Retail: Best Wine Selection

LEONARD ORTIZ,, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Total Wine & More was voted the best Wine selection in the Orange County Register’s Best of Orange County readers’ choice poll.

1. Total Wine & More

Multiple locations; 855-328-9463; totalwine.com

With more than 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beer labels, Total Wine & More pretty much backs up the claim in its name. With more than 210 large-footprint stores in 23 states, including five in Orange County, Total Wine & More is a major player in the beverage industry.

In addition to its large selection, the store is also known for its low prices. In a number of East Coast states, the chain was cited for selling spirits below state-mandated minimum prices.

Governmental regulations aside, Total Wine has earned honors through the years from industry magazines, including being twice named as Retailer of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine in 2014 and 2004.

It has also earned awards for corporate philanthropy, claiming to have made $100 million in in-kind and monetary donations to various charities.

The stores also offer regular tastings, classes and events featuring winemakers, brew masters and industry professionals. Total Wine also provides customers with publications including guides to wine, beer and spirits, and offers locationspecific loyalty programs.

Adam Strum, chairman of Wine Enthusiast told the Washington Business Journal, “They’re very focused on educating the consumer. … They really invest a lot of time in their employees, their training. That’s one of the reasons they have been so fabulously successful.”

2. Hi-Time Wine Cellars

250 Ogle St, Costa Mesa, 949-650-8463, hitimewine.net

This family-owned store in Costa Mesa, founded in 1957 and moved to its current location in 1984, remains a go-to location for local wine connoisseurs.

Don’t be misled by the mom-andpop, three-generations-work-here legacy of Hi-Time Wine Cellars. There is nothing small-time here. The store boasts a 3,000-square foot temperature-controlled cellar with 10,000 wines from around the world.

“We do our best to fill it with great wines,” said Toby Sharp, creative director for the store, “whether it’s a $12,000 DRC (Domaine de la Romanee-Conti) from Burgundy or a $5 bottle. Admittedly we do a lot more in the $5 range.”

Sharp says the staff, many of whom have long tenures and sommelier training, loves helping customers find the right beverages.

The store caters to more than wine aficionados. In recent years, the store added a walk-in beer refrigerator with massive beer and keg selections.

The days of the nickel beer may be long gone, but the 5-cent wine deal is alive and well at BevMo. The bargain for which the 160-store chain is best known offers buyers of specially marked bottles of wine a second bottle for only five cents. There are also times when the store offers case sales, with half the bottles at regular price and half for a nickel each plus an additional 10 percent off the case’s price.

BevMo also features weekly wine tastings. And for five cents — there’s that number again — shoppers can taste a variety of pre-selected wines, beer and soda and stay as long as they like. If you have a particular varietal or wine characteristic in mind, the store has wine experts to recommend vintages and share tips.

BevMo says it lives by the philosophy that “shopping for beverages should be as much fun as drinking them.” Customers can also become members and save on purchases and learn about deals.

3. BevMo

Multiple locations; 877-772-3866; bevmo.com