Vinea

It takes a lot for me to write a bad review. In the case of Vinea, I’ve given them more than enough chances (and my money), but today was the last straw. On this day (Friday), I wanted to stock up on white wines for the weekend, as we were having a party on Sunday. Vinea is in our neighborhood and we try to support local businesses as much as we can.
I walked into the store, and it appeared they were going out of business. To say they had 10% of their shelves filled would be generous. The store was completely empty of people except a person sitting at the counter behind a laptop. I said to him that it looked like they were out of a lot of items and without looking up he said «yeah». Because it’s alarming that a wine store would have so little stock on a Friday afternoon, I asked, «Are you going out of business?» And without looking up he said, «We don’t get our shipment until next week.» He was so abrupt, rude and unhelpful that I promptly took my money and left. Extremely disappointed.

Vinea is a cute little wine and craft beer store in the 12 Ave South Neighborhood. The main reason why I choose this place is it’s convenience factor. They have 2 dedicated parking spaces for the store and street parking is not too bad during the day, however, I love the fact that my friend and I can walk there from her apartment.
Note they do have weekly specials and tastings in the store. I think this reflects their commitment to help people define their wine, spirits, or beer palates. The wine tastings are on Tuesdays.
If you have any questions the staff is really knowledgeable too!

I just feel like it could be so much better. Thier prices are fine– not overly inflated but not cheep either. i do like their 10 udner $ 20 list for some great deals BUT for a neighborhood wine shop, they are just not that nice.

My husband and I stopped in here last week to grab a bottle of wine on our way to a friend’s Christmas party. It was our first time in the shop and we loved how friendly the staff was! Vinea is just three blocks from my house and if I weren’t pregnant this would not have been my first time. I warned them that they’ll be seeing a lot more of me starting in February. :) Okay, I won’t go crazy, but it’s so close and I know if I need a bottle of wine for a guest or an impromptu gathering they are friendly and very conveniently located. While we were in there the man working informed us of their weekly wine tastings. I look forward to participating soon!

This place is a good, not-​so-​overwhelming wine store with consistently friendly staff and a good 10 for $ 70 (I think that’s right) rack. They give you a discount if you are local and always have a good wine suggestion.
Some wines are overpriced, but there are a couple of great boxed wines to choose from (save some glass, buy a box!). They should up the box wine selection, as it is getting quite hip (at least among my buds).
Cheers!
TA

I just moved to Nashville and I’m still getting used to this ridiculous no selling wine in grocery stores thing. Due to roommate recommendation, I came to Vinea to get my wine fix.
I hear there are 10% off specials on varying selections most nights of the week. Also, they host wine tastings every Saturday afternoon from 3−5pm at MAFIAoZA’s.
The owner of the place is STELLAR. He is extremely helpful and absolutely not pretentious. I was a bit overwhelmed with the wine selection considering bottles range from a $ 5 cheapy to $ 200 reserve. The owner was able to recommend a few great wine in exactly my price range. He even helped me set up a customer profile to receive at 10% discount on my purchases. MAYBE I’ll get used to the silly wine law.

I’m not a wine connoisseur, so I needed to ask what a good picnic wine would be. I was incredibly impressed with the advice the gentleman at the counter was able to give me. He clearly new his stuff. He ended up recommending a wine that had a top instead of a cork. For wine enthusiasts this night not seem very good, but he was thinking about the fact that I was going on a picnic and this would be more practical. This is something that I never would have though of, but that ended up being very helpful. The atmosphere is nice. The wines are presented very well. It does not feel overwhelming, which can sometimes happen in wine shops. I’ll definitely be going back. The service is really what places Vinea apart rom the others.

This is a bad review. I don’t write bad reviews; it’s not worth my time. However, I’m going to make an exception because I really want this wine store to be successful.
I just moved back to Nashville after being gone for a few years. You couldn’t imagine how excited I was to stumble upon a new wine store! I couldn’t wait to stock my imaginary cellar with a case purchase.
I’m not going to bore you with all that went down, but overall here are my complaints:
1 — I think they built their computer system themselves. Wouldn’t you think that when a sale bottle is scanned that it would automatically register and wouldn’t have to be keyed in manually? Nope. If the person working the register doesn’t have the list of sale wines memorized, then you won’t get your discount. Pay attention.
2 — «Is there anything I can help you with?» Yeah, I’m looking for good wines that have twist off tops. I just moved and don’t have a wine opener yet. (Side note: many Australian wines are twist off and are very very good.) The very nice gentleman took me directly to a $ 20 bottle of Pinot Noir and then showed me a $ 50 bottle. He never asked what kind of wine I like, what my price point is, etc. Okay… if he really loves that Pinot Noir I’ll get it. He then disappears and offers no more help.
3. Most of the whites they carry are already chilled! Um, what if I don’t have the space to cold store it? I don’t. «Find the ones you want in the fridge and we’ll look on top to see if we have it [un-​chilled].» Okay, sounds good. I picked a $ 9.99 bottle of something. «Sorry, we don’t have that one. Why don’t you try this $ 14.99 bottle?» I’m so weak! I bought it!
4. I have my case picked out and am ready to go. I’m rung up and I have total confidence that all is well. I hand over my credit card and sign the dotted line. I take a look at my receipt and immediately realize that I didn’t get my case discount. Everything had to be scanned again — don’t forget this is a manual process — so that my card can be credited. AND then, it has to be scanned a third time so that they can manually enter in the discount. Wouldn’t it be great if once the system detects that 12 bottles have been scanned it automatically applies the discount? Or, the person manning the register enters it at the end and it’s applied to the entire ticket?
My advice:
Technology is great. It is complex, but once you figure it out your life will be so much easier.
Don’t be so obvious on the up-​sale. Suggest a a wine you really like at a lower price point, then baby step up. That’s how you build trust and credibility. That’s how you build a loyal clientele.
If you want someone to spend $ 20, it’s okay to show them to the $ 20 first. Pay attention to their reaction. If it is a little weird, you can do 1 of 2 things: 1 — «This ($ 20) is great, but here are two other ($ 9.99) bottles that I like equally as well as you get two great wines for the price of one!» OR 2 — «What’s your price range?» If you’re in the ball park show them another bottle that’s a little bit cheaper. Again, that’s how you build trust — as long as you don’t recommend a crap wine.
And, don’t. Please don’t chill ALL of your whites and bubbly.
Trust me. I’m good.

I first walked into this place on a whim. It’s in the 12^th South neighborhood, where I often find myself strolling with a cup of coffee or a popsicle.
The impression you get just from walking into this place is that it is going to be great. The wood and decoration gives the space a really nice feel. That means a lot to me as a customer.
I will be honest in saying that I am not a wine connoisseur. I can’t comment on their selection from a very experienced standpoint, but I DID think that they had a nice selection from what I could tell. As many places do, they have their wines organized by location, with one rack dedicated to each region. Accompanying each type of wine, they have a description, and by many wines, they have the face of one staff member who recommends it. There are many organic and biodynamic wines mixed in with the others, but surprisingly they also have an entire rack devoted to these.
There are several display racks in the store recommending various wines, with different themes. As I was heading out of the store today I realized that they also have a shelf that’s 12% off (a sign told me so), but I didn’t see it.
Every Saturday afternoon they do wine tastings.
I was talking to one of the owners, who told me that every wine they sell is tasted and agreed upon by the business partners. Although one of the other reviewers disliked this for a particular reason, I actually think it’s a nice personal touch. It indicates to me that they really care about the quality of their store and products. That I appreciate.

I love Vinea, because they carry a great mix of unique wines, classy wines, popular (but good) wines, and upscale wines. You can always find something there regardless of the occasion. And the staff is wonderful and very helpful and super nice. (Not sure who Scott below there ran into, but I am always met with smiles there.) They will always help you pick something out, if you need a little help, and they have a great way of figuring out what you like and then finding the right bottle for you. It never fails. At least not for me.
They don’t have a huge liquor selection, but I think of them more as a wine boutique. And it’s not a huge store, so I’d rather have the wine selection.
I like that they are smaller, because it seems more personable, more neighborhood-​store-​like, more local. I like that. I like them. And I highly recommend that store.

The only reason I go in here is if I’m in the neighborhood. It’s not necessarily a bad wine store, but it has kind of a snooty attitude, and if I want that snooty wine vibe, there are other stores in town who do it much better and have more selection.
The people there are mostly quite helpful, but I was buying Crane Lake from there because they had it for $ 3.99 and I have friends who were also buying it and I went in one night and they said they weren’t going to carry it anymore.
I asked why and the woman working there said it was because they had decided they didn’t like it. I asked if it was selling well and she said yes, but they won’t carry wines they don’t like. So much for their customers, right? I guess now you can’t buy a cheap wine there. Sometimes I just don’t want to pay a whole load of money for wine. I just want something semi-​decent and cheap.
This kind of left a sour taste in my mouth, but I’ve been back since and bought wine.

Great folks. Great service. I tell them what I’m wanting to try and they give me lots of choices. They know my price range and don’t treat me like a hack for it. In fact, they sell me fine drink for less than I’m planning to spend. And they give the kids Dum-​Dum suckers… see…now…how’s about that?!! Check out their website too.

I like this place. I guess for the main reason that its down the street from me, but also because the people that work there are always very helpful and friendly. You can go in not knowing what you even want and walk out with a great bottle of wine in the price range you wanted to stay in. I also like the fact that the wines tend to change a lot based on what the owner wants to sell (at least thats what i think happens). I also like the fact that each tag under the bottle lets you know what kind of grapes are used, where its from, the flavors you’ll taste, the price, and the distributor. Lots of info packed onto the card… it really helps! Also if you sign up for their email list, you’ll get a weekly email that describes a certain region and some wines they carry that are from the region… which also tend to coincide with a free wine tasting they do on saturdays next door. So whenever i’m in the mood to buy some wine, I go to Vinea. (unless they don’t carry it, because their selection is a little bit more «selected», so you dont have as many options)
I decided to edit my review and add in that they now have different sales depending on what day of the week it is. One day you might get 10% off on staff picks, another on wines from Italy. another on domestics. I like that they have a wall of their 20 best wines and then another wall of their staff picks… so if you’re just wandering in to get something but have no idea what, you’ve got something to help guide you if you’re like me and sometimes don’t feel like asking a sales person for help.

I had some great wine the other night at a local restaurant, and decided I wanted a bottle or 12. I just happened to be next to Vinea today, so thought I’d stop in and see if they it. Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted, which was nice. I walked around a bit – pretty big space, and it’s not packed. I first thought that they could easily sell a lot more wine, but then I kind of liked not worrying whether or not I would knock over an entire shelf of bottles. So I’m OK with their use of space! But then, I’m known as a bull in a china shop so…
Anyway – I asked about the bottle I was looking for, which they didn’t have, but the guy quickly jumped on his laptop and found it for me – he said he would find the distributor here in Nashville, and would gladly order it for the store. I was very impressed, because he could have just said «no we don’t carry it».
I didn’t buy anything today, but I will definitely be back. Great little neighborhood wine store.

It s a small wine store, and I didn’t think they made the best use of their space. I have seen far more variety packed into a smaller space before.
I was there to buy wine for my (failed) sangria experiment, and also walked out with beer from one of my favorite brewers, Delerium. I bought a bottle of Nocturnum and Tremens at $ 11 a pop because I was feeling rich. Sadly the feeling has now passed.

Smaller wine shop that does not have a huge selection but makes up for it with more careful attention to the wines for sale. Most of the wines have a little card with a short-​hand description of their basic characteristics («dry: med, acidity: sassy, tannins: firm, apricot, pear; long finish» I’m still not sure what makes a wine’s acidity «sassy,» but this was the most popular desciptor that I saw. The staff is friendly and the owner is over-​the-​top affected, which can be entertaining or annoying depending on what kind of day your having.

Vinea is a new addition to the Vandy/​Belmont/​37 212 area. And it is a welcome addition. They have a phenomenal selection of wine that is complimented perfectly by a very knowledgable and infectiously enthusiastic staff. They make me want to learn more about wine everytime they start to speak.
Their liquor selection isn’t large, but they have a nice variety. In fact, the only reason I am not giving the store a much better rating is the lack of a broad liquor selection. Their diverse and interesting wine racks more than make up for that one shortcoming.