While craft beer might be getting all of the attention lately, Chicago’s wine scene has been there all along. Whether you are a novice or an expert, the key to enjoyable oenophilia is finding a good wine store you trust. Here we salut Chicago’s finest—and their best bottles.

1. Binny’s Beverage Depot With 30 Illinois locations, 24 walk-in wine cellars and tens of thousands of bottles, Binny’s has the market covered on selection. “Considering that we first started buying Bordeaux futures in the 1980s, we’ve had plenty of time to establish a world-class wine cellar program,” explains Greg Versch, Binny’s communications director. Multiple locations, 866.975.6188, binnys.com Fall Wine Pick Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 2009, $145

2. Bread & Wine Some diners may not realize that Bread & Wine is a wine shop as well as a restaurant, so you can quaff an amazing glass at dinner and then buy the exact bottle to take home on your way out. 3732 W. Irving Park Road, 773.866.5266, breadandwinechicago.com Fall Wine Pick The store’s private label red, $25

3. Eataly Chicago With Eataly’s great selection of large-format bottles, make sure to take a look at its bevy of magnums and double magnums. In addition, it sells the trendy Coravin, which lets you extract a small amount of wine from a bottle without disturbing the seal of the cork. 43 E. Ohio St., 312.521.8700, eataly.com Fall Wine Pick Borgogno Barolo, $86.80

4. Evolution Wine & Spirits Evolution aims to keep things intimate by having expert sommeliers on duty at

carried by only one other store in Illinois, try the Romanee-Saint-Vivant Marey-Monge 2005, which retails for $2,000 a bottle. The other store wants nearly $16,000 for a three-pack. 2232 W. Roscoe St., 773.281.8888; 1412 W. Chicago Ave., 312.666.6900, lushwineandspirits. com Fall Wine Pick Chateau Nomad The Alani and The Gitan, $35 each

8. Pastoral “The wine program at Pastoral focuses on small production wineries, typically run by families who are dedicated to responsible farming methods,” explains wine buyer Mark Wrobel. The wines are arranged by body instead of varietal. 2945 N. Broadway, 773.472.4781; 53 E. Lake St., 312.658.1250, pastoralartisan.com Fall Wine Pick Vincent Dancer Meursault Les Corbins Chardonnay, $59

9. Perman Wine Selections “Each customer has an opportunity to

all times. “No question is too simple and no query is too complex,” self-proclaimed head motivator Brian Rosen insists. “We take pride that our wine team was not selling TVs at Best Buy last season.” 1704 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773.772.9463; 2766 Dundee Road, Northbrook, 847.272.2200, evolutionwines.com Fall Wine Pick Casa Mateo Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, $11

5. Fine Wine Brokers The shop feels like an antique library, with rolling ladders, tall wooden shelves and maps of wine regions drawn high on the walls. “We pride ourselves on giving the public a little bit of education and history of our wines,” buyer and manager Andrew Willis explains. 4621 N. Lincoln Ave., 773.989.8166, fwbchicago.com Fall Wine Pick Domaine de la Rochelierre, Cuvée Privilège, $22

6. In Fine Spirits Despite its name, In Fine Spirits is more of a wine shop than a liquor store. Owner Jarran Conger emphasizes the shop’s small size: “We enjoy being the ‘little guy.’” Why? He and his staff can taste every wine on their shelves, which ensures you’ll find the perfect selection. 5418 N. Clark St., 773.506.9463, infinespirits.com Fall Wine Pick Holloran Tempranillo 2009, $26

7. Lush Wine and Spirits Lush’s two locations specialize in exclusive wines. If you want a bottle

have a personal wine consultation each time they shop. If they are preparing a menu at home and want expert pairing advice, we can do that too,” explains Perman sommelier Shebnem Ince, who was a customer at Perman while working as a restaurant wine director. 802 W. Washington Blvd., 312.666.4417, permanwine.com Fall Wine Pick Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée 2011, $37

10. Provenance Food and Wine Provenance’s two neighborhood wine shops are relatively small, but that means the selection is choice. “Our small space demands that we keep a curated selection of wines on rotation from small producers who use responsible practices,” explains owner Tracy Kellner. 2528 N. California Ave., 773.384.0699; 2312 W. Leland Ave., 773.784.2314, provenancefoodandwine. com Fall Wine Pick Verus Vineyards Furmint, 2011, Stajerska, Slovenia, $18

Grape Expectations When it comes to selecting wine, a little sage advice from the experts goes a long way. | By Anthony Todd | | Photography by Nathanael Filbert |

Best cellars the expert staff

at these standout chicago wine

stores, such as lush Wine and spirits (shown here), will help

you find the perfect bottle.

26 | | Fall 2014

TOP TEN Now IN CHICAGo