I was in town and looking for a place to have a couple glasses of wine. I actually found a different shop first (located in Dublin), but when I called and asked if they do tastings or if it's possible to buy something from the retail shop to open in-store, they were quite wishy-washy about it and I didn't feel like driving there only to be turned away. Instead, I headed for TWS and glad I did.
I first looked around the shop to see what they carried. Most of the wines I looked at were between $30-60, so a very affordable price point if you're looking for a bottle of wine to have at home or to give away as a gift. The floor staff were very kind and checked in with me to see if I needed assistance. Given the price point, the white Burgundy was quite limited - mostly Macon and areas that are still affordable. I did notice they had a Rare Wines section, but I didn't have the chance to poke around in there. Something for next time :)
Even though it's limited, I really love seeing some representation for southern hemisphere wines, like those from South Africa, Chile, Argentina, NZ, AU, etc. The floor is very well laid out and quite easy to navigate and find specific regions. I know it's a pain, but the one thing that would make the experience even better is to make the inventory browsable from their website. I find it to be a lot faster using search/filters than simply browsing around the floor.
I also really love that they have a LOT of their champagnes and white wines chilled on the back wall so they're ready to go if you're heading to a party or dinner, or if you just want to open something to drink upstairs at the wine bar. A lot of shops will have only a very limited selection of service-ready wines.
Upstairs, you'll find the wine bar. It's a nice space that can accommodate probably 20-25 people comfortably. The bar has seating for 10-12. When I stopped in, they were doing Easter-themed wines - a flight of whites and a flight of reds. The flights were 5 wines each and I believe there were 6 whites, 6 reds, a rose option, and a sparkling option - so a decent BTG selection. The BTG prices are pretty standard, so the wholesale price of the bottle is roughly the BTG price. BTG ranged from $15-20. The wine bar does have some limited food options, but not enough to make a full meal - burrata, cheese plates, charcuterie plates, almonds, olives, etc.
Overall, this is a nice shop and it was a fun place to enjoy a couple glasses of wine. There is a ton of street parking and many surface lots, so parking in the area is quite accessible. Whether you're looking for a bottle to take home (or give away) or just want to enjoy a glass, this is a great place to check out. read more