Wine In Memphis (Winchester, Midtown: sales, to buy, live)

[pixiepony]

When I moved from Al to OK, I was shocked that wine could not be purchased in a grocery store. (yet beer was?? )

What's the situation in Memphis? After a 7.5 hour drive from Fort Worth on Friday, I'm going to want a glass of wine!!! So will I have to go to a liquor store, or will I be able to pick up a bottle when I shop for food?

[(901)]

In Memphis you will have to purchase your wine at a liquor store. There hours of operation are all pretty much 9:00am-11:00pm Monday-Saturday~ Closed on Sunday

You can always get a glass or a bottle at your favorite resturant/honky tonk.

Don't worry, this town is full of drunks. Its not that complicated to get your drink on

[fittoac]

I'm afraid you will have to go to a liquor store. I grew up in Maryland where the laws are the same, no wine in grocery stores, but then I lived in Alabama and California in the years before I moved to TN, so I got spoiled being able to buy wine wherever I pleased. It's the most ridiculous law and one I've never understood. Sorry I don't have better news for you!

[pixiepony]

sucks! Oh well. I have been doing it the past few months in OKC!

I agree it is ridiculous. Is it like OKlahoma where you can buy beer in the grocery store, but it's a lower alcohol content than if purchased in a liquor store? In OK, I think it is 4% versus 6%. I just think it's incredibly silly to sell beer, but not wine! When we moved here to OKC, I was at the store and stopped to ask an employee where the wine was. When I was informed the process, I just stared at them. I really said, "but you sell beer?" No one has ever been able to tell me why. My only guess is wine is not found in lower alcohol content very often...

Oh well. At least now I know!

So where's the best liquor store to find a good variety of wine?

[JoeCartpath]

The beer you get in the grocery stores here is "normal" beer....not the lower alcohol content variety. Another oddity here is that (I believe) you can't buy beer in a liquor store - only at grocery stores, convenience stores, etc. How's that for odd!

Most decent liquor stores have a good supply of wine. What part of town are you going to be in? I'm sure we can recommend a store in that area with a knowledgeable staff and a good selection....

[pixiepony]

I'll be in Uptown. But anywhere in Midtown, Downtown, or Uptown is fine. Ill be doing some sightseeing this weekend so we'll be all over the place.

[Pearlbob]

There is a liquor store in Uptown, on Auction at Main (whatever the new street names are now).

Downtown has Corkscrew on Front.

Midtown has Kimbrough at Union and Kimbrough. Also Joe's on Poplar at Evergreen.

The best store in town, hands down, is a little further east on Poplar at Highland - Buster's. Huge. Gigantic. If you really want a big selection.

[GoJazz]

The worst thing is to be in a state such as Massachusetts where you cant buy beer or wine in a grocery store(except very few exceptions). Every time a vote comes up to allow beer and/ or wine in the grocery store the the liquor stores run ads trying to terrify everybody. By the way I often was not ID'ed in the liquor store while I have been ID'ed every time here in a grocery store. By the way, yes Busters has a huge selection and then you can go to Buffalo Wild Wings and have a beer as well

[ColliervilleMom]

Yep, Busters is great! Southwind liquors by Costo on Winchester has the best prices around, hands down, but not nearly the selection that Buster's has.

One thing I found interesting is that a lot of restaurants around here allow you to bring your own wine, for a very reasonable corkage fee, or for free!

[lisake]

The liquor store lobby in Tennessee wields a lot of power. The last couple of years, grocery stores have gotten together and mounted an effort to change the law so wine can be sold in grocery stores, but the Legislature has bowed to the liquor store lobby. Liquor stores maintain that grocery stores won't be as careful about not selling to underage patrons, and that it would give an advantage to large box stores while driving small mom-and-pop liquor stores out of business.

Despite studies showed that most Tennesseeans favor wine sales in grocery stores, the Legislature continues to keep a law that protects the interests of the liquor stores businesses. That always bugged me to death. One of my favorite things about moving to South Carolina is that I can now buy a bottle of my favorite wine while grocery shopping, even on Sunday!

I think the Tennessee law is no wine or liquor sold by the bottle on Sundays, and beer can't be sold until 11 a.m. on Sundays (from like 3 or 4 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning).

Liquor stores are the only ones that can sell "Big Beers," or high-alcohol content beers, but they can’t sell “regular” beers or any products that don’t have alcohol in them, e.g., a wine store cannot sell a corkscrew or Bloody Mary mix (without alcohol already added). In my mind, the liquor lobby should focus on getting the Legislature to allow other product sales in their stores AND allowing Sunday sales instead of bribing the Legislature to uphold archaic laws that keep them in business.

You can learn more about the continued effort to allow wine sales in Tennessee grocery stores here:
http://www.redwhiteandfood.com/

BTW, I second the recommendations for Joe’s in Midtown and Buster’s near U of M. My favorite East Memphis liquor store is The Liquor Depot on Mendenhall/Mt. Moriah south or Poplar. Buster’s by far has the largest selection and best prices. Also, look for John Vego’s suggestions—he’s the most wine-knowledgeable person I ever met.