The Austin Wine Merchant

A great wine and spirits selection expertly curated by one of the most knowledgeable wine minds in the business, John Roenigk.

this is the best place to buy wine in austin!

This place is comparable to K&L in San Francisco. Though smaller, the service was great and their knowledge of their wines and appellations was solid. I will also say their price points allowed for variation and if the person wanted that special bottle or give a nice host/​hostess gift. If you are in Austin and you need wine — go to the Wine Merchant. One last plug– these guys helped me with changing my tire in the parking lot.

I stopped in to Austin Wine Merchant during my lunch hour to pick up some wine for a party. Darcy was extremely helpful in finding the particular wines I was looking for, as well as recommending some other wines. The prices were reasonable, and they even carried my purchases out to the car for me. I originally thought that, given the location, it might be difficult to find a parking space. Parking was not a problem, and I was in and out in less than 15 minutes. I would highly recommend this place for both convenience and excellent service.

These guys are super helpful. My wife and I had a ton of questions about wine after getting back from Europe. They took a ton of time to answer everything we wanted to know and make suggestions on wines to try.
In addition to being super knowledgable they had a great selection. They had many of with wines we had tried in Germany, something that I thought was going to be hard to find locally.
Obviously they are more expensive than some place like whole foods (if you wanted to compare prices) but you are never going to find this knowledge or selection outside a specialty shop.

I know nothing about wine and we were shopping for wine for our wedding. Dean chose some really wonderful selections for us and at a decent price. And the wine was yummmy. Thanks Dean!

I stopped by recently while running an errand down the street as I’ve seen this place countless times but never thought to go in. Finally checked it out, and was impressed with the liquor selection.
The staff is extremely helpful and friendly and asked probably 3 times in my 10 minutes if I needed help or had any questions but weren’t intrusive in any way. The shelves are very well maintained and orderly and prices are pretty good on most everything I looked at liquor-​wise. Pretty much on par with Specs for most things, with a few being a couple bucks more, and some even being slightly lower.
They’ve got a great selection of aperitifs, cocktail bitters, specialty syrups, a decent selection of bourbons, and one of the few places with a large mezcal selection. I kind of popped in on a whim so I didn’t buy anything this time, but the clean store, nice selection, competitive prices, friendly staff and convenient downtown location will definitely have me back in very soon.
Great store and they have a parking lot to boot, which is a huge plus downtown.

In the Year of Our Lord 2008, I wrote a review praising Austin Wine Merchant. I return in the Year of Our Lord 2014 to do the selfsame act.
We had tried a particularly fine port while out for birthday dinner at a local Austin dining establishment that we simply couldn’t forget. *adjusts monocle*
After searching Austin proper for an errant bottle, we contacted AWM — where we probably should have gone in the first place. The port, they said, was not something they had in stock… but give them time. They would search for it.
*** It is at this point that I’m pretending a very Indiana Jones-​like adventure began to locate this port (Not Crystal Skull — f*!% that noise.) wherein one of their adventurers-​in-​waiting dived into a Spruce Goose style waterplane and set off for Portugal, where this port was rumored to originate. BUT IT WAS ALL A TRAP — once they arrived they were taken captive by the EVIL DOCTOR GAZPACHO who used the wine business as a front for transporting stolen artifacts in wine crates.
After a daring adventure wherein the AWM representative located the wine, got the girl/​man/​, survived an amazing escape and possibly blew up an ancient temple, we received a phonecall that they’d found what we were after and could order it.
So we did — and that’s where this review ends. OR DOES IT. (it does.)

wide selection of liquors. Just really impressive. They have everything. If you read about it, it’s probably here. Also only place in Austin to have a pretty big mezcal selection

I can’t believe that I’ve never reviewed this place because we’ve been loyal customers since we moved to Austin in ’00. This place is an Austin gem and institution for all winos. They have a huge selection of French wines and a range of price points. Most of the wine we purchase here is for aging. We are drinking some old French wines that we bought over 10 years ago on their recommendation and are very pleased at the characteristics they have taken on.
You can’t go wrong here. The staff are very knowledgeable and will help you find the right bottle for your palate and wallet. I have never had a bad bottle at any price point.
During our travels, we usually fall in love with a new wine or liquor. Austin Wine Merchant has always been able to special order these items for us. These range from sake to dessert wines and everything in between. This is what differentiates a local merchant from the large chains. Plus, who still carries your purchases to your car anymore?

The Austin Wine Merchant is my favorite wine shop in Austin. This locally owned shop is just large enough to carry an exceptional selection of wines yet small enough not to get lost in the aisles without someone to assist in site.
Saturdays afternoons are the best days to shop here. From noon to 3 PM AWM has free wine tastings and usually themed with a region, varietal etc. The owner has one rule during tastings: no strong smelling colognes or aftershave as the smell can affect your sense of taste. The staff is very knowledgeable and are quick to recommend something that suites your taste. I have called them when looking for a specific wine and they quickly return my call to let me know if their distributor can get what I am looking for.
The wine prices ranges from the $ 10 bottle to high end reserve wines. They also sell beer, liquor and cocktail fixings like bitters but the star of the show is definitely the vino.
It is chilly inside but don’t worry, they have a communal coat rack near the side entrance. They have their own parking lot which is ideal in this busy area of town.

They were unable to provide what I needed but I have to say the customer service is TOP NOTCH. Quick, polite and helpful. I will use them when I can.

Great store. I was surprised to see they had a wide selection of gin, better than what I see at Twin Liquors.
Staff was super friendly, and the owners went way out of their way to help me when my battery unfortunately died in the parking lot.

My favorite Austin liquor store… by far. They have a fantastic selection of things you cannot find in other places, a friendly and knowledgable staff, great wine prices on bulk orders, and a cool location right on West 6^th. Ask questions and listen. There is a lot to learn here.

My favorite place to buy wine, though I don’t do that often. Very knowledgeable staff and they don’t pressure you into anything. It’s hard to buy a bad bottle of wine here.
My only gripe is they need to update their recommendations on their website. When I went to the store they were out of many of the things they recommended, which was frustrating, as they’d been batting .1000 on their recommendations with me. I’m not an expert, so I like the help.
Still, great place to buy wine. Not snobby at all, if you are concerned about that sort of thing.

AWESOME place!!! Staff is very friendly, outgoing and helpful.
They have wine tastings every Saturday from 12pm to 3pm.
Prices varies from your cheap but good one to $$$$$ very expensive wines.
WARNING — the place is very chilly since they have to keep it at 65 degress all the time so if you are cold nature — I recommend bring a light jacket.
I will be going back alot especially for the wine tastings since I am just now getting into wines.

The Austin Wine Merchant has been around for quite some time, and it offers a fantastic selection for anyone looking to dig into the grape-​based beverages for an evening of wine time for the best time of your life time. I coined that phrase from someone – look it up.
Not offering too much fanciness, the quarters are tight, and the old-​school décor keeps the space nice and quaint. It is chilly, but for good measure; you’d rather have your cellar cold than hot, no?
The staff is extremely knowledgeable here, and though some of the employees have similar taste, they know what they are talking about when they refer you over to a specific varietal or aisle or price point.
In terms of non-​fermented grape liquids, there is a small beer selection, and the liquor could use some fine-​tuning. All in all, I found that the wine was well… what the Wine Merchant was best for. No knock on the booze or piss-​water though – I came for wine, and I left with wine.
You would do well to check out this longstanding 6^th street shop made for wine-o’s. I know traffic here sucks and parking can be a mess, but do give it a shot if you are at all intrigued by local wine shops. Spec’s is great, but it isn’t the same idea as shopping local! Spec’s is from Houston, mind you.

Fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Great selection, and they can special-​order just about anything!
Low prices — they price-​match when possible, too!
Free (very educational) wine tastings on Wed evenings and Saturday mid-​day.
Convenient, free parking (in adjacent lot, as well as in the lot across the street).
Full selection of gorgeous wine glasses (Riedel and other brands) at or less than suggested retail price.
Discount on purchases of 6 or more (bottles of wine, wine glasses, etc.).
Great selection of beers, including high-​end beers. Also a comprehensive selection of spirits!
LOVE LOVE LOVE The Austin Wine Merchant!!!
For more reviews, check out my blog:

This is probably the best wine shop in Austin. The staff is very knowledgeable and willing to help you find the perfect wine, even if that means ordering it special for you.
Their weekly Saturday tastings are a standing appointment on my calendar. Each week, I get to taste something special, often with the winemaker present. There are plenty of other tastings in town but this is by far the best for the quality of wines they sample.

We happened to be parked at a meter directly in front of this establishment, and we figured it was as good as any to find some decent champagne for a wedding gift basket.
Overall, the store was clean, well stocked, and well staffed.
We were greeted by a very cute guy whose best feature were his gorgeous eyes. What were we here for again. Champagne, right. Jen wanted a chilled bottle from Champagne proper, and then whatever inexpensive sparkling wine they could recommend that would be for us later that evening. Gorgeous Eyes led us to the back cooler and we got exactly what we needed. Both Jen and GE vouched for the Spanish brand I’d be swigging later, so he was very knowledgeable, too.
When not hypnotized by the cute man or complaining that *I* wanted the good champagne, I noticed all the beautiful, modern glass decanters and carafes displayed in the large front windows. I mulled them over as options for my brother’ wedding gift, until I remembered neither of them drank. Ah, damn. But they were nice, though.
Jen paid for the bubbly and we were off to her spa day.
Epilogue: We opened up the good champagne to split between ourselves later on that night. Of course we did. I felt much better about it then. I was happy.
4 Stars.