Love the variety and fair price points. My new love is fit vine wine...reduced sugar even if it's the marketing and they have a zero sugar Prosecco you can't find anywhere else. I'd like them to deliver to my home for free though to eliminate this from my weekly Saturday chores read more

Empire Wine has the best prices in the area. I would much rather drive to empire than go to any closer liquor stores. The check out is very fast and efficient, and the staff is very attentive. Highly recommend! read more

This is my favorite liquor store. Found it while attending college up in Albany, and wish there was something equivalent near my house now. They have a great selection and fantastic prices. With the ongoing stay-at-home situation, decided to try out their delivery service - which was great. There is ample signage on the website detailing that they are a bit back ordered (seeing as everyone is stocking up on "essentials"). Though in usual circumstances I have heard that they have super quick delivery turn around, got my order sooner than anticipated. I so appreciate them working hard to keep customers well supplied during these trying times. Highly recommend, especially if local. read more

I have been going here for years and have never had a problem. Their selection is incredible and their staff is extremely knowledgeable and have always given me great recommendations bases on my preferences. No matter how long the line is, the check out process is always quick, friendly, and efficient. read more

Amazing selection and fantastic customer service! My dogs love that you can order online and they will deliver the order to your car so they can come along for the ride. It doesn't get much more convenient than that! read more

I can't really say enough about this place. Online orders: Easy and quick CurbSide Pick up: friendly and safe Phone customer service is top notch...they are fun and friendly and know their stuff... So it no matter how you choose to shop at Empire Wine, they are professional and efficient and make it a great experience. I will continue to recommend them and use them for gift giving and all my liquor and wine needs...YOU SHOULD TOO !!!! read more

Hands down the best liquor store in the area! I really enjoy going into the store, the selection is second to none and the staff is always more than helpful. The customer service is outstanding- I even once had an associate print me a coctail recipe and assist me in finding the ingredients (which of course were in stock). Nowadays I miss going into the store but the online process is just as smooth. Easy breezy and on time delivery. I live 20 minutes away and I will continue to drive past many liquor stores for the Empire Wine experience. read more

OH. MY. GOD. I've heard a lot about Empire Wine, seen its little hideaway next to Eddie Bauer, and I've gotten little coupons in the mail that quickly made their way to the trash. I SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT. This place is for real! I'm legitimately bummed that I only had 10 minutes to search this place when I went. Why? Because it's absolutely enormous. (Rather Tardis-like, actually, where it looks really small on the outside, and is huge on the inside.) I was immediately bombarded with wine after wine after description after rating after good prices. While I didn't have time to roam the entire warehouse, I did go away with three pretty good bottles for less than $30. If I drank Merlot (sorry, I just can't ever since seeing Sideways), I would be smitten with the Woop Woop Merlot (I shit thee not). Cupcake Cab seemed to be the answer. That, and a few others. Overall, I was super pleased with Empire Wine, and will definitely be returning. People there were friendly, from what I could tell, and that's always a plus, too. read more

Not Happy!!! Been a customer of Empire for years. Decided to go back in recently because of an ad. Not that I needed anything else but always seem to buy something when in there. The ad had a picture of a Canadian Club bottle at $12.95 Great Price!!! They told me that the picture was wrong. Sorry not my fault. I went in there for just that product and spent much more. Advertising does work. Long story the price was $18.99 after getting back to my car. Went back in and they told me there is nothing we can do. I'm sure there is something you could do other than tell me basically too bad. Never asked if there was something that would make me happy.. Maybe a bottle of wine? Maybe another bottle of Canadian Club? Maybe a gift card so I would spend more again when I went in next time? Nothing!! Sorry Empire you lost a very good customer. read more

This is the best place to buy wine and liquor in the Albany area. I have priced it out and many wines are 5-7 dollars cheaper at Empire-- huge difference! The staff is also super helpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!!! read more

I will usually drive out of my way to make it here at least once a week. The prices and selection are phenominal. Some wines are close to half the price of your local wine store and even have some wines that others don't readily carry. They also carry some liqour as well. Best part is the staff. They are extremely helpful and their suggestions are great. When I feel adventurous enough to try a new wine, they suggest one according to my taste and preference, and it's usually better than what I pick out for myself! I recommend this place highly if you have any love for wine at affordable prices. read more

This place is like a candy store for adults. Selection is enormous and prices are fantastic. I do all my liquor shopping here and most of my wine shopping. Things are conveniently organized by price. There is always an army of henchmen employees wandering the place doing work and helping the customers with just a little bit of pushyness. My gut is not to trust them on all their wine advice because they simply have too much inventory and I don't think they can be knowledgable about most of it. Still a great place to go, especially if u know the wine you want or you are going for liquor. Try the Tito's Vodka, best value ever. Blantons Bourbon is awesome. Thank you Empire Wine, you truly are an Empire of Booze! read more

This is what's become of my friendly neighborhood Capital Wine and Spirits on State and Lark, and unexpectedly, I'm thrilled. The space is bigger, and the selection is quite large. The prices are excellent - great sales and discounts. Everything I usually buy is cheaper here. The mag bottle of all-purpose red table wine my boyfriend buys is only $5.95 here, compared to at least $8.95 everywhere else. The cotes du rhones I love are at least $1-$2 cheaper here too. The selection is incredible when it comes to wine. There's a much larger section of Spanish and South African wines here than anywhere else I've been, not to mention plenty of German, Italian, French, California and South American wines. They also have kosher, organic and New York varieties, to name just a few. The clerks are always helpful, and sometimes they do in-store tastings. They're open seven days a week until 9 p.m. And while the liquor selection was expanded, the focus remains on wine, wine, wine. A few times I've been a bit disappointed by the liquor selection, but I'm overwhelmed by the wine! Unfortunately, it lacks the charm of the old store. This new location is much bigger, but it no longer seems intimate or cute. It's no longer a fun little neighborhood wine shop where I can buy my wine for that night's dinner; now it's in a shopping plaza. So while I probably won't be stopping in twice a week anymore, I would definitely go and stock up here. They've also expanded their online sales business. Bottom line : Definitely go here when you want to buy several bottles of wine at once, or when you want to save a lot on your favorite brands. read more

This place is really inexpensive and has a huge variety of wine and liquors. While walking in you may think it's small (narrow), but if you go through the opening at the rear of the store, there's even more selections. However, finding what you're looking for is difficult, there aren't many signs showing you where everything is located; and large bottles aren't right next to the same brand's smaller bottles. However, the staff are all very friendly and helpful, and instead of just pointing you in the right direction, they actually will lead you right to what you are looking for. It's in a covenient location, but I would suggest exiting the lot through the rear back to rail road ave, if you're familiar. Since the front entrance is often packed with little movement. read more

I came here at the recommendation of my brother. He made it seem like this place was so huge I had never seen anything like it. In reality, my brother has never been to rural America where all there is is space and people who like to drink (exaggeration acknowledged). So this place wasn't as big as I was picturing but it did have a good selection. My fiance and I ended up buying two bottles of Glenlivet Nadurra, one for us and one for our wedding, and many bottles of wine to bring home. I call the trip successful, although it made me yearn for a trip to my fiance's hometown in northern Illinois. Now that place has liquor stores! read more

I shop empire quite often and find the staff helpful and friendly. Bradley put away your fangs , people can tell a smile from nastiness through a mask,and stop with the covid excuse. I tried the covid excuse for an external affair, wife did not buy! read more

I've made a half dozen on-line orders with Empire, all taking advantage of their Ship-4-Free offers. Most all the wines I ordered had huge ratings, and none of them drank well at all. My last order had two bottles that were leaking. I strongly suspect Empire is buying wine that has been stored improperly (or otherwise damaged) and reselling it at low prices that are too good to believe -- well you know what they say about something that seems too good to be true. Then there's Adam...manager? Owner? I was told he owns it, he says not. On the most recent order with the leaky bottles, called and left messages twice. On the second call just happened to speak with the same person as the first call and he assured me he had personally spoken with Adam...didn't ever get a call back. Third call I finally find Adam...he claims it's first he's heard of it -- flat out lying. Didn't get any better from there... I see that others have had similar problems with Adam. Stay away at all costs. ***In response to Adam's response below: Nice try. Why would I call you again, multiple times, only to be ignored? Furthermore, your proffered solution at the time was unsatisfactory and I told you so, but you didn't care. Why would you offer a better option now? As for the unethical and unlawful parts you mention below, I'm sure such behaviour is just that, unethical and unlawful -- however, don't think this would slow you down one bit.*** read more

So my younger brother suggested we pool our funds and buy our older brother some ridiculously expensive bottle of whiskey for Christmas. Ok, fine. My younger brother is a bartender at a country club, so he told me he would order the bottle through the club so it would be a tad bit cheaper. Unfortunately, the distributor messed up and everywhere in the capital region was sold out and on 2 week back order as of December 23. Efffff. My brother called around (rather than just take the distributor's word) and as it turns out there was one bottle left in the entire capital region. Thank you, Empire, for saving Christmas! Ps despite the fact that it was 5pm on Friday december 23 and the place was busier than a whore house in Thailand on the day the world ends, the staff was prepared and efficient. I was immediately asked if I wanted assistance upon crossing the threshold and they ran and got the bottle we reserved. The line snaked the length of the store, but I was out in under 5 mins. Great customer service! read more

This is my primary go to place for wine. Some of their prices are absolutely exceptional! The variety is extensive. Its a fun place to just browse the racks! Their liquor selection is pretty good as well and the pricing is fair. I am surprised at some of the items that they don't carry. The selection is rather eclectic in that regard. You will find most of the mainstays. read more

Selling wine and liquor in NY is basically a license to print money - just mark up your stuff and people will come to the closest store anyway because we are all Lazy. And no competition from those pesky grocery stores to force you to lower your prices. Empire is very different. Rock bottom prices, huge selection, good service, knowledgeable staff (maybe not the first person, but they will get someone else if needed). This place is so much better than the average neighborhood store it is crazy. Their liquor prices are also excellent and I buy more liquor than wine. The only thing I don't get there is sweet vermouth as they don't offer half bottles and since it goes bad quickly I don't want a 750 of that. read more

I have been a customer for years. I placed an order on a Saturday night and realized on Sunday morning that the order was incorrect. I wrote to them to cancel the order so I could place a new order with what I needed. They told me FEDEX picked it up Sunday and it was already shipped (NOT TRUE, FEDEX doesn't pick up on Sunday's and I received NO notification that the shipment had been received by FEDEX). I wrote back and told them to please cancel the order. Nothing showed as having shipped by FEDEX until Tuesday night. Empire had PLENTY of time to not pack and ship this order. I have ordered 2 or 3 cases of wine every quarter for years. Thousands of dollars spent at this store over that period of time. THEY HAVE LOST MY BUSINESS NOW!!!! read more

This is not my favorite wine store because their selection of New York State wines is limited and tends toward cheap wines and known labels (Bully Hill, Salmon Run, etc.). That said, if that's the only thing wrong with this place, they're doing pretty well. I like their tastings, which they have on a regular basis and for all different things. I've been for wine tastings as well as a "how to" scotch tasting, conducted by a Scot in a kilt. That was kind of awesome. I always come here when I'm traveling to visit friends. I opt to buy a more expensive bottle as a host(ess) gift and, at Empire, I can pay a much lower price. This shows in the warehouse look and feel of the store. The employees are knowledgeable about what they stock, but that's where the extent of their knowledge ends. I have a feeling that, for most of the staff, this is a first job or first job in a wine store, so they don't really need to know about other (NYS) wines, but it's a rare treat to find someone who does. They are also, I believe, the first wine store in Albany to offer reusable wine bags for sale. I haven't really looked through their liquor selection because they really are focused on wine. Frankly, if I'm coming to Empire, I'm coming to buy several bottles of wine. Anything else doesn't even cross my mind. read more

Ditto. Go here to save on wine. Smith's is going to have to watch out, because the bottles I bought there are consistently $1-$4 cheaper here. Only 4 stars because some food and wine pairing recommendations have been a little off. To be fair, though, other recommendations have been great. I love the little shopping carts. read more

Placed an order for 3 bottles of wine for pick up. At noon. They said the order won't be ready until 5pm. Not a big deal but I was in the area and now it's going to take, what,4 hours to grab some bottles off the shelf??!!?? Plus a "small order fee" of 3.00. Not happy. read more

Terrible experience company has no accountability can't find my package and are stating I have to wait until Monday or Tuesday in order to find or redeliver the package which I need for an event this weekend . I was told it takes one day and it's been more than three , their only intent was to take my money . Completely unprofessional . Save your money SHOP ELSEWHERE read more

My mom and I went here to inquire about cases of wine for my sisters wedding that we are hosting ourselves, first thing on our mind was budget, but we didn't want to sacrifice quality in order save money. The young man that helped us (unfortunately I didn't get his name) was very patient and looked into several different options that worked best for us. All in all he helped us for about 10 minutes and was extremely helpful seeing as how my mom and I had no idea what we were doing. We left feeling very happy with how much we spent because we were able to stay right on budget! read more

extremly unfriendly customer service. i ordered $4,000 of wine last week. i called Friday to ask to review my order and make sure there are no screw caps in my order. the woman was extremely short and unwelcoming and said she will ask someone to do it. on Tuesday i hadn't heard i called again to veify they actually did it. she confirmed they did in her same unfriendly approach. today the wine arrived and one case was screw caps. i called, the same woman, and asked what to do. she put me on hold and told me to send it back and i get a refund. no apology for the inconvenience, no im sorry,. just plain unfriendly. i bought last year $10,000. even if i bought one bottle only the service is unacceptable. im not upset they send the screw cap by accident. people make mistakes. the attitude on the phone is not for me. i will get my wine somewhere else in the future brad contacted me and resolved the issue. very professional read more

Empire Wine has been a lifesaver during the COVID lockdown. I've made at least 5 orders for delivery. They're prompt and professional. If I want something specific, they make a special order. They're also customer service oriented. They have 6-7 checkout people as opposed to All Star who only had 2 at most. This is great during the holidays when the line is out the door but only takes a few minutes to checkout. Plus they carry out to your car if you shop inside or order takeout! You can also see where the delivery person is and when they will arrive. read more

I have to concur with several of the poor service reviews on this site. Staff are particularly unhelpful. Several emails and phone calls could not resolve the issues. Don't usually review on line but was left completely bewildered by the apathetic and snarky staff. Suggest you invest your hard earned elsewhere. read more

I've ordered wine from Empire for about for five years and have had an occasional problem which could easily be resolved. Unfortunately I just ordered 23 bottles of wine last night, leaving off one bottle of wine. I called and spoke to their sales person; she, curtly, said Empire couldn't accommodate me. I then spoke to the manager, Matt, who more courteous; he too said that only a new order With an added $20 charge would added if one bottle of wine were to be sent. There was no way to make an accommodation on the order. Customer service is important. It leaves a very bad taste when a good customer can't be accommodated. read more

I only buy liquor here. Once I was at a liquor store in Loudonville after grocery shopping looking for a specific bottle of Southern Comfort. I was struck with sticker shock, over 20 bucks for a 750ml. I decided right there and then that I would ONLY buy any liquor at Empire ever again. It was worth driving down the HELLHOLE that is Wolf road to pick up at 1.75L for the price I would have gotten for half as much of the sweet nectar of the southern god(s). Liquor is BIG and priced right, Wine is abundant, and there is always a helpful soul to give you decent direction when you are wine-confused. I usually am not grilling any of the workers because I'm busy grabbing what I need and leaving in 4 minutes. :) Dang now I want a drink. read more

This place is HUGE and they have the cheapest prices in the capital region. However do not dare mention this to the h dog. read more

As a Canadian living near Kingston, Ontario, I have found that Empire is my "go to" website to find great prices on difficult to find wines in Canada. Fantastic selection. I'm a Zin guy, very happy to see an A+ selection of Turley wines. read more

I needed Champagne splits as a thank you gift for this weekend.. nobody in my area had any and they all gave me a run around with ordering! I found you guys online and figured I would take a chance.. all I can say is THANK YOU. I ordered Monday and got it today... you are clearly the best! read more

Best service and selection hands down. Staff is helpful and prices are the best bay far. Online ordering is a snap if you can use a phone.

Very disheartening to read some of the reviews here. Perhaps some of these folks need to be reminded that we are in the midst of a pandemic and living under unprecedented circumstances. I am a faithful customer of Empire and the store has never let me down. I have never encountered anyone in the store who isn't helpful and knowledgeable about their products. And I've never waited in line more than five minutes, even when the line wraps around the store during the holidays. Are these folks also writing to Amazon, Ebay and every other company that is dealing with delayed shipping due to the magnitude of online ordering? These companies are doing their very best to serve us, while risking their employees' health in the process. If your wine being delayed is your biggest problem in the midst of this pandemic, then I'd say you're pretty damn lucky! read more

Place was odd. Prices were good but the setup was strange and confusing. Workers everywhere climbing ladders running around like chickens with their heads cut off, nobody around to help me with a selection. To each their own but ill stick with the more conventional places. read more

Please fix your inventory. I drove 45 minutes to buy a bottle that I could not find anywhere else. Their website showed 2 in-stock, but there was none on the shelf. Employees acted like it was a normal thing, no big deal. The manager said I should have ordered it online, as if it was my fault I walked into the store to shop (I had 3 other items ready to purchase I had selected by walking around the store). First and last time going there. read more

Best Liquor store around! Great prices, incredible selection, the most accommodating staff and always so prompt in processing our online orders - not to mention pick up could not be easier. Ordered online for delivery for the first time to avoid going out and was shocked that my delivery arrived the very next day!!! Keep doing what you're doing Empire! Definitely keeping us all sane during these crazy times we are all living! read more

Great selection of Japanese whiskey that I simply could not find elsewhere. The lady at the check out counter was beyond rude. I asked where to find the glenfiddich 21 grand reserve (the glenfiddich selection was in my face but I honestly missed it) and she completely ignored me although I asked twice. I asked one of the girls near the pick up counter where to find ouzo and she was a bit more helpful. Unfortunately, not everyone there seems to want to be there and you can feel it when you walk in. I may return when my husband needs to refill his scotch/whiskey bar if I can't find them elsewhere but not sure if I'd actually go in myself. 3 stars because of the scotch/whiskey selection and nothing else. If you could find what you're looking for elsewhere, you might as well because no one seems to be of much help here. read more