Elvino Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

Say it ain’t so! My favorite wine shop for years has closed due to skyrocketing rents on Abbot Kinney. The Ma and Pop shops can no longer swing it here and it just makes me so sad. I loved their diversity and value. I found so many interesting bottles of wine here. One of my faves was $ 4 more at Whole Foods so I know they did their best to keep prices competitive. I loved the tagging system, which sadly i didn’t know about forever, where they marked all bottles that were produced with organic grapes. Fingers crossed for them and the Venice wine drinking community they find another space soon!

This is actually about a sale that didn’t work out. I was in Santa Monica on business and found 2 bottles I wanted shipped to my home in Nashville (no room in the luggage). Unfortunately, both bottles were damaged in shipment (FedEx’s fault, no Elvino’s) and returned. The owner called me personally, told me the situation and ordered a return receipt. I’m dissapointed that I didn’t get the wine, but I appreciate the quality customer service Elvino offered. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll stop by (but I’ll be sure to drink the wine before heading home!)

Owner tastes every wine and only sells what he enjoys drinking. Great little wine shop, great selection in every price range. My wife is a wine club member and looks forward to her monthly red and white wine… always a joy to help her drink them… It’s time to go there now and pick up this month’s wine!

This place is run by a bunch amateurs. It’s probably only the foot traffic on Abbot Kenny that keeps it alive.

This place has a great range of wines and many are very reasonably priced ones, too. Their staff is incredibly well-​informed, many being sommeliers or sommeliers-​in-​training, and they are fun and engaging hosts if you do a tasting with them.

This is really the last of ORIGINAL Abbot Kinney. We must support this little shop. Elvino is independently owned by a long time local unlike every other store on the block now… It’s non-​pretentious, the staff is always chill and well educated, the tastings are so much fun (although there never is bread when I go), and it’s just a charming little place. First Friday’s ruined the neighborhood. It used to be just locals and now the locals stay clear of the street due to the lack of community and new mogul real-​estate store owners, which has probably caused hurt to this charming business. As for selection, it’s hit and miss for me. Sometimes I find a wine I can’t get enough of and other times I’m disappointed… But I think that’s the beauty of a wine shop… Don’t google the wine you are thinking about buying, just try it! Every grape, every wood barrel, and every bottle is treated differently and Elvino truly understands the beauty of this.
My suggestion to Elvino is to try to bring the community back! It’s hard to explain but some nights walking along Abbot and wondering into the shop felt magical… Maybe hold community tastings. Or Venice resident discounts… I dunno, but sending positive vibes!
P. S. Can we all please boycott First Fridays?

Great wine, great people who really know what they re talking about.
Simon is really kind and give so many advice and he is French!
We have a great muscato from Italy.
I really recommend this place.

Walked into Elvino looking for a gift and was greeted by Simon who helped me pick out 2 nice bottles of champagne. Simon was quick to explain the winery along with valuable tasting notes. He also helped me to schedule delivery of the bottles to an office in Century City, and mentioned that he’d be the one to personally deliver them.
Simon attempted the first delivery, and unfortunately the recipient was having their office renovated and had moved to a temporary location in downtown (my fault for not knowing this!). He called to let me know of the issue and mentioned that he would be attempting a second delivery at the alternative address. The second attempt was successful.
Special thanks to Simon for the great communication from the moment I walked in the door at Elvino to the final delivery of the gift. I feel like he went above and beyond here with the second delivery attempt, and kept a great attitude in spite of the hours in traffic that I’m sure he spent.
I will definitely be returning for my personal wine and gift needs.

Came in yesterday and did the tasting flight for $ 10. Fell in love immediately with the white and brought home two bottles. The staff here are super friendly and helpful, and they have an eclectic assortment of bottles from places I’ve never heard of, which is awesome.
I would like to encourage them to expand their chocolate selection a bit, especially since they sell wine.

Honestly this is my «go to» spot for picking up a vino. When I was in LA about a year ago I literally stopped by Venice just to check it out to become familiar with the area. I walk down abbot kinney and see a sign for vino and of course I will stop by to check it out. I walk into the store and it is a very classy and simple joint. The employees are very knowledgeable over the vino along with offering suggestions depending on the type of vino I am looking for. This is one of the few vino shops where I feel they actually want you to find a vino you would enjoy as opposed to just selling you the most expensive one. They are also actually able to tell the history of each wineries and how each is different from the other. Additionally this joint has vinos from all over the world and separates the selection by geographic region. Every time I go to LA I stop by this joint right before leaving from LAX and pick up at least two bottles. Definitely consider this place for your vino needs as it is the perfect boutique wine shop.

El Vino is a great place. They have a wide variety of wines from all over the world. Their employees are incredibly knowledgeable about each of the wines. I recently went to El Vino for a tasting sponsored by my law school, and it was really nice. They told us about six different wines, 3 white and 3 red. The best wine of the night was the Lost Canyon 2007 Syrah from Lost Canyon Winery in Oakland, California. I didn’t even know they had wineries in Oakland. The guy who was working at El Vino knew strongly recommended it, so we bought 2 bottles.
In fact, the guy pouring the wines for the tasting event told us not only about each winery, but he also knew the history of the region, and the development and changes in each blend over time. It was fascinating.
Parking on Abbot Kinney during the week is not too bad, but good luck on a weekend.

I love having a boutique wine shop in the area that I can visit, over and over and over again, knowing I’ll walk out with something I haven’t heard of or tried before.
I’ve done a few tastings at the wine bar before. It’s a tiny bar, but it’s only $ 10 for 3 wines. Big plus: The person pouring is always friendly and laidback, plus knowledgeable and patient with my intermediate-​level questions.
The prices for bottles are reasonable – You’ll be surprised at the decent selections for the price. I usually pay around $ 20 (give or take) for a bottle here. Thanks to Elvino (will you guys tell me if it’s intentionally spelled Elvino? I’m so confused!), I have had everything from pinot noirs to Croatian wine and red vinho verde. A tiny star off because the staff that helps you with your bottle selections can vary from helpful to «you are awesome.» (note that tiny range of positive. no very negative remarks here!)
The most helpful person was one who, when asked (by my bf), «I’m looking for a wine with a great story,» didn’t bat an eye and proceeded to show us some of her favorite wines. That one made a great Christmas present.
The least helpful was the person who explained to me that the vinho verde I was eyeing was from Spain. I know, it’s nitpicky, but it matters to me. However, she gave me such good descriptions for the wine that I still left happy (a few bottles heavier).
Did I already mention how friendly and unpretentious the people are? You almost wouldn’t believe it’s Abbot Kinney.
I’ll be back soon!

Went for the Saturday wine tasting. What a pleasant surprise around the neighborhood. I like the fact that the staff is friendly and low-​key. But one hipster d-​bag walked in and ruined the atmosphere.
To all fairness, they just need to hire a security person to kick abott-​kinney-​d-​bag out; but the wine shop itself, I would recommend you to try out

Cute wine shop appropriate for Abbot Kinney. Curated wines and to me it appeared that 80% were under $ 20. Friendly staff with personality will guide you through your selection. If you need sensory proof they have a tasting counter in the back of the shop. We bought a rose distributed by Kermit Lynch that was very summer tasty.

**YES, YOU CAN GO WINE TASTING ON ABBOT KINNEY**
Strolled in for 3 rosé wine tastings for $ 10 (or $ 3.50 for a single).
Our wine pourer was knowledgeable and sweet.
No pretentiousness.
Bought a $ 15 bottle.
Prices were reasonable.
Selection-​wise, it was not HUGE, very boutique-​y.
Friendly staff.
Good spot to stop with some friends (or a date) on the way to dinner.
RECOMMEND.

My fiancé and I stopped into Elvino recently to kill a little time and buy a bottle of wine for our host in Venice.
Unfortunately, the service was so terrible that we left before completing the tasting that we had paid for and without buying any of the bottles that we had planned to purchase. In all likelihood, Elvino remains in business because its location provides a steady stream of new customers, not because of repeat business.
Buyer beware.

Very cute and small little wine shop.
We tried their wine tasting — $ 10 for one flight — 2 reds and 1 white, which isn’t bad at all considering some of the wines we tasted were $ 35+ a bottle. The gentleman who poured out our wine gave us a little background about each wine we tasted and answered all of our questions.
Not the most extensive selection I’ve seen, but It’s really nice to see a wine shop like Elvino around the area. Can’t wait to come back!

Great little wine store tucked away on Abbott Kinney. They do tastings and have a knowledgeable staff.
The selection is limited, though, but I was happy to see Pacific Northwest section! This is rarity in So Cal and even the big guys like K&L don’t offer dedicated space to a real up and coming wine region.
I look forward to another trip, soon!

Superb and sweet! We happened on this shop just walking down Abbot Kinney and decided to pop in to take a look — and ended up doing a $ 10 tasting of 3 reds (only on Fri/​Sat; Sun is Sparkling $ 15). For that price, we weren’t expecting much, but were pretty much blown away by the quality of the selection.
First up was a Santa Barbara syrah rose — slightly sweet, just a bit dry. Next was a south australian shiraz. It’s a great value for a party table red at less than $ 20, with the slight hint of oak and full, deep tannins. Third was a malbec. They definitely saved the best for last. Full-​bodied, rich, smooth — absolutely fell in love with it.
When we entered, a particular wine caught the eye of my friend, who practically declared it to be the BEST red he has ever had. He actually still had one bottle left at home saved for a special occasion. There were only 3 bottles left at the store. The storeowner apparently goes to all the wineries he deals with and personally selects the bottles he sells. Knowledgeable and informed.
Service was impeccable. One of the guys brought out olive bread with olive oil for us in the middle of the tasting. Everyone chatted comfortably and there were definitely some funny moments. Just a really homegrown, local mom-​and-​pop shop that knows what’s on the radar, what’s not, and what’s good.
They mentioned they’ll start beer tastings soon. The store also carries a smaller selection of sake and various handcrafted ales, etc.

There are some important life skills that I have accepted that I will never possess. Driving a stick shift is one, and another is knowing anything about wine.
So thank goodness for places like Elvino, where you can wander in and tell the guy working there that you don’t know crap about wine and he’ll still treat you with respect and describe the wines to you in a way that actually makes you feel like you get it enough to make your own choices.
I visited the store looking for a thank you gift for someone whose wine tastes I have no clue about. The person who helped me (not sure if it was the owner or not) couldn’t have been nicer. He didn’t seem fazed by my cost restrictions and didn’t even laugh at me when I said I wanted to choose one of the wines he had because the label was cute. In fact, he went on to describe the flavor of the wine, saying it had a chocolatey flavor that would be perfect for the winter months. Plus, it has a cute label, so… I’m sold!
He carefully removed the price tag and wrapped my bottle in some nice tissue for me, making it gift-​ready. This place has officially become my go-​to for presents!