Wine and spirits shops in Palo Alto

Buying a bottle in Palo Alto was not always simple. For most of the 20th century the town was dry by design. Today the picture is ordinary for a Bay Area city of its size: one dedicated wine shop, one neighborhood liquor store, a downtown smoke shop that sells beer and wine and a set of grocery stores with good bottle aisles. Two of them sell spirits as well.

This page groups those stores by area with a neutral description and a link to each directory listing, where you will find phone numbers and hours. Our directory lists only two stores in the city whose main business is alcohol, so the page also covers the grocers and markets that most residents use. We do not rank shops, quote reviews or discuss prices. Remember that California's legal drinking age is 21 and stores check photo ID.

From dry town to bottle shops

Palo Alto's dry rules came from several sources, including Timothy Hopkins's deed restrictions, an 1894 town rule, a 1909 state law and university rules. Liquor stores and bars clustered just outside the limit. The best-known strip was Whiskey Gulch on the East Palo Alto side of San Francisquito Creek, replaced in 2000 by the hotel and offices of University Circle. The first legal public drink downtown was served in May 1971. Our page on Palo Alto's alcohol ban explains how it ended. That long history helps explain why the city still has so few dedicated liquor stores.

California Avenue

California Avenue has the city's only dedicated wine shop and a natural foods grocer across the street.

• Vin Vino Wine: a neighborhood bottle shop and tasting bar at 437 California Avenue, run by three co-owners, with daily tastings, themed flights and a monthly wine club.
• Country Sun: an independent natural foods store at 440 California Avenue, open since 1971, whose shelves include organic wine.

Vin Vino's co-owners all come from restaurants or the wine trade. One of them, Guillaume Bienaime, is also the proprietor of Zola, the French restaurant downtown. Expect French bottles with a lean toward Burgundy, Italian wines and California wines made in a balanced style. The wine club ships two, four or six bottles a month. The shop is closed on Mondays. Our wine bars guide covers its tasting counter alongside the city's wine bars. Our California Avenue shopping guide covers the rest of the street.

El Camino Real

• Ernie's Liquors: a neighborhood wine and liquor store at 3870 El Camino Real in south Palo Alto, open late every day, with online ordering and local delivery.
• Driftwood Deli and Market: a family deli and small old-style market at 3450 El Camino Real whose shelves hold beer and wine alongside chips, pickles and sauces.
• Trader Joe's: the Town & Country Village store at El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road, which confirms it sells beer, wine and liquor.

Ernie's is the city's general liquor store. Wine, spirits, beer and hard seltzer sit in one online catalog with customer accounts. The store lists delivery from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, which makes it the late-evening option for a party that runs short. Driftwood is a sandwich stop first, but it is handy for a bottle to go with lunch. Trader Joe's is known for its private-label wines and is the easiest spirits stop in the north of town.

Downtown

• Mac's Smoke Shop: a family-run store at 534 Emerson Street, in business for more than 85 years, selling cigars and tobacco along with beer, wine, soda and snacks.

Mac's is the only store in our directory downtown that lists beer and wine to take away. Its website lists daily hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., well beyond the usual retail day. The shop's own history traces it to Glenn and Ruth McManus, who gave it the name Mac's. The interior is lined with Palo Alto and Bay Area memorabilia, so it is worth a look even if you only need a cold drink.

Midtown and south Palo Alto

• Safeway: Midtown's supermarket at 2811 Middlefield Road, open late every day, with a pharmacy, service deli and liquor department.
• Piazza's Fine Foods: a family-run grocery in the Charleston Shopping Center, founded in 1979, that stocks wine with its full weekly list and has held wine events at the Palo Alto store.

Safeway is the practical stop for spirits in the south half of town, especially in the evening. Piazza's suits a wine for dinner along with its house-made sausages and deli counter.

Stanford Shopping Center

• Sigona's Farmers Market: a family-owned produce and specialty food market that lists craft beers and wine among its departments, with more than 250 artisan cheeses.

Sigona's is the only bottle stop at the shopping center. It pairs naturally with a cheese and fruit run before a picnic or a dinner party. For a full rundown of the city's grocers, see our groceries and specialty food guide.

Which store for which errand

Tips for buying a bottle

• Ask for help with a pairing. Small shops know their shelves. Tell staff what you are cooking and what you want to spend. They can pull two or three options.
• Taste before you buy. Vin Vino's tasting bar lets you try a pour before committing to a case.
• Bringing wine to a restaurant. Some Palo Alto restaurants allow you to bring your own bottle for a corkage fee. Policies vary, so call the restaurant first.
• Gifts for hosts. A bottle from a local shop plus cheese from Sigona's or Piazza's makes an easy dinner gift. Our gifts guide has more ideas.
• Flying home with wine. Wrap bottles well and pack them in checked luggage. Check your airline's limits and your destination's customs rules.

Going further for wine

Many residents buy directly from wineries. The Santa Cruz Mountains wineries are a short drive up the hills. Two classic wine regions are within a day's reach. Our guides to Napa and Sonoma and the closer Livermore Valley cover tasting rooms and timing. If you would rather not drive after tasting, you can book a Napa and Sonoma wine tour with transport included. For drinks in town, our bars, wine and beer guide lists where to order by the glass.

Frequently asked questions