Urban grape is an upscale wine store on a mission. During my visit I got to learn from one of the owners about their brand Progressive Wine Co and the work they are doing to help expand access to the wine industry for people of color. You can tell TJ is passionate about wine and knows his stuff from the way he talks and from the flavors of the wine from their personal brand. I tend to shy away from reds, but their Pinot Noir will now have a regular spot on my rack. In addition to Progressive Wine Co, they also carry a wide variety of wines, a few different types of liquor, and hard ciders. I highly recommend attending one of their tastings and bringing a few bottles home with you read more

The Urban Grape - Bottle of Pinot Noir - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The thing I love most is the owners. They have a great mission of making wine more accessible to drinkers as well as makers. They specialize in supporting small businesses in selling wine, alcohol, liquor, and beer. They have scholarships for people who want to study wine making. Every Thursday they have tastings for the public. And they just opened up a new store in the Shaw neighborhood in DC. read more

Great event space and customer service! Loved the options for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Came here for the yelp event! Owner was nice and welcoming. Many different types of wines to choose from, and they also patiently gave introductions on the type of grapes and the source. read more

Super modern, well curated wine shop with something for everyone. Knowledgeable assistance and a fun environment! It's set up by flavor profile, as opposed to region or varietal. That can be a bit confusing for those of us knowledgeable about wines, but it also makes you scan more of the store - and sometimes find unique bottles! Definitely a funky, hip wine store for the contemporary wine shopper. read more

Love this place! First stopped by in the midst of the pandemic and made my selections a la their "covid counter" While it would have been lovely to browse in store the attendant more than made up for it. She was able to produce a variety of selections from my rather muddled requests. I ended up with three bottles that I quite liked and unfortunately dissappeared shortly after being brought home. The next time we stopped by all restrictions had been lifted so we were able to roam the store freely. We were prompty greeted by Brett...or maybe its was Brent. Whatever we were greated by a gentleman and a scholar who demonstrated a vast knowledge of wine but also knew history too. I see you BretBrent. My sister peppered him with a never ending array of questions some wine based, some cultural, hell even some philosophical. And instead of ushering us out to go find the nearesr library...or therapist, he answered all of our (ahem her) questions with ever growing aplomb. It's clear they hire really passionate knowledgeable staff who can cater to people like big sis who know all about wine and to philistines like myself who's most poignant wine inquires are usually along the lines of "Is it sweet or nah?" Check it it out. read more

I walked in and was immediately greeted. Lots of wine, but I could see it was a more unusual collection. Rahoul listened to what I like in wine and what I was looking for. He offered suggestions and descriptions. I chose a white and a red. It was a fun conversation and I really enjoyed the exchange. I am sipping the white now.. Fabulous!! read more

I had read some articles about the store and liked the story behind it. Dropped in during one of the free public tastings they offer. There wasn't much by the way of info provided about the wine, just offering samples of a few wines. The store is set up using their proprietary progressive scale which I read about online and sounded interesting, but in practice without having a point of reference to begin with I wouldn't know how to shop and pick a wine there. I thought with the wine tasting they might have a few wines across the spectrum so you could then have a frame of reference but that wasn't the case. Store staff weren't particularly friendly, the cashier at checkout seemed annoyed I didn't have a profile set up and that I asked for a receipt. read more

I am a snobby non-alcoholic. I always love to find cool drinks. This was one of the non-alcoholic wine options they offered and although it is a bit pricey at $25 a bottle it was delicious! Even my sister who loves a nice glass of sparkling rose was impressed! We need more brands like this and more stores and bars to carry please! read more

The Urban Grape - After - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Urban Grape was the MVP of my Covid spring. I'm so grateful I had the chance to virtually meet Lydia and the UG crew as they guided me to tastings with makers all over the world. Early in quarantine, I found out about the UG's experimental new virtual tasting format. I didn't know anything about wine, but wanted to learn more-- and what better time? I ordered the Drink Progressively book (authored by Urban Grape's founders, TJ and Hadley) and attended the first tasting, where we learned about wine, the Progressive scale, and how to chill out and have fun with your wine. It was awesome and I immediately signed up for more classes. The format is great: classes and wines are listed online a few weeks in advance. Pick what you like and sign up for contact-free delivery (or pick up), and like magic, wine appears at your door and the wine maker appears on your screen. Classes vary depending on the wine maker: sometimes you learn more about the process and this type of wine, other times it's more of a story about the vineyard or winemaker themselves. My favorite was a Lambrusco maker who zoomed in from Italy. Beyond these solo tastings, you can also arrange a private class for groups like professional organizations or your work team. I had the pleasure of working with Lydia on two very different formats, one where the priority was budget and the other where some wine aficionados in the group had a lot of input into the planing. Both tastings were excellent and such a fun team building experience! I can't recommend Urban Grape highly enough, and hope you'll be able to sample some of their epic wines soon. read more

The Urban Grape - A virtual tasting with wine makers from Napa - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Not a fan of the service model or their numbering system. It's exclusive and snobby, makes for an off putting experience if you're just looking for a nice bottle of wine read more

These people are great. They went above and beyond to get my order to me in time for a family event.

A lifesaver! I live right across the street, and the convenience of ordering from here is amazing. The website offers many beers/wines and if you're unsure of which you're feeling there are filters to help you out in narrowing down price points, regions, etc. It takes less than five minutes for me to place my order, and then I just cross the street and they bring the order right out (already paid for) and even if I choose a bit of a later pick-up time. Great wine, awesome prices, and perfect curbside pick-up! read more

We held a wine tasting at Urban Grape for the female members at our firm and it was wonderful. The staff was knowledgeable, willing to go the extra mile to support the concept we had in mind and made the overall experience seamless. Brittany was a helpful thought partner in bringing our event to life in a way that worked for our specific needs. The food provided by BoardsbyMo was fresh, delicious and the exact amount we were looking for to allow people to snack while they sip. Our wine educator was warm, funny and easily read the group to keep things short and fun. We will most certainly be back in the future. read more

The wine is great for those who can afford the selection, I think they could also make an effort to bring in more affordable natural wines. However, my low rating is purely for the horrible service. Hospitality has not aligned with the service from my experience, and that factor made it easy to go elsewhere. read more

Back in September, I wrote a pretty harsh review about Urban Grape South End. After years of shopping here, their service had really fallen off. Apparently, they were going through some growing pains. I'm pleased to report that I've been back 3-4 times over the past month or two and UG is back! The new sales people are consistent, helpful, available, and friendly. They are deeply knowledgeable about the wines and work hard to match one's palate with one's purchase. It looks like they've figured it out. Keep it up Urban Grape! read more

Very nice selections of wines. I discovered this place from a online tasting and decided to give them a try. I first order was home delivered and arrived pretty fast considering my location was well outside city limits. My tastes are primarily reds and they have a variety of types and ratings. The website ordering is easy and quick and all the available wines are updated frequently. Pricing is pretty good for the better quality wines but the more popular bottles go quickly. Definitely worth adding to your list of wine suppliers. read more

Ralph is so kind and very helpful! such a cute shop :) So many options and they wrap the bottles up so cute

I'm a beer guy, so I'm only focusing on that part of their inventory. I have been here before a few times, but saw another reviewer's rec to get your beer at Bacco's, due to their selection, so I went there first... nope. If you want variety, Urban Grape has 3 to 5 times more beers, all available as singles. So, I got dinner at Bacco's and walked to Urban Grape for the beer (better beers, cheaper, and variety). Heck, visit both and see for yourself, they are about 6 blocks apart. read more

Never shop at a store that marks up pappy van winkle 1000%. Who knows what else they're marking up. Their beer selection is slim and also overpriced. The help is also a bit snooty for my taste. Pro tip: Check out Baccos for a better beer selection and go to the Star Market down the street for more reasonably priced wine. read more

The Urban Grape is a great new addition to the South End. My first visit to the store was this past Sunday for a beer and food pairing session called 'Beer for Wine Lovers'. We sampled 5 different kinds of beer and ate mini dishes prepared by the Mei Mei food truck. While we sampled everything, we learned a little foodie knowledge about the beer, how to pair it with food, and the best glassware to use. For only $20 it was a good amount of food and a fun Sunday night activity. The store has a trendy and open atmosphere with a lot of space for group tastings. They mentioned hosting a birthday party there last weekend. Just by passing the store I wouldn't normally think to shop there because it looks pretty fancy. Since my palate can't tell the different between a $100 bottle and Charles Shaw I tend to stick with cheaper wines. But, they mentioned that they had a big selection of wines in the $8 to $15 dollar range, which is a huge plus for me. I had a great time at the event and enjoyed learning more about their products so I plan to look for future tastings and events here. read more

The Urban Grape - The set-up at the "Beer for wine lovers" tasting - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The trendy way of buying and tasting wine Came in to see what the fuss was about. So basically you can taste all of the wines they have on their hand dandy tasting machine and apparently you buy one for your home for a couple thousand bucks. The staff is very helpful and knows if we could be wind tasting in there all day we would. The point of the tastings is to have a better understanding of. Which wine you want to buy from their walls, based on their interesting categories. They also have a beer section and DIY 6 packs! read more

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I buy a lot of wine. A lot. Like a locker full. I don't buy wine at UG usually (unless there's a sale on a bottle - I've gotten a few old vintage Brunellos at a decent price - but I don't really see many worthwhile sales). The mark up is significantly higher than most other wine shops in the greater Boston area. Paying $80 for a bottle of 2016 Chappellet Cab that is 33%(!) cheaper at Total Wine is bananas, for example. I get that Total Wine is generally the cheapest but that's an insane mark up. That said, the owners are nice, the staff is hit or miss but generally there to help, free tastings, good location near work, the private tastings are good for an office event, and the small but decent liquor selection (also overpriced but better deals can be had here) is good for a convenient bottle on the way to Back Bay station. The only time I shop here for wine is when I need a bottle of rosé or something similar for a dinner party or something else at a friend's place in the South End. Paying $25 for a $15 bottle of rosé feels better than $80 for a $53 bottle, I guess! read more

I happened to be eating in the South End after work and was immediately drawn into this place. I was with two of my coworkers and lucky for us there was a free tasting going on. The event had a steady flow of approximately 20 people in attendance. In the middle of the store there is a wine tasting kiosk that allows you to taste each of the featured wines. The staff was very helpful in explaining the wine flavors and what they each paired well with. There was also a liquor and beer tasting going on. Unfortunately, the beer tasting ended before we were able to taste any. For liquor there was gin, whiskey, and absinthe. I would never think I would be sipping any of the aforementioned liquors without needing a chaser and actually be enjoying them. We had the pleasure of meeting the distiller and hearing their personal insight on the spirits. We loved our experience so much that my coworkers and I immediately signed up for their newsletter and plan on going back for another event soon. read more

The Urban Grape - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Super selection of wine in an everyday bottle price range... $15. Let the friendly staff know what your price range is and they will help you find the best bottle of Wine in it. The deal: conveniently located in between Bostin's South End and Back Bay. read more

This is a super neat liquor store tucked away in in Back Bay/South End, by Back Bay Station. They have a really nice selection of wines (whites, reds, roses, you name it), liquor (vodka, whiskey (Japanese whiskey too!), rum, whatever you desire) and beer (ranges from Corona 12-packs to more craft beers you can buy one off for $5-9+ a bottle. For beer, its marginally pricier than your local supermarket. But if you're looking for a specific kind of beer, odds are that this place stocks it. They also have a really nice staff that is more than happy to help you out. If you pay by card, they can open up a free account for you that logs what you buy so if you like something you don't remember, you can just check the system! One other cool thing is the beer and wine tastings. A couple days a week, they have tastings that free! For events, check out http://theurbangrape.com/services/events/ read more

Very helpful coding for how rich each wine is, and how "heavy" the taste is. They also host wine and beer tastings every Thursday evening, which is a very nice way to get acquainted with new wine flavors. I'm not a wine expert, but the prices are reasonable, staff is very friendly, and location is ideal right next to Back Bay station and a 7-10 min walk from Copley square. They also keep your name on file if you wish, so you know which wines you've purchased! read more

The Urban Grape - Wine tasting! - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The only thing I don't love about Urban Grape is that it is not near where I live... but that's more my fault than theirs. I love how the wines are classified and organized. I love their interesting selection of wines, many of which are from small batches and interesting wineries all over the world. I love the free weekend tastings. We usually leave with a purchase from the offerings. I love that the staff can make knowledgeable recommendations. I love that they keep track of your purchases to help you make more informed selections in the future. I love that it is right by the Back Bay T stop. I love that they allow dogs. Highly recommend! read more

Urban Grape is my absolute favorite wine shop in Boston. The selection is wonderful, but what really sets UG apart is their fun, friendly, and knowledgable staff. Every time I walk up, I am greeted with such lovely people (most of which know my name, and go-to wine order) and I always walk away smiling. All of the UG staff are extremely helpful and willing to answer any questions or provide suggestions upon request. I highly recommend this wine shop to all of my friends and neighbors - so definitely give them a try! -Molly (your fav Savage Brut neighbor :)) read more

Love shopping here! The staff never makes me feel self conscious about my lack of alcohol knowledge and I've loved every recommendation they've given. Highly recommend! read more

Great selections of wines. The staff is also incredibly helpful and knowledgeable and can guide you in the right direction if you don't know much. Great place! read more

This wine store is pretty much my happy place, even if I've only been once!! TJ (the store owner) is absolutely brilliant and friendly, and explained his wine organization system to me in a way that blew my mind-like Pandora Radio of wines! I was lucky enough to stumble upon a tasting this evening with a sommelier and an excellent selection of bottles, and everyone made it an easy and accessible experience. I don't live in Boston, but I would make an excuse to come to Beantown just to get back here! read more

BougHt some wine Beware of website descriptions Advertised one thing and delivered. Another and didn't recognized the mistake Trust BUT VERIFY read more

Looks nice on the outside-- not so friendly on the inside :( kinda snobby :/ but they at least sell hard alcohol ;) read more

Over the last several months, I have become a regular customer here, which is weird since this wine shop is not in my work neighborhood nor in my home neighborhood. I find that every time I head into The Urban Grape, I learn a new little lesson about wines, beers, spirits...and also about geography, culture, history, and even a little bit about myself. That sounds like cheerleading, I know. But allow me to present my case: Not at all inaccessible, this delightful little shop in the South End is right around the corner from the Back Bay train station on Columbus Avenue. I found it when I was searching for a location for a bachelorette party that would roam about the South End. I moseyed inside and glanced at the high shelves of wine and immediately fell in love with the butcher block table where they were setting up for a free tasting later that day... What's that? Free tasting? Why, yes, I'd love to stick around for that. That's right, every week, they hold free tasting events to educate customers about different wines, beers, liquors. You read that right. They are trying to create educated consumers. Which was evident, when I asked a question about Rose wines. I was treated to a lesson by a very passionate staff member, who took me through the process that those delicious pink wines go through. I tasted all of the free wines, and then I stepped over the the wine tasting machine, affectionately called "La Principessa" by some of the staff and I tasted several of the dozen or so wines contained in the glass vending machine. Back to the bachelorette party, we totally booked it there and it was awesome. Chelsea helped me every step of the way, even creating a little booklet to hand out to the guests with maps of where the wines come from. Which brings me to the second lesson about wine that I learned at Urban Grape: tasting notes. I hate this part about wine tastings. I feel like it is the SATs and I never get the answer right...am I supposed to taste, cloves? What about fruit? Is it bad if I like the fruity wines? What if I taste bubble-gum in a fancy Reisling? Chelsea set my fears to rest: All of your answers are right. If you taste a wine and it reminds you of mint chocolate chip ice cream...cool. That's totally valid. Suddenly, I could just enjoy tasting wine. A few weeks later, I returned to the Urban Grape to get one of the wines we had tasted at the bachelorette party to take to the wedding, and in addition I needed some champagne for mimosas for the bridesmaids. Since I'd be mixing the champagne with Orange Juice, I wasn't looking to spend a lot...no worries, the staff person said. She pointed me to an interesting bottle of sparkling wine. I turned it around and it was below my budget (I bought 3 bottles instead of 2 for what I had budgeted). Lesson learned: Wine doesn't have to be expensive to taste delicious and be exactly what you are looking for. Then, I was hooked. Now, I try to go in at least once a month to find out what is new, and the things I have learned are endless: I like Zinfandel! Who knew? Rye Whiskey is like Bourbon's spicy older brother. It's delicious in Old Fashioneds (which they also have the hand-crafted bitters and much better maraschino cherries than other liquor stores) Wine in a box can be great. Especially for camping. The list goes on and on. It's why I keep going back. read more

Love this place! Their website is easy to navigate, and they provide a great selection of wine and beer! This was my first time with alcohol delivery and the person delivering the wine was incredibly patient as I worked out the hand off! Was pleasantly surprised to see the items came in a cute gift bag too! Would definitely recommend to anyone in the Boston area or looking to deliver within the Boston area! read more

What a beautiful wine store, with its glowing, well lit interiors, and not a speck of dust to be found! And the bottles that line the walls top to bottom are organized systematically from light bodied to full bodied like books in a library...down to the ladders in order to climb up and down to retrieve the find. Best of all are the tasting stations well stocked with wine glasses. Split between red and white/rose wines, and chilled to the appropriate temperature, these stations spit out a small quantity of glorious wine into your glass for a tasting. And of course, these bottles are arranged from light to dark, for ease of tasting and to cater to your palette. After tasting most of the wine at these stations and the helpful and friendly customer service, how can you not walk away with a treasure or two? read more

This store is very unique and seems to be more on the high end of things - walking by it, not really knowing what it was, we decided to go in on a whim and I ended up dropping over $50 on a couple of bottles of wine and beers. The store itself is vary spacious and stylishly decorated unlike most 'packy' stores around Boston. This one definitely stands out and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to sample some of their wine and also helped ourselves to some samples at their automated pouring kiosk which I thought was neat as well. They have a very interesting way to classify their wines on the shelves and although I can't recall exactly how it worked, once the staff explained it, it made sense. It's definitely not by region or country but more by taste profiles if I remember correctly. Whether you are going there for an affordable or nicer bottle of wine or a couple of bottles of beers, this is definitely a great place to go even if you're just looking for a six pack of Sam Light or even Corona or anything macrobrewed. read more

I attended one the Urban Grape's event "Beer Tasting for Wine Lovers" a Sunday night tasting. The food (provided by Mei Mei Street Kitchen) was spectacular, the beer parings were top notch, and the entire event will make me a frequent customer of the Urban Grape in the future. You can't ask for much more: a great space, knowledgeable and friendly owners/staff, and a unique selection that will necessitate leaving with 2-3 more bottles than you originally intended. read more

UPDATE. Got a message from the staff at Urban Grape regarding my review, which is always impressive and appreciated. They said: "...about 50% of the wine at UGSE is in the $15 range, the reason being that we want everyone to feel they can stop by for a "daily bottle," not just for special occasions. So please make sure to let the salesperson helping you know that you'd like something in that price range and we will make sure to find you the perfect bottle." Score! read more