Cranbrook Liquors

The space has filled up at the new location. With an excellent selection, lots of space and shopping carts, it's a good place  in the depths of suburbia to shop. Most of the worlds wine regions are covered with the exception of the German section which is sadly lacking exciting finds. On the upside, the domestic section has some deals to be found.

Helpful staff and reasonable prices make this a good place to shop whether you are just stocking up or grabbing tonight's bottle.

Things we love about Cranbrook:

The wine dinners and trips.

The relaxed uncomplicated atmosphere.

Great Beer selection

Things we don't love about Cranbrook:

That "Dollar days" are so rare.

An inconsistency of service depending on when you shop.

None, if any interesting German wines

revised 07-19-02

NEW STORE!!!

Roland Park/ Hamden

Wine Underground

4400 Evans Chapel Rd

410-467-1615

This takes some work to find, but once your there, you'll be glad you searched. A great across the board selection of INTERESTING wines at reasonable prices.

If only for the "wine underground" cellar that alone is worth the visit, you've got to see this place to believe it.

Craig the Wine Manger and owner Wayne do their very best to provide terrific, knowledgeable service, a wide variety of products and a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere.

Perfect for the fledgling wine drinker or avid collector.

Unpretentious, helpful staff

Wide variety of events

Esoteric wines no one else dares to carry

That it's initially hard to find

No printed newsletter (to our knowledge)

11-02-03

The neatest part of this wine shop is the fact that there's a small cafe where you can enjoy a bottle of wine (off the shelf) with some pretty good light fare. The selection is reasonably good and the decor makes you think you are in a European wine shop.

The prices are fair, our only beef is with the staff, three very different experiences the three times we were there, it's a bit of a roll of the dice on that one.

Things we love about CWC:

Lots of events and classes.

The ambiance.

The ability to try before you buy.

Things we don't love about CWC:

That they allow people to smoke cigars there.

That not all wines are available in case quantity on site.

11/03

The great part about this wine store is that it is in a grocery store, not just any grocery store but a gourmet one. The new manager seems to be fond of pricey and snobby wines, still neat things to find though.

And you can still pick up a great bottle but fantastically fresh food to go with it! The cheese selection is one of the area's best so be sure to be adventurous.

Things we love about Sutton:

Good Selection

That it's in a grocery store!

Things we don't love about Sutton:

The service can be pretentious; sometimes seems to be dependent on how much you are spending.

Prices aren't always clearly marked and that can be confusing.

The staff seems to vary a lot, hard to get the same person twice. 10/03

410-435-2700

You want a big, interesting wine selection? Look here, they have a great and esoteric choice of wines in all price points.

Their prices are fair and there's often some interesting specials to be had.

The downside is the "serious" attitude of some of the staff, don't let that daunt you though, there's lot's to learn here.

Nothings much has changed except for more German wines a +05/01

Things we love about Wells:

That they have a newsletter that's a fun read.

That they have a website (which will soon be bigger and better).

Things we don't love about Wells:

That it can be incredibly busy.

That some of the wine sections are a mess and not properly labeled.

08/03

Pinehurst has some interesting stuff. The store definitely has ambiance, kind of like a country wine store. Wood shelves and lots of wine.

 Although it seems like a place that's seen better days, there are a few good finds here to be had, not to mention an interesting selection of wine books and other spirits or wine related merchandise.

Though the "attitude" that's omnipresent can be annoying, if you've got an idea of what you want it can be a good place to shop.

What we love about Pinehurst:

Good value wine selection

Good Bordeaux and Rhone choices

Well organized

Service is not extremely attentive, if you are young and look like you aren't going to spend a lot of money you are pretty much left to flounder on your own.

No newsletter, (at least not in the summer).11/00 Status quo 07-01-03

This store boasts one of the most impressive choice of Jeroboams, Methuselahs and Magnums we've seen in a while.

They have a lot of hard to find premium Californian wines and a bit of everything.

One of the most comprehensive selections of single malt scotches, bourbons and whiskies around. Not to mention an entire wall of hot sauces for the spicy minded folk.

Status quo 11/01

Product is clearly indicated well priced

They have a bargain bin selection

Lots of tastings and events.

It's not as close as we'd like it to be

The Rhone and German sections are bare bones

They don't provide much readable info on the wines sold.02/01

New Store!!!!

This small but fairly well stocked  local shop was recently awarded best wine store in the City Paper. They've got a good selection and will try their darndest to find special wines you may be interested in. They are fairly knowledgeable and have a large beer selection to chose from.

The downside is that there is very little to no readable  information on the wines available as you shop, if the person consulting that day is busy, you have to wait.

10/01

Friendly staff

Fair pricing

Honest opinions about wines when you ask

They deliver and have a pretty good and informative web site.

No Interesting Champagnes, little to no dessert wines.

Spartan Mosel and Southern Rhone sections.

No tastings or events or newsletter. 3-03

What this store lacks in space it makes up for in knowledge. The owner Nelson is one of the savviest people on the Baltimore wine scene. Don't worry, he or his staff won't talk down to you. They really believe in educating the customer.

One of the few places you can find good Spatburgunder (German Pinot Noir for the uninitiated) in the city. Great selection in compact small footage.

Also, cheese, glorious cheese. Purchased an Epoisses that was ready and absolutely yummy.

What we love about The Old  Vine:

Soon to open fabulous tasting room.

Good advice and food and wine matching ideas.

Cheese, did we mention cheese?

What we don't like:

Racks are awkwardly placed so makes maneuvering difficult

Would love to see more dessert wines.

10/02

The beauty of Clarksville is the owners dedication to the community and great customer service.

They do lot's of events, they are very passionate about wine and the staff is helpful, accessible and the antithesis of snobby.

From Trophy wines to your Monday night Pizza bottle, they have what you are looking for.

If you do get on their e-mail list, beware of the quantity of email you will receive. As informative as it can be, it borderlines on spam.

Recent renovations have greatly improved space and the way the pricier wines are stored. 11/01

What we love about Clarksville VWL:

The friendly, helpful attitude

A variety of price points from all over

Good selection of wine events for all kinds of wine lovers, from novice to the serious collector

What we don't like:

That it's not in Baltimore, kind of a trek for a bottle (fun road trip if you like that sort of thing) but definitely worth the trip for a case.

05/03

 Federal Hill and Canton

Cross Street Wine and Cheese

located in the Cross Street Market

410-539-8600

Recently this store changed owners in the last year, the new owners, which also own A Cook's Table have taken their venture into the Wine and Cheese biz very seriously. What they may lack in knowledge, they make up for in sheer convenience (cheese and wine = a complete meal) and they will try to get whatever it is you are looking for. We only wish the store was bigger (impossible due to it's location) and that parking wasn't so bad.

What we love CSWC:

Convenience of the cheese and wine set-up and a great selection of value priced wines.

It's location in the market - you can do all your shopping in one stop

A strong educational component

What we don't love about CSWC:

It's a space issue, the place is small, bordering on claustrophobic. Beware of crowds on busy days such as Friday and Saturday

 Hamden

The Wine Source

(formerly Rotunda Wine and Spirits)

3601 Elm Street

410-467-7777

The store has had time to settle in to their new digs. It's a good place to shop with a great selection. On the downside, the stores premium palate, the ruler of the Italian wine section, the Bacchus reincarnate that was David Butcher - has left for greener pastures in the industry. This definitely poses a challenge to the store to maintain it's standards but we'll  keep our fingers crossed.

It boasts one of the largest premium beer selections in the area, which is a huge bonus. The flipside of that is a paltry chilled white wine section - come on guys - wine drinkers appreciate the convenience of a chilled product too.

What we love about TWS:

Great location - close proximity to some of the city's best BYOB's

Good electronic newsletter.

Regular events.

What we don't love about TWS:

The industrial and colder  feel of the place - wine is about warmth not warehouse.

Parking issue- requires patience on busy days.

That they gave up their printed newsletter - so convenient to shop with.

Revised 10-18-03