Libation

Yum! What a fun environment :) It’s nice to have somewhere classy to purchase delicious, fine wines from on the plaza! I came here with a friend to enjoy a couple glasses of wine while catching up and the woman, Holly, who was assisting us was so pleasant and friendly. I was curious as to the third flag on the flagpole and she told us that it was the flag of the Earth, so you are in California, in the U.S., on planet Earth… she was rad :) I enjoyed a nice spritzer followed by a glass of pinot; it is convenient that they allow you to purchase a bottle and then bring it home after enjoying a glass!!!
Kind of odd, but should mention, a seemingly gossipy male employee talking to Holly and bringing weird energy during our visit and not focused on client experience while we were visiting but other than that it was a great ambiance :)

We have even here once before and we had a 5 star experience. Yesterday at around 4pm the one man staff in there seemed utterly disinterested in the wines, couldn’t explain the cheeses even after asking twice and struggled with another set of customers explaining their cheese and meat plates. Someone should consider new staff who can really bring out the best in this place.

Great little spot for a glass of wine or a beer. We were in Arcata for just one night and enjoyed chatting with Gareth, the bartender, and other folks at the bar, while looking out over the square. Nice cheese plate, too.

Interesting beer and wine selection. Great staff. Central location. Nice atmosphere to sit back, have a few drinks, and look out onto the square.

I go into Libation and I feel like Norm from Cheers. Not only do they know my name but they are friendly, knowledgeable and have the best cheese selection in (far) Northern California. And the entire selection of cheese resides in a refrigerator that is about half the size of a hotel fridge. I’m not kidding, you should check it out.
I am picky about my wine and they have a better-​than-​average selection. And what’s more, each person who works there knows quite a bit about the wine and is willing to help you have any questions. The wine flights are thoughtfully put together with varied and excellent choices and are well worth the price.
If you are a wino like me and want to hook up with some friends on a Friday afternoon and have a bit to nosh while you get your buzz on, this is the best place in Humboldt going.
Choose a designated driver and have a great time.
Say «Hi» to Jen for me.

Wonderful service, delicious wine! We enjoyed chocolate fondue, bread and cheese, and a flight of tasty wines… We can’t wait to be back! My only regret is waiting this long to try this place!

Where. Music… spirits consort.
All sorts, all retorts get a report
Reconvene
Later, i mean rather lather
Master caster on cascades
& kinetic parades
Former ty raids sandy dunes
& cattle over moons overtly
Oddessy Muddy waters will be here¿!

I really enjoyed my time here. Great selection of wines and cheese plates. Also the view of the plaza is wonderful. It was great hanging out and enjoying the view of the farmers market. Defiantly great for a quick glass of wine with a friend or a date!

Best wine selection in town — great by the glass wine bar on the plaza with live music, great place to watch people, enjoy a great glass of wine and even pick up a few bottles — world wide selection — including a great selection of sakis and hand crafted beers.

I strolled in here while I was just walking around the square with time to burn, simply perusing the wares in all the shops. The staff were super friendly and invited me back for the wine tasting they were having the next day. Fortunately, I was available for their tasting, and I’m glad I went.
They had a talented guy playing soft blues in the background, which was a very good pairing for their atmosphere. The tastings are every Friday and Saturday from 3:00 pm till 10:00 pm and they have live music from 6 till 8 or 9 (not sure).
I arrived around 6:00 pm because I wanted to listen to the live music, and wow was it packed. If you’re just wanting to go for the wine tasting, it might be better to go earlier in the day. There was standing room only, but after a while, a few seats did open up at the bar and I was able to move to a stool.
They offer three different flights. I was told it’s usually a red flight, a white flight, and then something else. Since this was one of their «artsy» nights the first flight was champagnes, followed by two flights of reds, and then they had one dessert wine (if you actually feel like stomaching more by the end of the first three flights as it is quite a bit if you end up trying all three). Each flight is 2 oz of three different wines, with various price ranges (not just 2 oz of three different cheap brands).
Don’t feel like trying all that much? You can pick out one from each flight and pay by-​the-​glass rather than getting an entire fight.
The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and they have a good selection for the size of shop that they have, though I’d love to see them move to a larger venue.

I love this wine bar. I’ve never been to a tasting but anytime I was looking for a really good wine from a winery that didn’t have their items in grocery stores I could find it here. Prices were on par with what I would expect from their large selection of wines from well known to unknown wineries. Always a great experience.

This is the only wine store around. They also have a great selection of sake and European beers. The staff is always super friendly and full of information. They do 3 different flights on the weekends and also allow you pop a bottle and drink it on site if you wish. They have a local wine section which I love and think is important but also have selections from all over the world. Come here sober, leave here drunk.
My favorite wine from there would be some of the Oregon pinots, or the Amarone.
Enjoy.
Watch for the sake tastings they do. Super fun and you get to learn a little bit about sake.

This wine shop is about location while having a nice wine or beer. There are huge windows at the bar looking out on the plaza. They have a nice selection of bottled beer at fair prices. Late afternoons are a good time to go for quiet conversation. The staff can be snobby but it isnt really a bar and they are not really bartenders so…
Know your prices of wine if you intend to buy a bottle, you are not getting Grocery Outlet deals here.

This is your place if you’re looking for a late afternoon adult beverage and a snack that’s not a Slim Jim. The tasting bar faces the plaza — the scene is your entertainment without the panhandling. Three unique wine tasting flights were offered when we visited — nice selections, nicely priced, with each also priced out by the half, glass and bottle. A beautiful little cheese tray was available, served with a «map» identifying the farm, we enjoyed all 6 varieties, complementing my reds as well as his chards. The selection of local and worldwide specialty beers in the coldbox gave our non-​vino drinker lots of choice — the Young’s chocolate lager was yum. A tasty artichoke dip was another nibble — way fresher than what is generally available. Olives were crisp, fresh and almost tart. For a sweet tooth a variety of chocolate treats were about. Select a white or sparkling wine and they will quick chill for you. A nice touch — we noticed that farm-​fresh strawberries were offered with a bottle of sparkling wine. The guitarist playing live at the back of the house complemented the ambiance, without intruding on our conversations with our hosts or other guests. We’ll be back to this unpretentious space.

The Libation staff is helpful, knowledgeable and unpretentious. I get great service and great wine every time I enter the door– which is quite rare in this day and age. Keep up the good work!

The staff is knowledgable and pleasantly helpful. Their food pairing suggestions are uncanny, and they’re as happy to share their thoughts with the curious as they are with the cognoscenti. You will not be disappointed.

I have had pretty good, and quite unpleasant experiences here. The good was a Belgian Beer pairing. That was quite a bit of fun with good beer and food. Their beer selection overall is not bad for the area, but they never get any new things in that department, which saddens me.
I have asked about special ordering, and the bald gentleman helped me out but was not particularly pleasant about it.
Today however was the experience that I found to be 100% terrible. I went in, and the small red haired nervous gentleman was working. He hovered around me quite within my personal bubble as I sipped my beer without conversating. When I asked any questions, he replied with rude 1 sentence responses which were entirely unhelpful. If I can be honest, he ruined my experience there and was quite off-​putting.
I will continue to pop in every once in a while, most likely, but will avoid the place if that guy is working.

In the wise words of Donnie-​Don Sharp, «Friendship can never flourish in an empty glass».
I’m inclined to agree with him. Libation is a wonderful dedication to the wine lovers of Humboldt County. I’ve known people to spend HOURS in this place swilling tasters, inspecting labels, and perusing the goods. Well, actually, just Don… but it’s certainly a great place to grab a nice bottle of wine when you’re in a pinch.