Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The Wine Source


The Wine Source
3601 Elm Ave. (at 36th)
Hampden, Baltimore
410-467-7777
liquor store
www.the-wine-source.com
Date of visit: Tuesday September 11th, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: On It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It

Yesterday, I went to The Wine Source to buy alcohol. They have an extensive selection of hard alcohol, beer, and wine. To give you an idea of their selection, I was able to choose from a few types of pear brandy. They have a section where you can buy obscure brands of beer by the bottle and not just the six-pack. I find this mix-and-match approach very appealing when exploring unusual beers to figure out what I want to buy more of. The wine selection is extensive as well. They also have a small section of gourmet foods where you can get fancy potato chips, Zeke's coffee, jams, etc.

The store is clean and upmarket. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Prices are reasonable. In short, one would be hard-pressed to do much better than The Wine Source anywhere in the U.S. (Of course, there are warehouse-style places that have slightly lower prices and specialty wine stores with a bit deeper wine selection and probably better advice.)

As an economist, the surprise to me is that the liquor store 50 feet down the hill on 36th can stay in business. (I believe it is called Keller's Liquors at 865 W. 36th St. but its negligible web presence makes this hard to determine.) This store has higher prices, a much smaller selection, and less appealing decor. It is just a corner store where you can buy beer, a few types of vodka, lottery tickets, and cheap wine. Not that I'm judging this per se, it is just that these same items (perhaps except the lottery tickets) are available at The Wine Source.

9 comments:

Bill Mill said...

Even though the Wine Source is closer to me, I go to Roland Park Wines & Liquors on Roland Ave instead, simply because I found that first.

They have an excellent beer selection (I'm an enthusiast, but no connoisseur), and a staff that provides me with excellent and cheap wine reccomendations (I don't drink much wine).

I haven't been in the Source to compare selections, because I'm very happy with my liquor store.

Bill Mill said...

oops! I was thinking of Wine Under Ground at 4400 Evans Chapel Rd instead of the Wine Source - they sound quite similar.

Wine Source is a bit farther from me than Roland Park Liquors.

Bill Mill said...

Also, I'll mention that each of those 3 liquor stores is certainly quite a bit better than any store I was able to find in Canton, where I used to live.

(sorry to leave so many comments, I could take about comparing liquor stores for a long time!)

Anonymous said...

here's a great signal:
they charge $9/lb for Zeke's coffee.
Zeke himself charges $11 for the same thing at the Waverly farmers market.
(Eddie's on St Paul St charges a reasonable $10)

rd

Marginal Foodie said...

Dear RD,
This is a great fact. Please expect a post from me on why this is so.
Thank you!
MF

Marginal Foodie said...

Dear Bill,
It sounds like you are more of an expert than me on this. I will check out the places you mention the next time I do a liquor run. (Given the haul I made, this may not be for a while.)
MF

xiao zhu said...

the wine source gets me all giddy. the cheese case is pretty good, but actually talking to the cheese guy is better- very knowledgeable and passionate. it's the only store where i can find a good selection of belgian lambic beers.

John said...

Friends of mine love the Wine Source - of course, they live in walking distance, so of course they love it. I, who don't drink much wine, still must get to it. Thanks for the review!

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