Best wine shop in Portland. Hands down. Great advice. Great value. Lovely and lively staff. They always turn me on to something new that I would not have purchased. Always a hit. How is it possible. Stop buying your wine by looking at the label or hoping it's good. Just stop in at Great Wine Buys-spend 10 min and these folks will set you up. read more

One of the best wine stores I have ever been to. Every bottle I've bought has been delicious, affordable and unique. Excellent customer service that is humble, educated and earnest; not a combo one experiences much in the "wine world". Came in the other day and got some French white bottles that were both seriously yummy. Down to earth magic I think describes this shop and the wine they sell well! read more

This is one of those reviews I don't want to write, because frankly I don't want you to know about the store. I want to have the insider scoop. Why? Because they rock it on every criteria you would care about for a wine store. Completely down to earth folks, their knowledge of the wines they carry is deep, they remember me and the taste profile I like, (funky, barnyard floor, minerally reds) and they carry A fantastic selection of local and imported wines, all at good prices. I really can't say enough good about these folks. In my numerous conversations with them over the years, it is also become clear that they maintain positive relationships with so many of our regional winemakers. And yes, they have reassuring Covid precautions. read more

Fantastic customer service, genuinely friendly & helpful & nailed what I love & what is in my budget. I'll be a frequent flier! read more

Wondered in looking for a few particular French bottles (which they didn't have, but it was a long shot). Since we didn't find what we needed we took a good look around. There's a big wall of wines from Oregon and Washington, as well as a large amount from California (of course). There are smaller sections for Italy and France, and an even smaller selection from Spain/Portugal. This isn't really an insult. They have a pretty sizable selection, as wine cellars go, but later in the day I went to E&R and was floored with all they had to offer. Great prices, and a very large selection of domestic, Pacific Northwest wines. If you're looking for a bottle from this region, this a good place. read more

Went to a wine tasting in Yachats and had some Guild Winemakers Red Lot #3. Only bought one bottle.. what the heck was I thinking? Must drink more! Must have more on hand! Must get a deal! Lot #3.. What does that mean? I'll tell you what! It will be gone and Lot #4 will be up next. Went to the Guild website and it made me all the more anxious.. Get your Lot #3 now before it's all drunk! Immediately contacted GWB and sure enough John was on it! I got a few cases left, he replies. And it's cheaper by the dozen. Give me a box of 12 please!! Put my name on it! How do you spell Sherry? Like the wine I say back! Phew! Saved by GWB again! read more

Do they have knowledgable staff to help you? YES Do they have a lot of wines from different regions and varietal? YES Do they wines for every price point? YES Case discounts? YES This is my go to place for pairing wines with different meals and for tasty wines to drink on their own. I'm famous for purchasing way more wine than I intended here. Recommend having the staff help you find exactly what you are looking for. The selection here is daunting and they will guide you to exactly what suites your taste and needs. read more

There is very little that needs to be said about Great Wine Buys. These guys all know their stuff. Terrific, terrific, terrific. The selection is amazing, prices are competitive and wide-ranging. Quality, attention to detail and customer service is the best in Portland. Cheers fellas! read more

The best wine shop in America, not just Portland . They are kind, professional and fun. Great values at all price points. read more

I recently emailed Great Wine Buys for a quote on a order of a couple hundred bottles of wine for gift bags my company was creating. After my email I got a prompt call from John. He also immediately emailed back and let me know to contact him when I was available. Once we finally connected up he was incredibly knowledgeable about wines, pricing, and the ordering process. After letting him know I had zero wine knowledge he led me through options, never making me feel dumb for not knowing wine. Due to a change of mind by management we decided to hold of on the wine order but we are wholly impressed by Great Wine Buys and John. Their response to business inquires is fast and they're product knowledge deep. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed. Nate Johnson Mercedes-Benz of Portland read more

Walked in and asked to be directed to the best cab/cab-blend for $20 and was spared the snobbery I have come to dread when walking into a wine store with a budget. Helpful and friendly with lots of info on coming events. I'll be back soon and highly recommend to anyone in Portland. read more

Excellent shop to buy wine at. Huge selection and very knowledgeable staff to help you out. Budget friendly and a lot of hidden gems. I had to return a few bottles due to personal reasons and they 100% helped me out and were understanding of that. Would recommend for locals and those visiting out of state. read more

What's great about Great Wine Buys (besides the great wines and the great buys) is the service. I may talk a good game about palates and noses and the like when I'm on a date, but the fact is I don't know beans about wine. (It's made from beans, right?) So when I need to sell some friends on my taste in wine, I go to Great Wine Buys. I can tell the staff just about anything and they'll say, "Here you go, this one's perfect for you." "I need something from Argentina that will go with fish and asparagus." -- "Here you go, this one's perfect for you." "I drive a Civic and my mother's name is Sue." -- "Here you go, this one's perfect for you." And the great thing is, with the price and their apparently honest rationale (how the hell would I know the difference), I walk out of there truly believing I have just bought the perfect wine. And somehow they usually end up being right. read more

We were running a tad late for a dinner party at a friends' house when we suddenly remembered that, since 2 of the 6 adults in attendance are preggo, we were advised to bring booze if we wanted any. My Lady and I were not actually dying for a drink, but decided we wanted to bring a bottle of wine anyway, but we're driving down NE Broadway and I don't really know where we can stop to get one without going out of our way. "Hey, over there is a Plaid Pantry, I'm sure I can find something there." I know what you're thinking, but none of us are wine snobs and we're in a pinch. But, of course the selection is somewhere between "uggh" and "wtf?" Luckily another customer sees my look of distress and says, "around the corner there's a wine shop...like seriously, just around the corner." Thanks I say, and I book it out the shop... As promised Great Wine Buys was literally just around the corner (I think there was one shop in between). I run into the kinda small, but not cramped place, and was met by a gaggle of people. Maybe 6-10 people seated around a table chatting over their glasses, 2-3 other couples browsing the shelves, and a few more scattered around sipping from a glass from in front of one of the many open bottles - they must be doing a Friday wine tasting! I ran straight to the wall labeled "Oregon Pinot Noirs" - but was unable to quickly find anything less than $19 or so. Prices on the bottles were clearly labeled, but I was in a huge hurry, and didn't have time to figure out the organizational system (didn't seem to be by price, or alphabetically by name of winery) - so I just asked one of the workers if he could point me towards any Reds that would go well with Thai food in the $10-20 range. He immediately pointed a few out, and I picked out 2 really quickly (a $12.99 Zin from Central Coast, CA and a $13.99 Syrah from the Columbia Valley). Both were quite enjoyable - the Foxglove Zin especially so. And those prices were really no higher than what you'd spend at a quality supermarket. Based solely on my one limited visit, I'd have said it was a 3* rating - with the potential to earn 4 or even 5*s on a subsequent visit where I could fully explore the place. But I'm gonna give them the 4th star right now for no other reason than they were in the right place at the right time! I'd definitely go back to Great Wine Buys, especially if they do wine tastings every Friday! read more

I'm basically a cerveza guy. Oregon is like beer heaven, but recently I've been doing a little wine tasting, and have dropped into Great Wine Buys a couple of times. Friday nights seems to be prime tasting time and the place is full of happy people heel-toeing it around the place - glass in hand. I walked in and began looking for an Oregon pinot noir. The resident wine expert, John Kennedy - yep, and he has a brother named Robert - walked up and said: "you bought the J. Christopher the last time you were in. How was it?" Now I'm approaching retirement age, and recently I've been walking a lot; not because I want to you understand, but because I can't remember where I parked my car, so having a young fella like John to remember these things for me is super service. They have a large selection of wines and I don't have to remember any of them. Bingo! read more

First of all I will address the cleanliness of this business - it's 100%. They only let one person in at a time, keep their distance and are so damn helpful in the process. I have not purchased one bottle that I do not love at a great price! I got the monthly case and it was amazing! Take their word for it. I've gone enough times I know what I love but the customer service is absolutely phenomenal. Great prices and amazing wine!!! read more

Birthday presents for your former bff now boyfriend's mom are tricky. You want to get it right. You want her to enjoy it. You don't want to outshine your bf. Well port and chocolate seemed to be the way to go (at his suggestion). Sadly, I know nothing about port and certainly had no idea where to go to find a decent one. So I did my homework and made a list. I then texted my wino aunt for a place to go and she suggested Great Wine Buys. I walked in and while the steward was helping another customer I perused the selection. While it is a smaller shop it was great to see a lot of local varieties (on the list of types of port to get mom). Not finding the ports (on the corner in the back) I asked when the steward was free. He was very helpful and even wrapped it up nicely for me! When anyone asks about wine and where to go I will send them here. read more

Some wine shops I've been in have bottles open all the time for tasting. Although I wish that my local shop did this, I have to admit that it's not exactly fair to expect it. Great Wine Buys has distributors that find some pretty small wineries in Europe (and elsewhere?), so in addition to having very reasonably priced wine, they also have some special bottles there. I've gone in for their Saturday tastings (2-5 every week) and been able to taste while talking to the Italian winemaker, using my limited knowledge of Spanish and the interpretation skills of the distributor, who brought the guy over for a distribution tour. Pretty cool! read more

Always my go to wine shop in Portland. Whether you are a serious or casual wine buyer, this is your store. Even when I am looking for a wine they don't stock, they can usually get it for me in a few days. I have used them for stocking my own cellar, multiple wedding orders, holiday purchases and love their Friday night tastings. Incredibly friendly staff and always happy to give educated recommendations in any price range. It is easy to see how they have been around for so long. read more

GWB has been open and successful for a long time, and it shows. They have a pretty large selection that spans the globe, with a definite focus on Nowrthwest wines and Pinot Noir. The case of the month (for $102!) has been a godsend many times over, taking the guesswork out of putting together my own case and rarely producing a bottle I didn't like. The staff definitely knows their juice and they're always happy to steer you toward the perfect bottle. read more

I love Great Wine Buys! Ever since my first visit in 2007, I have been hooked! John knows what I like so well that I always call ahead and have him use his discretion to put together a case or two in the price point I'd like to be in. He is always spot on. The other day, they even brought the wine and credit card slip directly out to my car because me 3 year old was asleep - you don't get any better than that! My only complaint is that I rely on John so much for selection help that when I go to a restaurant or am forced to buy wine elsewhere - I'm handicapped. I need an 'ask John' wine app on my phone. I can't recommend this place strongly enough. The whole crew is friendly and helpful, the prices are great, and the selection is fantastic. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! read more

I walk into the wine shop. It smells like Burgundy - vanilla, spice, alcohol. I'm a bit late and the shop is crowded; all the tables are taken and the spots at the bar are all claimed. Jeff walks by with his hands full of wine and glasses heading towards a table "Hi Bill, John will be right here to get you set up." It's been nearly a year since I've been in; I used to come almost every Friday after work. But I'm retired and too busy to make it out as often as I'd like. John comes over and offers to set me up a spot for the tasting on some wine crates. He's clearing off an area for me; moving bottles and hiding them in the corner. I'm looking at the tasting sheet and notice that I had misread tonight's offerings; it's not a Burgundy tasting but, instead, the winemaker is from Burgundy. A couple people leave and I grab a spot at the bar. I keep glancing at the man next to me. He looks familiar, but I can't place him. Then he smiles; it's Dan; I wasn't able to recognize him with the long hair and beard. Dan is an archeologist, and he prefers to drink white wines so I'm surprised to see him here - there are 2 white offerings and 4 red. Dan says, "Red Burgundy is the white wine of the world." I don't fully understand, but Dan knows more about wine than I do. He's tasting and smelling the glasses. He laughs to himself and points to a word on his tasting sheet, "I just used the word 'unctuous' to describe this wine." I see John walk over to my crate and I flag him down - he's lost track of me for a second - so he can bring me my wine. I swirl the glasses and look at the pretty colors; I smell all of them (#4 has an unpleasant nose at first, but that goes away as it opens up); and then I take a little sip of each. Mostly, I like the smell of wine. I like the taste also. But the smell is what keeps bringing me back to red Burgundy. So, I swirl and smell them all again and again. They are all beautiful. The winemaker comes over and introduces herself; Alexandrine is from Burgundy and in addition to making wine for Phelps Creek she has her own winery in Chambertin. Dan has lots of questions for her, but I'm starstruck so I mostly just listen to her talk. She talks about how she watches the plants just before harvest and when the time is right, they gently harvest the bunches and lovingly select the berries before the crush. I'm mesmerized. I'm starting to taste the wines now. Dan and I are talking back and forth about some of the qualities of each. What he likes, what I like. We both stop talking at once; we notice that a wine rep has wandered behind the bar where Jeff is pouring the tastings. Jeff has a system - line up the glasses on the counter (there is tape to divide the glasses by bottle), pour the exact same amount of wine in each glass, when all 6 pours are done only then will he transport them to the taster. He knows how many pours he can get from one bottle and all the bottles will be empty at the same time; allowing for the next full set of 6 bottles to be opened. The wine rep is going to grab a bottle in order to offer a customer another taste of one of the samplings for comparison. This would throw his system off for the rest of the night! After a brief discussion, Jeff grudgingly allows this to happen. A potential altercation has been narrowly averted. During a lull, Jeff and I talk about coaching. I'm a track coach and he's a tennis coach. We commiserate about dealing with high school athletes. He tells me about one of the players on the team; he has hopes that she'll make it to state this year. It's her senior year and she narrowly missed going last year. Nerves got to her and her game fell apart towards the end. I've decided to buy a bottle, the eponymous Alexandrine wine. I walk over to John and let him know my choice. He tells me that he's teaching his daughter to drive and all the anxiety and challenges involved. I tell him of teaching my son to drive and of running a red light. All the while I'm remembering seeing him come in with his young daughter behind him in a bike trailer. And seeing the bike and trailer stored in the corner of the shop. I ask about another wine that I bought from him years ago, an Alsatian, a field blend. "Do you remember the producer? Marcel Deiss?" "Yes - that's it!" He walks me to the back of the shop and picks out the bottle. I purchase the wine and say goodbye. As I'm walking back to my car, I'm determined to make it back here more often. I can buy wine in lots of places, but the best place in Portland to experience wine is Great Wine Buys. read more

Huge 10 stars for customer service. I called them up and it turns out they had closed for the day. I told them if they would stay open for another 15 I'd come by and make it worth their while. The owner let us in and his knowledge of wine was beyond impressive. He carries very small labels and bottles from local vineyards with small acre production that you will never see at Costco. Give these ppl your business. They deserve it!! read more

We love the case-of-the-month. Interesting variety of not-expensive wines we'd never know to taste ourselves. And if there's a riesling (my husband hates them) they'll swap it out for something more our style. read more

The best customer service I have had in ages! We stopped in for a few bottles while visiting Portland and the local selections were fantastic. When our stay was extended, we stopped in again and couldn't have been happier with our recommendations and pricing. This charming spot is a MUST for any wine lover in the area! read more

About a year ago, I wanted to get ahold of some bottles made by Wines of Substance in Washington, as a gift for my awesome science-nerd boyfriend. So, I sent an email out to four or five wine shops in my area, inquiring about said wine. Not only was John at Great Wine Buys the only one who responded to my email, but he told me they would place an order for me that day, and that I could pick up the bottles the following day. He was helpful in giving me a ballpark range of what they'd cost per bottle, and was so nice and professional through the entire email conversation. I know that wine shops don't always have the capability or resources to pull a specific bottle of wine out of the blue, and I won't go in next time presuming that they can. But this time, GWB absolutely came through for me, and I couldn't have been more grateful. When I came in I was met with a really nice, sociable guy who had my bottles waiting out for me, ready to go. Great Wine Buys is the best. read more

Excellent Selection, Knowledgeable Staff, Reasonably priced and interesting tastings. Our wine group meets every Friday and has met at GWB for years. We love it here. It can be crowded depending on the tasting, but it doesn't compromise the atmosphere at all. Love this place. read more

Wonderful wine shop. They have a great selection and the owner is very knowledgeable and more than happy to help and provide recommendations. read more

Stellar service in this small bottle shop on NE Broadway. The staff is always willing to answer wine-related questions, and they even offer wine tasting flights. Pricing is on par with what you'd pay elsewhere, although many of the online retailers are lower (but you must figure in shipping costs). Great selection of wines, both local and abroad. read more

Nice shop with a nice variety of wine. Customer service is lacking - THANK me for my purchase and try to engage with your customers instead of chatting with a coworker. read more

This little shop has a great selection of reasonably priced wines and very knowledgeable employees to help you pick out the perfect wine for any occasion. I was most impressed by their collection of Pacific Northwest wines and sparkling wines. They also have tastings! Can't wait to go back! read more

Oh my goodness this place is wonderful. As someone who is going to school to study wine, I found Great Wine Buys very well organized and easy to find what I wanted. The sales person was incredibly helpful in answering my questions. I found a Sancerre from 1996 that was under $40 - an amazing price if you ask me. Wonderful selection and great service. I can't wait to go back. read more

This is a good place to buy wine. John in particular is very helpful and knows his wines. This is not a large shop, but it is a good shop with a great selection of wine at a fairy ice. read more

Love this place! Knowledgable staff, great selection of wines and a wide variety of prices depending on what you want to spend. It's great to get 1 on 1 help when buying wine! read more

GWB is my neighborhood wine shop and I've been going for years. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable and their Friday night tastings are always fun and a great way to learn about various wines. read more

Great wine shops on NE Broadway. Fantastic selection especially of NW wines. Free tastings on Saturday afternoons and a knowledgeable staff.

Ridiculously helpful! I went in to grab a wine to take as a gift to a dinner party of some 'wine-people' in the neighborhood. It was worth the ask because the store knew them and were able to recommend something fabulous! I can't wait to give it to them knowing it's that they will like! Woooohooooooo GWB! Go there, they are great. read more

John, the owner, was incredibly helpful with ordering 2 bottles of double magnum Veuve Cliqclot (not common in Portland area) so they would be in stock next day and was able to deliver them to a nearby venue. He kept me informed every step of the way and was great to work with. Thanks again! read more

Of the many things I miss about living in Portland, this wine shop is one of them! John, Murray and the whole team there are friendly, knowledgeable and they provide an excellent wine experience for ALL levels of wine consumers. The GWB team took the time to learn my palate and had a selection of wines from all the world for me to explore. Whether your are stocking the cellar in bulk, looking for an everyday drinker or in need of something for a special occasion, Great Wines Buys has multiple options from which you can choose. And, it is not just about selling wine. Get on their email list and you'll receive plenty of information about wine as well as invites to a number of fun/education events with other people in the wine industry. read more

Best selection of bubbles in Portland. Shop guys are super helpful, knowledgeable and easy going. I found six different bottles of wine (ranging $22 to $65, 5 French and a Spanish) to satisfy my picky family for Thanksgiving. All were delicious! They do have plenty of NW wines too. read more