Honorable Mention Palate Partners Wine Classes
We’ll be the first to admit that Palate Partners is not a wine bar in the traditional sense. To put it simply, they are not a regularly operating bar at all.
This one is a wine business that focuses on private and public wine classes in Pittsburgh which we think is close enough!
The reason why love this one so much is that they offer cheap, public wine tastings on the first and third Fridays of the month- offering six generous samples of curated wines for just $12.
No wine bar in the city can beat that, and their price to buy by the bottle is unmatched as well! If you want to build your wine cellar, this is the place to be.
Palate Partners is located at 3401 Liberty Avenue in Lawrenceville.
Know of another wine bar we have not visited yet? Comment below to let us know about it!
Hog Dog Winery In Reserve Township
Hog Dog Winery opened up in Reserve Township in May 2016 and has several dozen white, red, and flavored wines available for sampling and purchase.
We fell in love with the flavored wines that are available, with the cranberry pomegranate, pear, and the 18% alcohol banana being some of our favorites thanks to their robust and lingering flavors. The winery is also known for more unique concoctions, with tomato, pumpkin, and watermelon being some of the more unusual that have been out since they’ve opened.
We left with a few bottles and are looking forward to making some incredible sangria with them at home soon!
Hog Dog Winery is located at 3500 Spring Garden Avenue in Reserve Township.
Where To Buy Caviar In Pittsburgh
Looking to try caviar for the first time and wondering where to find quality caviar in Pittsburgh. All I’ve been able to find is the cheap stuff at Giant Eagle. I’m looking to try something like sturgeon or paddlefish.
by Gretchen Lidicker | If you want to eat less sugar, finding no-sugar and low sugar breakfast recipes that are both easy…
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Wine Delivery & Curbside Pick
23rd and Vine offers contactless, same-day wine delivery to the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, or pick up your wine curbside at our shop. From individual bottles to wine bundles including two, three, four and six-packs of wine for every occasion, enjoy your favorite bottles from the comfort of your own home.
At 23rd and Vine, our mission is to make incredible wine accessible to all, while supporting small winemakers globally. Cheers!
Host Your Next Event At 23rd And Vine
23rd and Vine is the perfect place to host your next private event. From corporate meetings and events, to wedding showers, office parties, anniversaries, birthdays, and more, pour unique, elegant, storefront shop in Pittsburghs historic Southside has a variety of different event spaces, set-up options, and special offerings to make your next event truly unique and unforgettable, including our spacious outdoor patio.
Our two-story shop is located at 2333 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh PA 15203. With a licensed kitchen, a bright, modern tasting room, rustic wine cellar, and private rooms, 23rd & Vine is great for small gatherings and large events alike. We can customize your event experience to suit your partys needs. Choose from one of our exclusive wine packages that include selections from our wine list of over 40 wines from around the globe, as well as beer and liquor options. We also have several food and appetizer options from passed hors doeuvres, custom charcuterie boards, and more.
Inquire About Private Event Availability Below:
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Reviews For Fine Wine & Good Spirits
Great selection and friendly staff. They’re very helpful and knowledgeable if you need help picking out some wine to go with your dinner staff seems to be knowledgeable about the wine selection sold there. They also have a great selection of spirits and cordials. Prices are reasonable and they have a lot of items on sale. They are limiting the amount of people in the store during COViD. But it seems to go fast.
Now Open: A Philadelphia Location
The Reading Terminal Market has announced its newest full-time merchant, Pennsylvania Libations Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh-based wine and spirits shop, Pennsylvania Libations, will open its third location and first in Philadelphia inside Reading Terminal selling Pennsylvania-made wine, spirits, and cider. Owner Christian Simmons has tapped Philadelphia native Arthur Etchells, founder of Philadelphia magazines Foobooz, as general manager of the new store.
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About Smokey Robinson Wines
23rd and Vine is an exclusive provider of Smokey Robinson wines. Legendary singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson has always had a passion to create experiences that touch and move people. In 2017, Smokey decided to bring the same passion he had towards music to the wine world. In early 2018, Smokey Robinson Wines released their 45 Collection Brand which produced a Rosé and a Montepulciano DAbruzzo red, in partnership with Collefrisio Winery in Abruzzo, Italy. In August of 2018, Smokey Robinson Wines released their Artist Song Series Brand, including four wines from Santa Barbrara, CA in collaboration with Winemaker Matt Smith, formally of Kendall Jackson. These wines boast names of Smokeys famous hits, including My Girl Chardonnay, Being with You Pinot Noir, Crusin Bordeaux Blend, and Second That Emotion Cabernet Sauvignon. Learn more about Smokey Robinson wines at www.SmokeyRobinsonWines.com.
Tasting Room At Penn Highway Market Place
6345 Old William Penn Highway, Export, PA
Try any of our 17 wines at the Penn Highway Market Place. Tastings offered 7 days a week, sales by the bottle or glass. Enjoy one of their outdoor events held throughout the month. Murrysville, Delmont, and Export are convenient to this location. Stop in today!
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Here Is What Customers Have To Say About Us
DENISEI searched for barrels for my daughters wedding all over the place! The shipping, most of the time, was more than the barrel itself. This company was quick to answer my emails and the shipping was FAST, friendly and affordable! The barrels are fantastic we love them! Great local company!! GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
LAURAAwesome customer service and great barrels. Mike was very very quick to respond to my email and a pleasure to work with.Do not waste your time researching another company – this one is top notch Thank you mike !
BRITTANYOh my gosh…your barrels were sitting on my front porch when I got home this evening. You truly made my day! Thank you again for everything…you have been amazing to work with and this is the best $400 I have spend in years! I am so happy!!
Threadbare Cider House In The North Side
Pittsburgh is home to a second cider house, Threadbare, located in the North Side. This one is the brain child of the folks at Wigle Whiskey and is an homage to Johnny Appleseed who was said to have lived in the region during the famous Whiskey Rebellion.
Threadbare uses locally sourced apples to make an array of ciders from dry to farmhouse to hopped and wild fermented in barrels . Add in their cider cocktails, fortified with Wigle spirits of course, and you have a solid addition into the North Side’s drinking scene.
Threadbare is planning on producing mead in the future and we will update this article accordingly when it is available!
Threadbare Cider House is located at 1219 Spring Garden Avenue in the North Side.
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La Casa Narcisi Winery In Gibsonia
When we pulled up to La Casa Narcisi Winery in Gibsonia we were immediately impressed: this is one of the few wineries in the Pittsburgh region that has a full-on estate feel complete with perfectly manicured grounds and a beautiful tasting room. It was hard to believe we were just 30 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh!
The winery uses grapes that are all grown in Pennsylvania- many from the Lake Erie region, and a few varietals that are grown right on the estate in Gibsonia.
The tasting room offers three complimentary samples of wines ranging from very dry reds and whites, to semi-sweets, to full on sweet wines, and even fruit wines. While we were predictably not fans of the super dry ones, we found the sweeter wines like the Concord, Niagara, Peach, Riesling, and Moscato to be much more balanced and structured than other sweet wines we’ve tried from the region.
You could spend a whole evening at Casa Narcisi as they have a full restaurant with outdoor seating in a pretty courtyard . Four nights a week they also have live music on their outdoor stage.
Another fun option is to bring your own picnic food, buy a bottle of wine, and relax on the lawn area while listening to the concerts. The lawn area is even dog-friendly!
Washington Winery In Washington
The tasting room for Washington Winery is located right in the heart of Washington, PA, and feels more like a wine accessory store over a winery . What we like about this winery is that their offering runs the spectrum from those made with grapes imported from California and aged in wine barrels to sweet fruit grapes and more.
So whether you visit this one for a glass or get some bottles to go, odds are good you’ll find several that are to your liking.
Washington Winery is located at 202 S Main Street in Washington, PA.
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Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar In Lawrenceville
Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar is the house winery of Piazza Talarico in Lawrenceville and is the kind of unassuming place we love to visit.
This spot is a neighborhood Italian joint that makes their wines in-house . But unlike other restaurants that may have one house wine, this one has roughly eight ranging from house red, to Montepulciano, Tannat, and even ice wine- all made with grapes or juice imported from California, Italy, and more!
Throw on a happy hour on Tuesday and Wednesdays for $5 glasses of wine, a cozy outdoor patio for the summer months, and Italian dishes and you have the makings of a must-visit spot.
Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar is located at Piazza Talarico in Lawrenceville at 3832 Penn Avenue.
Liquor Stores In Pittsburgh Pa
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Enginehouse 25 Winery In Lawrenceville
Enginehouse 25 is a unique winery in Lawrenceville located in the basement of the Roberto Clemente Museum.
In fact, the owner of the museum also owns the winery. You can take a tour of the cellar as part of a tour to the museum, and you can also taste and buy the wines at the adjacent wine bar, Arriba.
Similar to Pittsburgh Winery, all the grapes used for making wine at Enginehouse 25 are shipped in from grape-growing regions around the world including South America and California. Their oak barrels are made from Pennsylvania oak that is actually shipped to Australia, turned into barrels by a famous cooper there, and shipped back.
These beautiful barrels no doubt contribute to some of the depth of flavor that Enginehouse 25 wines exhibit.
The winery focuses mostly on red wines including Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, and Sangiovese. At the moment they have one white wine, a Riesling. A tasting flight here costs $10, and you can also order gourmet charcuterie and cheese boards to accompany your wine. The cheese selection rotates and is thoughtfully curated by the Wheel and Wedge cheese shop.
Although the price of these wines is fairly steep , Arriba is definitely a place worth visiting to sample the wines and have a glass or two. If you love Pittsburgh sports you will also love Enginehouse 25 wines, as many of the labels feature photos of local sports figures as well as the legendary Roberto Clemente.
Enginehouse 25 Winery is located at 3339 Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville.
For Beer Avoid The Pizza Shops And Go To The Distributor
There are really only three kinds of places we know of to buy beer in Pittsburgh. They are at pizza stores and dive restaurants that stock six packs, mix-and-match six pack stores where you can get just about anything you want, and beer distributors.
The downside to each of these is that they each have a pretty strong foothold in any given neighborhood, and all have horrible markup over what you can get in any other logical state in this country.
To us, paying $11 for a six pack of Yuengling seems a bit ridiculous, and the premium for any good beer is just too much to fathom .
Our favorite way to get around this is to sample beers at the mix-and-match shops at an unfortunate premium and then buy a case of our favorites from a local beer distributor. This is a huge upfront cost, but in many cases you can knock off anywhere from a few dollars per six pack or, in the case of cheap stuff like Yuengling, get a fourth case for the price of three. Not a huge savings, but with mark-ups like we’ve seen any little bit helps.
Be careful, because not all distributors and mix-and-match shops are as popular as others. It isn’t uncommon to find expired beer out for sale so you really do need to pay attention when buying bottled beer in the city.
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For Wine Find Your Favorite State Store
Finally, we come to wine and unfortunately we don’t have very good news to report.
Although it is true that you can also find wine on sale at state stores much like the above spirits, the stock varies considerably store-to-store and range from the abysmal to some of the most beautiful collections you’ll see .
Had we not ventured out to explore other state stores other than the ones near us we may never have found wines from some of our favorite vineyards, and highly recommend you do the same.
Luckily, times are changing and the recent law changes mentioned above also means that grocery stores will be able to stock wine on their shelves! However, until this one becomes mainstream you will likely be sticking to the state stores until they get up and running in a competitive environment.
So, if you love wine like we do and want more than the Pittsburgh wine scene, we’d recommend heading to the following stores which we have found have the best collections in the city:
- 5956 Centre Avenue in East Liberty
- 974 Freeport Road in Aspinwall
- 4801 McKnight Road in the North Hills
- 8090 McIntyre Square Drive in the North Hills
The above list is continually updated as we find new stores to shop at and so far have our favorite collections of both wine and spirits in the city. If you’re looking for a large selection of wine from around the world, we highly recommend starting at one of these first.
Courtyard Winery In The Strip District
Courtyard Winery opened a tasting room in the Strip District in early 2017. Their estate is located in the town of North East, PA, near the New York border on the shores of Lake Erie, and produces all manner of wines from dry to sweet. One of the owners was a former president at Welch’s, so you know that the experience with grapes is vast.
Many of the wines we sampled from this estate are blends, which help bring out some nuanced flavors in grape varieties you wouldn’t expect- in a good way of course. So next time you are in the Strip District stop by for a sampling of this very tasty vineyard!
Courtyard Winery’s Strip District location is at 108 19th Street.
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Not Everything Can Be A Pittsburgh Wine Bar
Unlike other articles of this nature, such as our goal in finding the best Pittsburgh breweries, we have to take a step back and answer one very important question up-front: what is the difference between a wine bar and a winery?
To us, the main distinction is based on where the wine is made. A winery makes their own wine and serves it on-property while wine bars are just that- a bar.
There are a few wineries that blur the line and make this list because they feel more like bars than wineries, despite the fact that they make their own wines.
But for the most part, a wine bar is simply an awesome bar that has a stellar wine list- be it of their own creations or from others.
This guide features some of the best wine bars in Pittsburgh that we have had the luxury of visiting in our exploration of the city.
Visiting The Apteka Natural Wine Shop
While the PLCB and Pennsylvania restaurants may be at odds with one another, including pending lawsuits against the control board, the team at Apteka remains resilient and committed to sharing natural wine with their community.
Were definitely not going anywhere, says Skowronski. We decided that we werent going to do it half-assed. Were doing natural wine with only the best producers, and providing information that is readily available for people to access.
Currently the wine shop is open Wednesday through Sunday, with the takeout food menu available on both Fridays and Saturdays. The Apteka website has a robust catalogue built out, allowing customers to learn about and purchase bottlesbut dont hesitate to walk up to the shop and pick Smiths brain to find the perfect bottles for you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9lP8vD5LB/
Its been really nice, says Skowronski. Weve had a lot of people express that theyve been praying for this for a long time. I imagine its only gonna get better, and were only building out more wines.
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