Another Option for Oenophiles at South Loop Wine Cellar

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 20, 2007 3:30PM

During last week’s sleet storm we ducked into the South Loop Wine Cellar on the walk home from the Museum Campus. Half-frozen, soaked and more concerned with warming up than with finding a new shopping destination, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found inside. Warm, welcoming and filled with wine bins, exposed bricks and a beautiful Christmas tree, the store was the perfect place for us to stop. With all of the hype surrounding the opening of the South Loop location of Sam’s Wine and Spirits, some may have missed this much smaller, but much cozier, destination.

It’s also a great place for the wine novice. Owner Amy Garman was happy to take us in hand, with none of the stereotypical wine snobbery that scares so many people back to their Yellow Tail and “three-buck Chuck.” She didn’t even steer us towards the most expensive option – we left with a $19 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc. It’s great to see a small boutique with wines at every price, from $9 and up. Their stock isn’t quite complete yet, but we’ll enjoy watching it fill up over the coming months. They’ll also deliver in the South Loop, so if you need some last-minute bubbly for a rendezvous (or for watching bad reality TV in your apartment on Saturday night in your pajamas) just give them a call.

South Loop Wine Cellar
1442 S. Michigan Avenue
(312) 356-0630
www.southloopwinecellar.com

--Thanks, Anthony!