Violette Wine Cellars

I love Richard and I love the wines that he is truly passionate to sell. Keep it up, my friend!

My favorite place to buy wine, hands down. You get the story on each producer, each bottle. I love talking to Richard and have learned more about wine from him than all the reading and all the buying I had done previously. Plus it’s real wine; just the grapes. No goofiness thrown in to mask deficiencies. Great, great wines for all occasions. Like with dinner tonight!

Amazing and wonderful little spot. You know every wine in there was carefully selected by someone who knows wine. Great guy to chat with. I left with four bottles of red and each one of them came with a story and instructions (let ‘em breathe for a good long time!). A much more satisfying shopping experience than being overwhelmed by hundreds of bottles of wine from all over for who knows what reason at Wine World or wherever. If you are seeking genuine info and interesting wines, this is your spot.

I’d like to clarify a few points about the other reviews on this page. First, let’s get the bad news out of the way. Richard Kzarian, the owner of Violette Wine, does not come out of the Zappos school of customer service. He’s not trying to delight his customers with a branded experience that makes them feel good. He also doesn’t give a damn about the latest innovations in retail marketing. If that’s what you’re looking for, go to Starbucks.
Violette Wines is tucked into a corner of the very popular Sofra bakery where local fashionistas and foodies congregate, for good reason. The food is fantastic. What most Sofra customers don’t know is that mere feet away, Violette is selling some of the world’s most amazing hand-​crafted organic wines. What they also don’t know is that Richard, who owns the building and rents the space to Sofra, is revered by many of the top chefs in Boston. His wines can be found on the best wine lists in town.
Probably the reason few people go into Violette is that it’s a mess. Rather than stock his wines in beautiful racks, they’re left in crates on the floor. The whole place looks like a somewhat unkempt bachelor pad.
Let’s also be honest about Richard’s business style. He’s a bit of an introvert, and like I said customer service is not a natural gift. He has been known to move to the back of the store when customers walk in the front door. So, don’t expect a cheerful «can I help you.» If you can get past that, treasures await you.
The question is do you like great wine? Do you care about craftsmanship? Does it matter that someone travels the world to discover the small artisinal vineyards that make wine in the classic tradition without any additives? If any of that sounds valuable, walk in and ask Richard to tell you the story of his wines. Talk to him about food and cooking. He’s also a chef. You will walk out with an education and a couple of amazing bottles of wine.
Be forewarned, he won’t sell you the expensive wines unless he thinks you’ll appreciate them. Instead, he’ll size you up and send you home with some bottles that make you and your guest very happy.
You’ve got to decide if you care about marketing and appearances, or whether substance matters.
I buy wine from all the usual suspects in town, but increasingly I’m stocking up on the undiscovered gems I find at Violette.

If you know anything about wine, Violette is the place to go. The wine is hand picked and the owner really knows his stuff. If you’re looking for the average wine go somewhere else but this wine shop is really unique. I only go to other liquor stores if I’m away or if Violette is closed. Great place.