I cannot believe that this is my first time visiting any of the six Everything Wine stores in BC. They are the largest private wine, beer, and spirits retailer in province, and today we were checking out the Marine Drive, River District location.
Not just wine, as their name suggests. They have plenty of solutions for your personal and gifting needs. This includes an array of gift baskets and accessories like glassware, decanters, charcuterie boards, cruets, tumblers, table décor, books, greeting cards, cocktail mixes, etc. Plus gourmet snacks like jams, spreads, crackers, chocolates, etc.
They are best known for their massive selection and great pricing, with the ability to deliver any of their products to almost anywhere in the province. They pride themselves on good customer service derived from training out staff, and even send their associates to get their wine accreditation, WSET. This was enough to have me consider a part-time job with them.
There is a misconception that private liquor stores pricing is more expensive because they are not purchasing in bulk for a larger number of stores like BC liquor does; and therefore consumers would be paying more for less. However, Everything Wine prices are comparable to that of government store’s, and are often even better.
They have a large BC wine section, which is getting extra attention, due to the call out to ban US products, including their wine. If on the hunt for more rare, impossible to find, and highly collectible bottles, they have made them easier to locate within the Vintages Room.
They don’t have the largest spirits selection, but their Premium Spirits wall was pretty impressive. It housed both big brand names and local craft, as well as rare and unique bottles. I treated myself to a bottle of Glenturrent, as one of my favourite brand of whiskey. This is not available at any BCL location, and I’ve only seen at private liquor stores.
They also have a Craft Beer wall and are proud to feature BC brews all in one place. For something chilled, to have it right away, they have a huge walk-in cooler with even more beer and canned cocktails (ready to drink) here.
The best part of their store is their tasting bar. Here, you can do a wine tasting on the spot, without booking it before hand. Everything Wine offers free samples, daily from 12-6pm. A rotating list of all their featured bottles on discount, so you can basically try before you buy. This is served straight out of the bottle at their tasting counter.
Their fine wines ($30 and above) however, are dispensed from their enomatic machine, which is basically a wine vending machine. It dispenses a sample of said fine wine, that has been preserved, thus maintaining its integrity well after the bottle has been opened.
I sampled a Bordeaux with floral violet notes and red blend that was briny, making it great with food.
And they even have a Classroom setting where they host educational events centred around wine, beer, and spirits tasting. This often also includes a foodie element.
In closing, this is a great spot to pick up a bottle to enjoy at home or impress any host with. You can honestly spend a good amount of time just exploring here.
Everything Wine
8570 River District Crossing, Vancouver, BC V5S OC2
(604) 416-1672
everythingwine.ca
