Vinous Reverie - Walnut Creek

Recently moved here from Berkeley, where we seem to have a plethora of quality wine stores. I've struggled to find the equivalent in the WC area. I have hit every store I could google, this being the last. They are very sincere, are trying hard, yet still seem to be taking baby steps. They are focusing on variety and lesser known regions and varietals, which I approve very strongly. That said, it is hard to shop here. The wine is awkwardly displayed, generally in boxes on the floor, with no pricing evident on most of the bottles I perused. During one visit I had to ask at least 8 times what the price of a bottle was and then wait for him to go to his computer and search extensively for the answer. While I'm buying a half or full case of wine I like to know where I'm at while shopping. Having to ask and wait for the price of each bottle kills my momentum and breaks the mood frankly. The wines are laid out roughly by region but I frankly struggled to grasp an overall theme or philosophy to the curating. The cold wines are also awkward to sort through. Of the wines I bought, average price of 18, I wanted to really follow the concept and go for some unfamiliar wines. A few were good, the rest were average, and one vihno verde featured at the counter should not be sold. I know vihno verdes are a casual wine, but that wine should have been put in a 7Up bottle I'm not kidding. I like what they are aiming at and wish them the best. I will continue to shop there occasionally and I sure hope they find a better location and figure out how to get the wine off the ground.

Wonderful boutique wine store with amazing selections from around the world. Great themed tastings too.

Igor is an awesome guy and very knowledgeable about his inventory and wine generally. Really easy to shop there and navigate the selections. Check out my review here

Vinous Reverie is the go-to wine shop in Walnut Creek. Igor is the owner and is extremely knowledgeable about wine. He loves to share his expertise either in a one-to-one conversation in his shop or during his Saturday wine tastings. If you love wine and feel buying at a big box store limits your selection and leaves you pretty much on your own to fend for yourself, stop by Vinous Reverie and prepare to walk out the door with a nice bottle of wine and a new favorite wine store to recommend to your friends!

Igor's selection is excellent. Always find some gems and as a sommelier I am very impressed with how he goes above and beyond to make sure my experience is fantastic. Definitely worth the drive if you're in the bay area.