Good place to get wine in Vancouver?

[mkkao924]

I am wondering what are some good place to get wine in Vancouver? We have a larger group so we will probably get 5-6 wines, and probably sodas.

 

I checked Google Maps and looks like Costco is not too far away. Does Costco in Canada sell alcohol?

 

Other than Costco, are there good wine store near Canada Place?

[Meander Ingwa]

there are many  stores around the area ranging from bodegas to wine sellers with tasting rooms.  BCLiquor at Harbor Centre has an extensive offering of international bottles as well as spirits and beers

[dawnvip]

Costco does not sell alcohol in Canada, sorry. 

 

I second the BC Liquor store at Harbour Centre, which is only a few blocks away from Canada Place. 

[DaveOKC]

17 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

there are many  stores around the area ranging from bodegas to wine sellers with tasting rooms.  BCLiquor at Harbor Centre has an extensive offering of international bottles as well as spirits and beers

Second this - it is only a couple of blocks from the ship but be advised that it can get crowded so allow plenty of time for checking out.  Good selection.  Not sure it had sodas, but we got some nearby at another general merchandise store.

 

[psuboater]

Wanted to add to look into BC wines if you're from the US. I didnt realize how great they are until we went on a wine tour of the area. The US restricts Canadian wine imports which is why you don't see it here. Backyard Winery Reserve bottles rivaled Napa wines for us. Give it a try when you're there!

[mkkao924]

40 minutes ago, psuboater said:

Wanted to add to look into BC wines if you're from the US. I didnt realize how great they are until we went on a wine tour of the area. The US restricts Canadian wine imports which is why you don't see it here. Backyard Winery Reserve bottles rivaled Napa wines for us. Give it a try when you're there!

 

That's a great point. I think we will only focus on BC / Canada wines for the exact reason you mentioned. Since I have very limited exposure to Canadian wines, still need to find some good source for Canadian wine rating.

[martincath]

Instead of Harbour Centre, head up to the Signature store at Alberni & Bute - it's not actually very much further, they stock more, and they have product experts on-site to advise. Frankly Canada is even worse than the US for 'every single winery has a string of awards at the My Granny And Her Pals Wine Award Show level', and with a rather small market the available critical base for reviews of only-sold-in-the-country wines is incredibly small it really does mean finding a particular critic whose tastes align with your own - vanishingly difficult for foreigners!

 

I've had far more practical, useful advice ("I like X, Y, Z - what local wineries do you recommend?") from the Signature store staff than any other source on this side of the country - but if you want to do some research in advance, you could do a lot worse than check Anthony Gismondi's site... he's not just Canadian but based over here, which has radically different terroirs than Niagara which is the bread & butter region for the folks based out of Toronto/Montreal, so proportionately his review base skews more relevant to BCL supply lines than many other critics.

 

While mostly BCL staff are pretty good about helping out when they can, the Harbour Centre is also a particularly busy and particularly low-end store - lots of plonk, not much swank, and generally staff are more worried about local street folks trying to shoplift (as this is the closest store to the DTES) than advising folks on the subtleties of what vines do particularly well in our 'desert' clime up in the Okanagan. While Canadian wines are available, many are of the 'put in a bottle here so they can be classified as Canadian' or 'grapes squeezed abroad, sent in a tanker, then made within the country' - nothing wrong with those on the value table wine end whatsoever, we always have some in the house, but if you're looking for some proper grown, picked, and processed here stuff the Bute store will have exponentially more bottles - especially once you go above the $25 mark.

[westcoasttech]

I would 2nd the recommendation for the Alberni/Bute branch over the Harbour Centre location, if you are looking for a reasonable selection of vino.  Harbour Centre is fine for the basics but not a great variety.  If you are particularly wine focused, I would also suggest Everything Wine (998 Marine Drive, North Vancouver) - it’s a short bus or taxi ride over the bridge, or seabus/bus combo - and has a varied selection of international and BC wines.

[mkkao924]

Wow, the CC community never disappoints! Thank you @martincath and @westcoasttech for the advice. I am particularly interested in Arberni/Bute store since I also plan to visit either Kirin for dim sum or Carlino for Italian, or maybe both.

[OrcaGirl]

Agree with the suggestion of the Alberni BCLS over the Harbour Centre location.

 

But.... if you're sightseeing and make it to Olympic Village, Legacy Liquor is a well-stocked independent liquor store worth checking out. And there's an Urban Fare grocery store across the square for mixers, sodas, etc.