K & L Wine Merchants
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sat 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
68 Reviews for K & L Wine Merchants
One of K & L Wine Merchants' Favorite Reviews
Wine is a passion, and K&L is my crack dealer! :)
I have used K&L for years; when I lived in the Bay Area before, and even after when I moved to Denver. My local wine store couldn't match their prices - even with shipping it was great.
I order small quantities constantly, then run by the warehouse to pick them up.
Their paper newsletters are awesome too, and I always buy more wine b/c of them. :)
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I can't live in the SF Bay Area without K&L.
They have an excellent lineup of wines, very friendly & knowledgeable staff, and wonderful weekly tasting events. Their wine clubs are also excellent - we enjoy their monthly Italian wine club and we're delighted with every shipment we receive.
Their prices are very competitive to some of their neighbors including BevMo! and Beltramo's. They've also got a very nice website, with an excellent search engine and very good waiting list features with keywords. It's also very easy to track orders online.
My gal pal is tracking down this Swedish wine so I recommend K&L Wines Merchants since she'd be in the neighborhood, assured that if her wine was unavailable, there'd be a high probability someone here would send her in the right direction. Everyone I've come across has been convincingly knowledgeable--K&L Staff is to the wine merchant circle what Home Depot in-store service asserts itself to be in the home improvement-construction retail world. (I said "asserts.")
Anyway, K&L service (both online and off-line) has been extremely supplemental to my gifting and party needs. When I can't make it down to Paso Robles for Turley zin, I pick it up here.
And let's say it's the holidays (by the way, is anyone else sort of disturbed by the fact Restoration Hardware has Christmas trees and stringed lights in their display windows?) and you're shopping for that perfect gift for your teammate who stabbed you in the back last quarter? Ta-da, a case of these will do just fine:
http://www.klwines.com...
(Hey, don't look at me, I work with all men.)
Minus one star because they don't stock this:
http://www.clickwinegr...
(Hey, don't look at me, all of them are slim.)
(This review is dedicated to Ellis S. for various reasons, not because he is a b! or a fat bastard (please don't read into this), but because he keeps asking why I haven't written a review. So this is for you, my friend. Much lub.)
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Not surpisingly, I still love this place, and I am now going to come here to get a bottle every time I go to John Bentley's next door. Corkage fee be d*mned!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
06/23/2008
K&L is the best place to discover and buy wines in the area.
Wine shops inspire passionate… Read more »
My husband loves this place. We make the trek here about once every two months and try to make it there before the christmas rush to purchase Calvados (apple brandy), wine, wine as gifts and specialty spirits such as bourbon, and whiskey. There are always people around to answer questions, and my husband goes on-line and does research and then orders through their website and we go and pick it up. We also get a newsletter in the mail talking about wines, specials, sponsored events and tastings.
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I went to a lovely Bordereaux Event in the city sponsored by these guys. Talk about class act. Now I will admit for the time frame and the number of wineries represented from the region it was madness and mayhem at times. I am so glad I wasn't the one having to dump the spit buckets.
Ralph Sands, is the best. All the folks here really know their stuff. Anytime I am here which is often for their Thurs/Fri/Sat Tastings, it's always fun and the you never leave without making purchase.
They always have good pricing and a tremendous supply of wines from all regions to chose from at all price levels.
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Well if you are used to going to Beverages and More,well this is a little upgrade.This place has a wide selection of red and white wines.
I have had people tell me about this place and find the website very useful with much info.If you are looking for something of interest look at the website and go from there.
Nice customer service and another good wine shop.
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Best wine shop, best wine website. I'm proud of this Peninsula classic. I much prefer it to Beltramo's due to deep expertise, consistency in service, and the warm cozy personalities.
Go to them if you're considering wine storage (on or offsite) too.
(An aside: I contemplated getting off the high tech whirlwind several years ago and hit K&L up for a job. Suffice to say that if I had won the lotto or didn't have college debt, I would have begged to be a stockroom clerk.)
Wine tasting rules of etiquette 101. Rule #1. Never (NEVER) ever wear perfume or cologne to a wine tasting. It interferes with the bouquet of the wine and ruins it for everyone else. Rule #2. Get your drink and step back. Do not hog the bar. Do not plant your A%S at the bar with your tasting notes and not expect other people who do not have wine to not get pissed at you. These people actually act as if they're the only people on the planet. They are so rude that they don't even acknowledge your existence nor the fact that you're trying to get some wine. It's all about them - all the time. The wine maker doesn't really care that much about what you have to say. Sure they want you to buy their wine but not at the expense of other people not getting to taste their wine also. Rule #3. If you are the pourer, please tell people who are defending the bar like it's the beachhead at Normandy to kindly step aside so that others can also try the wine. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, enjoy the tasting!
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I've been meaning to visit the San Francisco location for a while so that I could browse their German Riesling section and purchase some bottles. I had never thought to visit this location until I passed it on my way back from work.
K & L is a definite improvement from BevMo because you can find so much more quality wine here. BevMo's German wine selection is pitiful- they have very little of the good stuff in stock and instead have a lot of the lower end wines. In any case, I was ecstactic to find one last bottle of a Selbach-Oster 2005 Auslese that I've been searching for- it was the most I've paid for wine in a while, but I'm sure it'll be worth it if memory serves.
Overall, 4.5 stars- I think the only thing that would have made it a 5 star experience is if I had had a chance to talk to their resident Riesling expert, who wasn't in. I wanted to purchase another Riesling that was less expensive but I just wasn't sure which to try, so I just went with the one bottle. I will be back though, especially if I'm in the area again. One last thing- their website lists pretty much all the wines they have available and how much stock is remaining at each location.
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Such an amazing staff here.
Went in knowing that I wanted to get two bottles of wine for my mom for mother's day and left with two nice bottles.
The staff was great and helped me through and suggested a few different things, and asked several questions about what my mom likes and all that.
Can't wait to go back and get me something :D
Very knowledgeable. Huge and varied selection. This is where I got the Meerlust Rubicon 2001.
I went in a few weeks ago seeking a birthday gift for a friend. She is a huge fan of champagne and I wanted to find something really unique for her. My one caveat? I only had $50 to spend. To my great joy and surprise, they didn't look at me like I was asking for some good Night Train but as if my inquiry was worth merit. The nice young man (who I cannot remember is name for the life of me) showed me the selection that they had and pointed out two that he said were exemplary. In fact, he had actually been to the vineyard where one had been grown and tasted the wares. That sold me. I bought the champagne and I sure hope she liked it. I'll definitely go back again when I need to get a bottle of wine to impress.
Life is too short to drink bad wine and K&L is there to help you with that !
This is my favorite wine store. The staff is very friendly, resourceful, happy to help and share good wine stories. The selection of wines is very good, especially for French Wines. The different wine clubs offer a good selection of great value wines and it's always a treat to go pick up that monthly shipment at the store and spend some time looking for new arrivals. I have been to a few tastings and the selection was always comprehensive and representative of the featured region / wine. The newsletter is very informative and the website provides an easy way to browse through the stock of K&L's entire chain of stores.
And if you think Beltramo's is better, by all means go there and try them out. You will be back at K&L soon.
The folks are friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The prices aren't the cheapest, but who has time to run all over town looking for things.
I mean, if I opened a restaurant I probably wouldn't stock my cellar here, but even then I'd still come by to learn what wines I needed to pick up for the house.
One of my favorite wine stores in the bay area; knowledge staffs that are always ready to help, wonderful selections including international and domestic regions, as well as rare and hard to find bottles, the weekend tasting features good samplers, excellent monthly newsletter!
Impressive all around, but I was especially impressed with their expertise on German and Alsatian wines especially for some hard to find red wines. They even have a German speaking buyer who regularly visits the area for unique finds.
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I think we all have a vise and if I am to be honest good wine is mine. K&L always exceeds my expectations. Their staff actually know something about wine. Try finding that at BevMo.
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K&L was the only local place that carried a specific red wine I used for my wedding (Hey Mambo, for those curious), and it was very well-priced. The store associates are very helpful and very knowledgeable The store is stocked to the brim, but it's not cluttered. I don't have the wine knowledge to give this place a whole 5 stars, but if I did, I probably would!
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I didn't buy anything when I came here, more of a just window shopping preview of the place I heard good things about, but if I were in the market for a baller-ass french bordeaux then this would be the spot.
The place looks a whole lot bigger from the outside and on the website but I assume they do a ton of mail order.
They seem to have a solid selection of napa wines as well and stock Hitachino beers as well as some other small brews.
I definitely plan on returning once im gainfully employed.
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Confession time: I used to dislike this place. I actually used to go to Beltramo's down the road in Menlo Park much more often.
Now, I come here more often, mostly because I feel like I get better advice. I think the wines are well selected and I can usually find something special and different, whether it's a very affordable Veneto red to go with my cicchetti at a recent Venice-themed party, or a perfect Reisling to accompany choucroute garnie.
I found one of my favorite prosecco's here, too.
Finally, I LOVE the fact you can order online and pick up in the store for no extra charge. I've used this feature a lot.
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Of all the places, I can't deny that it was my mother who has gotten me involved with most restaurants or stores.....like this store for example. Mind you I wasn't initially a wine drinker till after my trip to Italy....but before then I was addicted to desert wines. I know.....but they are sweet and I love them. I do, from time to time splurge on a case or two, however it's been a while.
My first time I actually bought something from there on my own was great. I had asked the sales guy about desert wines and he courteously led me to their desert wine section. Grant it at the time there was a limited selection.....so I bought a box of each. They were both great. Now I am some kind of member that my mother added me on as and now I get wines monthly or something or another. It's one of those situations where my mother puts something in front of me and I sign for it......lmao you can't choose family right?
On that note, I have been trying to get my mother to join yelp since she is much more of a critic than my ever forgiving soul could ever be She is somewhat computer-phobic. However once she found one of my reviews she has taken an over zealous interest in yelp and started critiquing me. Hopefully she'll figure out that yelp isn't that much harder than opentable and become a member hear and rip on everyone that I know she's dying to. ;D
when that day arrives - good luck to everyone and I'm sorry :(
The outlet itself doesn't fit this store's reputation, but you will usually find harder to find wines here. They cater to all price ranges, and the staff does not appear to be snobby by any means.
Due to the way how this store stack their wines, you can miss that bottle you've just found on their website. To buck the current trend, this store does not pose points of their wines on the rack. You can find this info on their website.
Prices are generally in the median compared to wine stores. They have a large selection of 2004 Bordeaux, but that's of course, a bad year.
I looked everywhere for a deal on Macallan 18 for a X-mas gift. K and L had it $ 25 less than anyone in the Peninsula/SF. Sorry Bevmo, you've lost a loyal customer.
I tend to agree with Stevie G...at least in the RWC store (SF store would be 4 stars) I too wish they were as great as everyone says. Can't speak about the bathrooms though. Maybe it is just me, but my experience is that the staff is more interested in talking amongst themselves than with customers (at least in the evening when I shop) and their advice has been off the mark. They have a good selection of moderately priced wines --which I buy too much of! I do appreciate their news letter and find it spot-on and often follow its recommendations. My advice is go there enjoy the selection and make and drink a few of your own mistakes.
As for the comparison to BevMo....even Safeway would look good.
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Great place... don't waste your time at Bevmo or even Beltramo's. Only places you should shop for wine and spirits are Safeway (cheap), Trader Joe's (cheaper), and K&L (for goodies that are worth paying more for).
They have stuff nobody else has. Example, it's the only place I could find Scapa single malt, and they had a number of supermarket-cheap Napa reds that I've never heard of before. Generally full of pricey bottles (I think I saw a $650 whiskey on one shelf), but there are pleasant surprises in the price department as well.
Folks here are uniformly nice, they have a ton of stock and I gave in an signed up for the wine club - since it's close, I save something like $10-12 of shipping and pick it up from the store when I get a chance on the weekend. The wines so far have all been great, and really unique.
If you are looking for Bellini...this is a great place to order it. It's the same Bellini they sell in Venice. Love it!
http://www.klwines.com...
HANDS DOWN this place cant be beat!! I'm a regular at K @ L and not once have i had bad service, everyone is friendly and easy going and most important very knowledgeable. there selection of wine is well rounded.there is no possible way to leave this place empty handed. its good to get to know the staff, every time i walk in they know what i like and can pick wines that suit my taste.the website is also very informative and
a good place to search for new wines. you will never see me in bevmo or any other again, this is my one stop winooo shop!
Really good place for interested (but somewhat clueless) newbies like me. They are patient whenever I want to "try something new" in one niche category or another (I'm currently into bourbon, before that, sipping rums, before that, tequila). 9 times out of 10, I've been pretty satisfied with their recommendations -- that's a better batting avg than other palaces nearby. (Dreagers, Whole Foods, etc.) Beltramo's down the street is good too but I find that I really enjoy K&L's house label (Kalinda), which are usually great wine bargains.
I came to this place under the recommendation of a friend. Before I went I looked up the wine I was looking for on their website. The website has a lot of information and can tell you the inventory of the wine, which is really nice because I hate going to the store for something only to realize that it is out of stock. I went with the intention of buying 1 specific bottle of wine and I leave with 3 bottles of wine and a bottle of prosecco.
Everything in the store is very well organized. It was easy for me to find the wine I was looking for because all I had to do was look for it's region and there it was. As I was browsing, a very nice gentleman asked if I needed any help and since I was in a good mood I inquired about sparkling wine. He was very helpful. All I had to do was tell him what I was looking for and my price range and he immediately had an idea of what would satisfy me.
All and all, a very good experience and I will be going back for sure. The only negative I have is that it is not super easy to get to. It is on a part of El Camino that is divided and I had to do the whole u-turn thing and I went at twilight, so I didn't see it right away, but now that I know it shouldn't be a problem at all. If you love wine, this place is a must.
When I rented in Menlo Park, I didn't have a clue on. We would buy our wine mostly at Draeger's, a little bit at Whole Foods, and also a little little bit at Beltramo's. It wasn't until a bit before our move to San Carlos that we "discovered" K&L -- a bastion of knowledgable, low ego wine zealots combined with great selection and surprisingly competitive prices. Oh, and great wine clubs and a very powerful Web site. In fact, the reason for this post is the new beta site for K&L, http://beta.klwines.com. I was a skeptic at first, but amazingly prompt email responses from K&L staffers showed that their removal of the old "Advanced Search" feature is no loss at all. Yeah, they throw some wacky dinners and the tastings can be a bit freaky as well, but this is one incredibly awesome wine store. Top rating.
So I wander into K&L looking for an interesting scotch for a friend. Although most of the store is given over to wine, they have a decent wall of liquor. I start fondling one of the bombproof metal scotch cylinders as a salesperson saunters up to me. "Interested in scotch? That's a nice bourbon aged scotch but we have a limited amount of this feisty 6 year old scotch which is at a really good price." They conveniently hand me a snifter to dip my nose into whilst not breaking any "drunken buyer" laws. Mmmm, smells great. Needless to say several minutes and dollars later I wander out with two bottles of scotch, a great bottle of wine, and a rare tequila that I've had on my buy list for the last two years.
Great helpful salespeople who really know their wine and liquor, and the prices are very reasonable. Minus one star for the somewhat weak web site. Fulltext search people!
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These people know everything.....HOW do they do it? We've loved every single bottle we've gotten from there-- since they have all been personally recommended to us by the staff there. No matter what occasion--Christmas, birthday, wedding-- they've covered it all for us. Great prices too! This is one of those rare places where you can trust anyone working in there will have your best intentions in mind. They will tell you straight up if a bottle is good or bad---no pushy salesman here.
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5 stars on the website alone. Oh they have a awesome selection of wines as well!
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The staff at K & L is always eager to help and if they cannot answer your questions they will always make an effort to find someone who can. There is one staff member there in particular that always is friendly and helpful, but I don't know her name otherwise I would post it. Regardless of that, anyone one of the many team members there are more than qualified to help guide you through that Burgundy or Bordeaux recommendation.
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Probably THE best place to buy wine. They have a very wide selection, and the staff is incredible. They are not only friendly, but very knowledgable, and are willing to spend the extra time with you to find exactly what you want. The prices are actually quite good too. Unlike some stores, they won't try to push the most expensive stuff, and really cater to your taste and needs.
What I find most convenient is their online ordering system. If I know exactly what I want, I just order online and pick it up at the store. If they don't have it in stock, they will even transfer it from the SF or So.Cal store free of charge! Of course, when I pick up my order, I cant help but browse the store and I always end up buying more bottles than I came in for!
In a primary wine producing region of the world, in an area loaded with wine snobs, and where there is no shortage of wine or liquor stores, K&L simply blows everyone away. Why?
Because they understand people want great value first, followed by selection and advice. Value is what K&L intelligently leads with. No case discounts. Instead, every bottle at the best price. They match the supposed discount prices of Costco yet this is a superlative wine store. I have paid more for Australian wine in Australia than here. Price matters and K&L understands.
But there is much more. The selection and advice is first class. Want an alternative to Chanpagne? These guys will take you through method chamagnoise wines from alternative regions that are excellent. Want an older bottle or a larger bottle for a special gift? Want to discover Italy? K&L has a devoted following for all these reasons.
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Great selection, great service. These guys are all about helping you love wine.
If you don't know what you want, they'll help you identify exactly what you need. Give them a meal, a price, a taste preference -- whatever your parameters, and they'll sort you out. If you do know what you want, prices are competitive, and often less than BevMo or other, seemingly-discount venues.
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What can I say....K & L rocks!! I have been a customer for years and their selection, expertise, service and price are right on. I joined the wine club this past year and the monthly selections have been quite good.
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