Written By Guest Writer Libations / Wine Stores Mar 20, 2012 Private Wine Store Series: Cook St. Village Liquor SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter PinterestThe interior of Cook Street Village Liquor. Photo by Deanna LadretIn 2008, well-known Victoria wine pro Glenn Barlow opened the doors of his shop, Cook Street Village Liquor. Sister store to the Cadboro Bay shop BC Wineguys VQA Wine Store, Cook Street Village Liquor specializes in spec wines (not sold in Government Liquor Stores) and unusual beers and spirits from around the world, with an emphasis on “value wine under $30.” Glen Barlow, OwnerThe store has proved a labour of love for Barlow, who spent five years immersed in red-tape, jumping through hoops with developers before securing his discreet (not his first choice, he’d like to add) shop in the back corner of the new residential/commercial complex in the 200 block of Cook Street. Still, Barlow makes the most of his 700 square foot store, stocking over 1000 different wines, beers, and spirits. A veteran of the Vancouver Island food and beverage scene, Barlow has worked with a variety of high profile restaurants and industry professionals, developing wine programs and fostering community among his colleagues. If you don’t dine out often, you may not recognize many of the labels on offer at Cook St. Village Liquor. That’s because over 80% of their stock is unavailable at government stores, often sourced from agents of obscure international wines. Rather than grouping wines by region, the stock is laid out according to varietal, with exceptions for distinct regions of the world with telltale styles such as Italy, Spain and France. The wine stock is heavy on the reds (reflecting demand), though they do have a well-represented white selection, mainly chilled in the refrigerators. As well, the constantly-revolving beer lineup changes with the seasons to complement the tastes of the neighbourhood customers and the employee feedback from the weekly staff tastings. Rufus, resident dog.The staff is composed of several ISG Level 2s, CAMRA members, drink bloggers, home brewers, and ex-Okanagan “cellar rats”, as Barlow puts it. Simply put, the staff love the drink, and are always eager to offer recommendations. A monthly e-newsletter informs customers of any new or noteworthy products. Also, check out their blog for news, tasting notes, and other info. Name: Cook Street Village LiquorAddress: 230 Cook St. Village, VictoriaPhone: 250-995-2665Hours: 10am-9pm dailyWebsite: http://bcliquorguys.blogspot.comTwitter: @bcliquorguysEmail: info@bcliquorguys.comParking: street parking or pay lotDelivery: Free delivery for case orders; $10 fee for individual bottlesEmployees: 15Manager: Marcia KurbisWine Buyer/Consultant: Glenn Barlow & Marcia Kurbis# SKUS: 1000+, of which about 80% are specStore Focus/Specialty: Unusual, wholesale, international wines; value under $30Public Tastings: Not currentlyMembership/Loyalty program: NoNewsletter: Yes, via email (sign up in store). See also website blog. Beer & CiderstoresVictoriaWine SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Written By: Guest Writer We get many people writing guest articles for us, as well as past contributors. This is the Guest ... Read More You may also like Food Events / Food News September 18, 2019 EAT Buzz Up-Island & Tofino September|October 2019 The Buzz Up-Island It’s high time for festival season! I anticipate this time of the year all year long when fresh produce is in abundance, ... Read More Food Events / Food News July 3, 2019 EAT Buzz Up-island & Tofino July|August 2019 The Buzz Up-island July 2019 “First we EAT, then we do everything else”(M.K.Fisher) – at least I do anyway. Never short of ... Read More Events / Food News / Places May 3, 2019 The Buzz Tofino May 2019 16th Tofino Food & Wine Festival — 20 top chefs, 75 wineries and 21 breweries to indulge on June 7th – 9th. Friday kicks off The Cocktail ... Read More Events / Food News / Places May 3, 2019 The Buzz Up-island May 2019 Living on Vancouver Island is like living in paradise; however, I think Mother Nature is possibly going to test our resilience this season with ... Read More Beer / Beer & Cider / Drink / Events / Victoria March 24, 2019 A New Beer Society in Town Victoria Beer Week launched its sixth annual festival earlier this month, which ran from March 1-9. In addition to the festival returning for another ... Read More Beer / Wineries & Breweries February 4, 2019 Vancouver Island Brewery’s New Porter and New Re-Rebrand Vancouver Island Brewery unveils new porter along with their new re-rebrand Vancouver Island Brewery held a flight night last week, in part to ... Read More Comments are closed.
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