Gary’s Wine & Marketplace

Whenever I’m looking for something specific instead of just re-​filling the fridge, I tend to forego my regular liquor store and go to Gary’s.
The beer, wine and liquor selection at Gary’s is way beyond what any other place in the area has in stock, and if they don’t have it… ask and they will get it for you. Every time we stop in at Gary’s we’re finding new wines, craft beers, or SOMETHING in the liquor section that comes home with us… in addition to whatever we came in for in the first place. I can’t praise the selection enough in all three areas… the only place I’ve found bigger selections is when I’ve gone to a true specialty store that is ONLY wine or ONLY beer (like Beer World in Kingston, NY).
The one downside to Gary’s is… well, it ain’t cheap. You’re paying a premium for all these choices… and probably the location. Cases of beer (good beer) are higher than in most places… and the single bottle craft beers are also very pricey. To compensate, however, I suggest watching for Gary’s sales — the price drop is usually pretty steep and gets you to well below what you see elsewhere. I suggest joining the ‘club’ for notices about sales and events. One of the great things about Gary’s is when they are doing free tastings… nothing like coming in wanting to try something ‘new’ and being able to taste a few wines before buying them…
I’m also a fan of the gourmet section which has an extensive cheese selection (and the staff is always helpful in matching good cheese with your alcohol of choice), sandwiches, and prepared foods, etc.
The staff here is very helpful and courteous — and always service with a smile.

They were so helpful in creating the perfect holiday gift for my team! Worked within my budget and request. Thank you for making it so easy.
I really want to support local businesses and they gave me a reason to do so.

While big fans of Gary’s retail offerings and frequent customers when residents of Bernardsville, we were recently disappointed when we spent $ 150 pp (and invited friends to join us) to attend a private dinner at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Morristown with vintners from Spottswoode and Vine Hill Ranch. Very disjointed ‘welcome’, if you could call it that, with no introductions, place cards or instructions. After sitting for 15 minutes with friends, we were told that the appetizers were on a table in the corner and it was self-​serve. There were 4 of us and only 2 appetizers left. Luckily when we made a Jockey Hollow employee aware of the situation, with a smile she took care of us, going directly to the kitchen to get appetizers made for our table. But who has self-​serve appetizers at a $ 150 a head dinner, hidden in a corner? This was not a cocktail party, but a pairing dinner that should have included meaningful pours and notes with discussion by the vintners, which was practically non-​existent throughout the entire meal. It was bizarre. Gary introduced each vintner briefly and each spoke for a max of 90 seconds. The pours were very modest. Thank goodness we brought our own bottle of Spottswoode with some nice age on it, or we would have been REALLY disappointed. Our tips for future dinners in fine restaurants like Jockey Hollow would be to a) welcome guests warmly, as if they are dining in your home, and escort them to their seats, b) have a process for each course, with meaningful discussion by the guest vintners and an opportunity to really taste their offerings. People attending these dinners are likely to invest in your product if impressed by what you say and what you serve. This is a quite different event than a walkaround with masses of people, sipping shot size tastes of many wines.
We left trying to figure out what we’d just attended. We and our friends are significant enthusiasts and generous collectors. We felt that the pours were ridiculously skimpy and meaningful comments by or education from the vintners were lacking, as well as any real ‘program’ for the evening. All of this is easily resolved, so we just want to share our feelings around an evening we’d excitedly anticipated. Thanks for listening.

The meat and chese plates are great, my friends have ordered them before for parties and I’d highly recommend them. I went to a wine tasting dinner which goes for about $ 150 per person, with a large group. We were sat in a back room with nobody else in there and the owner never once stopped by to great us even though he was sitting with other guests in the other room and walking around talking to them. We were constantly served the wine and the food last, after everyone else had been served, and I was the last at the table. Every time I was served, there was either no wine left, or I got the sediment in the bottom of the bottle. The waiter would look at me, smile, and say «Ooops, Sorry» and chuckle. Being that the large group of friends and I considered this extremely poor service at for this «upscale» event, I’m going to lean towards shopping at Bottle King in the future.

When I lived in Morristown, I used to come here from time to time. I stopped back in last weekend and did not remember how huge this place is. The selection is great. I’m not much of a wine or liquor drinker but the selection is enormous. I was pretty impressed with the beer choices. They had a TON of seasonals and microbrews which is impressive. The only catch on the beer is that not everything is cold. Bonus points for having a fairly large Pumpkin beer selection.
They even have a pretty big deli inside the store (did not get any food). I thought the prices were slightly high but not too bad. The check-​out process was pretty fast and efficient. They don’t have a large parking lot which is slightly annoying but you can’t win them all. If I lived closer, I would definitely come here more often.

It looks like an inviting store but I went in on a Friday night and the person that helped us was so unfriendly and unhelpful. I don’t remember his name but we asked him if they had a rare bottle and he looked at us and said «no…those are only for our best customers and they have already been sold». I asked him how we become a «best customer» so we can get notified of those rare bottles in the future and he basically scoffed. I expected so much more from a local place.

How can you not be a fan a liquor store if you like to drink?!? in all seriousness, this is a great location with super customer service. My husband loves some of the wines they carry here and I find them to be so much more knowledgeable about wine than Bottle King (which is a fave of mine). The prices are a little higher than that of a Bottle King, but I think the selection is geared a little more to serious wine drinkers. Love the store with its wine gifts, tastings, and marketplace full of yummy and various cheeses (huge selection!). And the customer service outstanding. My husband got a Gary’s gift card and misplaced it. I called and worked with Sarah at the Madison location to see if we could cancel the old one and get a new one. She was so helpful and was able to get him a new one. She worked really hard to help him not lose out on $ 100 worth of wine! The parking could be better and I’m sometimes confused by their wine aisle set up, but definitely a go-​to!

This place can be very overwhelming since they have a HUGE selection of wines + others. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for or you do know what you’re looking for, just ask one of the staff. I get intimidated so I usually just go with Gary’s picks and it hasn’t let me down yet. They have a cheese and meat counter too which I have yet to try. I know others have mentioned about the difficult parking situation but every time I’ve gone it’s been empty.

Huge selection here. This is one of the only local places where I can easily get NJ Beer Company brews, so that’s a big plus. The staff was very courteous and willing to help with recommendations and looking for more stock in the back. The fact that they wear headsets made this a lot easier.
On the minus side, the parking is insane if you’re coming by anywhere near a holiday. The lot runs around the building, and if it’s full your options are to park in the Stop & Shop lot or hope to find street parking nearby. Not the most convenient thing if you’re planning on getting a lot of stuff.
Still, I think the pluses outweigh the possible inconvenience with parking. I would just suggest coming well before a holiday if you don’t want to sit around waiting for the cops to direct you to an open space.

I’ve been going to Gary’s for years. However, over the past few years I feel the store has slipped. The wine selection is ok and the prices are a little high. They used to have great artisanal groceries, a better selection of cheeses and other products.
Now I just feel places like Wine Library have trumped them all around. Better prices, selection and most importantly better service. Every time I go there I can be in the store forever and not one person asks me if I need assistance. Not once! That’s why I pretty much just use Gary’s in a pinch. I’d rather just go to Wine Library and know that I’m appreciated. Change your ways Gary’s and I’ll be back. Sorry.

Gary’s wine is more like an experience than just the regular store. They have a variety of cheeses, and a selection of meats. They also have a large selection of wines and craft beers and of course the freezer section filled with some of the old favorites. Staff there is very knowledgeable. Please take advantage of that. Try something new. They can also help you match winds and cheeses in case you were trying to throw a dinner party. If they do not have what you’re looking for they can order it. It’s location is super convenient to the Stop & Shop and the whole foods. Parking is a little difficult. The atmosphere feels upscale and polished.
I believe they also have wine tastings there occasionally.

I discovered this place right by my job and so far I’m a fan. They have quite the selection of wines and my normal favorites are priced couple of bucks cheaper than places I usually go. They also have a pretty nice marketplace, with good pairing options for wines like meats, cheeses and crackers. They have a lot of unique condiments and spreads too there which I can’t wait to try. So while it’s a great thing I discovered this place, I think this is a little too convenient to my way home. Something tells me I’ll be back here very soon…

Disclaimer: I came here with friends who bought beers/​micro brews.
This place has a wide selection ranging from hard alcohol, wine, beers, microbrews, etc. They even have a cheese selection for those who like to combo that with their wine. Overall, the people know their stuff and are eager to help.
I tried what my friends bought, one micro brew I remembered was banana flavored and very tasty! Another one was a heavier tasting Guinness which was ok. I would definitely make another trip back just to try something else.

The craft beer selection is phenomenal, and seems to rotate constantly, providing continual variety. Although I’ve not yet tried any of their deli foods, they look top notch, and the wines seem plentiful.
However, I knocked two stars off for service. At the register, I’ve never had a complaint. But during peak times, you will be trampled — not by other customers, but by employees. It’s nice they’re hustling to help a customer, but not so much when they’re bowling over other shoppers.

We stumbled into Garys (literally. I was hungover) because my boyfriend had a haircut just a bit down the road and we had a few minutes to kill.
That «few minutes» turned into nearly an hour. The bourbon section was out of this world for the size of the shop. We danced around the aisle, curious about «barrel strength» nods on several bottles, and after running into Rick, whom explained that they select a barrel and finish the product in the store, felt this place knows their whiskey. Rick was so generous that he offered us a taste of a few already-​opened barrel-​strength bottles he had. My hangover didnt treat my palate well, but I could tell this would be great on a rainy January day when I wasnt looking like I just fought Mike Tyson.
Rick also noted they had just gotten a shipment of some hard-​to-​keep-​on-​the-​shelves bottles, so we walked out, arms full (with Rick’s business card and whiskey).
Before leaving, I snuck over to the cheese section and wish I had a cooler with me to take a few home. The mousses and pâté’s on the shelves made me wish I had crusty bread and red wine on the agenda for later that evening. We were in a time crunch so we didnt check out the wine selection, but it looked promising.
Gary’s is a bit out of our way for weekly visits, but man do I wish it was closer. I would be a regular, and Rick would be my bestie.

Good beer selection. There’s a long aisle devoted to bottles, 6 packs, and cases of beer, in addition to a bunch of fridges in the back with cold and interesting beer. Gary’s has all the craft essentials in addition to a few specialties that are hard to find.
Still, I see too many IPAs that are 3 – 4 months old and unrefrigerated, so I can’t give them a perfect score. Better turnover would be nice.

I thought when I left Portland I would never see craft beer surround me again. Then I entered Gary’s.
For Jersey, it has a great selection. I always find something I enjoy. You won’t find everything here, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised on more than on occasion.
They also have some awesome Bourbon selections. I love drinking on Sunday with Don Draper.
The staff is VERY friendly.
Most importantly they have great prices and sales
I love that they have a cheese and food section.
You’ve heard of full service gas stations, Gary’s is a full service alcohol emporium.

Gary’s is undeniably a good store in terms of selection but it is expensive! Go for the sale items and do your serious shopping at Wine Library and Bottle King. Also I might as well admit, Wine Library has a better food and cheese selection and the aquarium upstairs may still be in operation.

I love this place! I have been going to Gary’s for many years for our personal party needs and for business. The service you receive at Gary’s is top notch. Gary himself is a gentleman above all else, knowledgeable and always there to assist. Gary’s staff is terrific, well mannered and helpful. It is no wonder Gary’s is as successful as it is!
Great variety, great pricing, lovely gift items and they create gorgeous gift baskets as well!

Amazing selection of beers and wines, great selection of cheeses, plus plenty of hard liquor means this is one-​stop party shopping.
I started shopping at Gary’s in Madison when it was still called Shoppers Discount Wine and the store was about half the current size. Anyhow now that I’ve made it clear I’m old :) lemme say that Gary has easily the largest by-​the-​case beer selection in the area. You want a case of Lowenbrau dark? Usually in stock. A case of Presidente straight from DR? No problem. A case of smutty nose IPA or dog fish whatever? Done.
If it’s on sale at Gary’s it’s your lucky day because the Gary sale price is usually about the cheapest I’ve ever found that beer in NJ. But if it’s not on sale, then the regular Gary price is often uncomfortably high. And discovering the beer case price is often a total hassle, the shelves are labeled almost randomly and the price list books that once hung in the beer aisle are only a distant memory. Maybe the average Madison resident simply doesn’t care if a case is $ 20, $ 30 or $ 40 but I confess I do. Gary also has a huge single bottle beer selection from around the world and his coolers are filled with interesting six packs.
The hard liquor selection is excellent with many single malt scotches, also plenty of cognac, gin, vodka, you name it and even too many disgustingly sweet things. Again if it’s on sale grab it because the price will be great, but if you just have to have it now on a day it’s not discounted then you’ll be charged accordingly.
I’ve found the wine selection to be deep with interesting wines of all varietals and from many wine regions of the world. Go on the right day and you can sample their wines for FREE. One time around the holidays they were sampling champagne and another day I lucked into a Barolo tasting, they were pouring from $ 50 and up bottles, that was a real treat.
If you ever need wine guidance ask in the wine department for Rich. He has worked there ever since I started buying at Gary and has always treated me well, never made feel like an idiot when I just wanted a bottle of decent yet affordable tinto. Of course they have their share of lunkheads in the wine department, what do you expect.
I should mention that I subscribe to their wine-​of-​the-​month club, I get two bottles delivered regularly, saves the hassle of making sure I have something drinkable in the house.
Finally there’s the gourmet section which has sandwiches, cheese, prepared foods, etc. and has provided me a fair amount of parmiggiano reggiano and raclette over the years.
As others have lamented, the parking lots are small & crazy.