of their collection and personal unfussy service make this store a real joy.
They have a respectable selection of organic wines, they keep at least one bottle of every white wine in the store chilled, they have a small but very nice beer selection and great regional variety in their inventory. With a great cheese shop (Boston Cheese Cellar) and bread bakery (Fornax) just feet away, Solera is at the heart of a seriously tasty trifecta.