No place that I've ever been to can beat Sam's Wine and Liquor superstores in Chicago's Bucktown area and in suburban Downer's Grove. Sam's is not to be confused with Sam's Club whose wine, liquor and beer selection - and pricing - pales in comparison to Sam's Wine.
I was turned on to Sam's by my friend, Steve Weiner, who told me if it's a good wine from any where in the world, Sam's has it. I went to their Bucktown location near North and Sheffield Avenues for my first visit and I was literally in awe of the selection - and prices - they had on their wine. They had wines from all over the world, including some hard to find wines from California such as Judd's Hill and Albini wines.
I was equally impressed with their selection of Spanish wines and their great prices on very good table wine such as one of my favorites, Santa Rita out of Chile. In fact, I've seen Santa Rita sold regularly at $9.99 to $10.99 a bottle at Sam's (I find it in the Quad's at $13.99 a bottle), and on one occasion, they had it on sale in their Downers Grove store for $4.99 a bottle! (Not surprisingly, they were sold out!)
They had a great domestic and imported beer selection, as well. I was just amazed at the selection of beers they had from all around the world. I must have spent 30 minutes just looking at the beers they had for sale.
The one thing that sets Sam's apart from a lot of other liquor and wine stores is that they have a staff that is among the most knowledgable about ANYTHING they sell in their store. The staff just isn't a 25 year old girl working the cash register and a bunch of pimply faced kids stocking shelves - these guys are seasoned veterans who have worked at Sam's for a number of years and they taste the wine, they know the story behind the wine, they probably know the name of the guy who corked the wine. And if someone doesn't have the answer, they can usually find someone running around who does.
The only problem I have with the Sam's in Bucktown is that there's not enough parking and the store is rather cramped. The Downers Grove location is more spacious, both in the parking lot and in the store, but they don't seem to have the selection the Bucktown location has to offer. Maybe it's just that the store is so much bigger in Downers Grove and it doesn't appear that it's as full.
Both Sam's locations have a gourmet market - Marcey St. Market - that has eclectic cheeses, condiments, vinegars, oils, pasta, olives, teas, tons of neat things to look at and to buy for any ocassion.
It's always a 100 dollar bill every time I walk into a Sam's. I just can't get out of there without If you're in the Chicago area at any point and time, you've got to go check out Sam's.
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