.Best Budget Wine Shop

The Wine Mine, a little barebones Temescal wine warehouse owned and operated by David Sharp, the friendliest and least snobby wine expert you’ll ever meet, is tailor-made for wine lovers on a budget. Sharp mines the wines of the world so you don’t have to and then amasses an impressive collection of premium international wines at affordable prices. High-dollar varietals grace the shelves, too, but the real emphasis here is on value, resulting in many excellent choices in or below the $15 range, a sentiment conveyed nicely by the store’s tagline: Wine Gems, Rock Bottom Prices. What’s really special about this little kid-friendly neighborhood hangout is the $1 Saturday tastings. Plop down a buck then sniff, sip, and savor your way through six consistently worthwhile samplings that more often than not end with a bottle or two (consistently cheaper than other sellers, by the way) in the bag for continued at-home enjoyment. Customers can sign up for an e-mail mailing list for special events such as the recent anniversary barbecue, occasional food-and-wine pairings, and meet-and-greets with winemakers who pour gratis samples of their latest vintages.