Houston Wine Merchant

Category:	Wine Store
Address:	2646 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77098, USA
Phone:	+1 713-524-3397
Site:	houstonwines.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM Closed

Location

Photos 46

Reviews 24

C Froggie

Houston Wine Merchant is tucked away in a strip center on the very busy Shepherd street. You can miss it if you arent careful since the traffic is always pretty bad over there.There are few spaces in front but you can turn on the side street next to it you can find the additional parking in back. It has a nice vibe when you walk in, nice had bright and cool tones. They have packed very possible space with wine! It does make it difficult to move around at times, but everything is so nicely displayed it doesnt matter. They also have a small spirit section so it definitely is trying to be your one stop spot. One thing I really like is there twice weekly wine tastings as well as their monthly selections. The tasting are usually quick sampling sometimes with the a representative of the wine featured or one of the staff. They are always cleverly featured in their newsletter so you learn a bit about what you will be tasting. They also have a monthly wine feature with two options: regular everyday wine (offering of 6) and if you buy a case with two of each you get them for 20%, they also have a premium offering each month too. We’ve compared them a few times its maybe 15 to 20% more than the regular offerings. We have yet to get a case, but may during the holidays. I like thats its no obligation. We have yet to walk away from any of their tastings with less than two bottles. I will say that in most cases its anywhere from a couple dollars to 10% more than Specs. That being said they offered a few wines that Specs does not already carry. The staff, for the most part, is friendly and knowledgeable and Houston Wine Merchant is on our wine rotation.

Lev Osherovich

Superb high end wine shop with a deep, carefully selected offering spanning the globe, organized by region and price, the Houston equivalent of Californias K&L. Many curious and unusual bottles on these shelves, very suited for wine exploration. Markup is a bit higher than what Im used to (bottles I usually buy at $20 were around $25 here) but this is the price of curation. Staff were quite friendly and knowledgable, a must for a shop with so many unfamiliar labels. Also noteworthy was the small collection of exotic herbal bitters, including several American amari and fernet bottles I had never seen before. I stopped here to pick up one good bottle for dinner while on a business trip and found myself longing to check my baggage so I could take a few more home.

A Private User

The Houston Wine Merchant has a great combination of unique wines and knowledgeable staff. Stop by on your way home from work, tell them what youre cooking, and theyll suggest the perfect pairing. Marcy, the wine buyer, has personally vetted every bottle in the store so you cant go wrong at any style or price range... and she co-authors their monthly newsletter. Best time to go? Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 2pm for the gratuitous wine tastings.

Adam Torrance

Very knowledgeable staff. Good place to go if you actually know wines. I have been to a lot of vineyards in the US so I know wine pretty well. I read some of the other reviews and somewhat understand where they are coming from but this wine place does have an excellent selection and if you know what you are looking for the staff can point you in the right direction very quickly.

Heath Richardson , FWS

This is the place to go for small production , artisan crafted wines in the Houston area. Houston Wine Merchant has no peer locally. The staff are all experts in their respective areas , and they have access to wines other liquor and wine stores dont(either by choice , or availability). THE place to shop for a special bottle of wine.

A Private User

I went here once hoping to find a great local wine store I could rely on. Selection was interesting but staff was snooty and not very helpful. For some reason the woman working there was talking incredibly load and arguing with her customers (in a way acting as if she was better then them). Weird. Good newsletter though.

Gear Seekers

Great selection and the owners are very knowledgeable. My wife and I went in for some port for a Christmas gift and walked out with 2 bottles of wine and a nice port as well. I wish more places were like this. I would pay more to shop here over Specs any day of the week!

Анна Александровна

I miss this store so much since moving out of the neighborhood. Fresher food than most and a wide selection of decent drinkables are just the beginning at this market

Adela Webster

They had a great selection of wines: expansive variety encompassing many different countries, and a good range of prices to choose from.

Amy Kugali McWilliams

Really helpful staff here! I came in looking for a gift and the woman behind the counter helped me find just the right thing.

A Private User

Unfriendly staff. Very knowledgeable but I had to ask for help. I requested a special order and never heard back from them.

sethmac86

Incredible wine selection and knowledgeable staff. They care about the wine and havent had a bad wine yet from this place.

Gian Arcangeli

I was 3mins late til 6pm on Christmas eve, and would not let me in. I drove 25mins to get here.. So disrespectful.

A Private User

I had to ask for help after waiting a while, and never received a call back for a special wine order.