Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation

In honour of the Port of Wines festival last night, felt inclined to write a review of one of my favourite liquor stores in Halifax. The Port of Wines on Doyle is one of those places that you always leave feeling great.
They carry a great selection of wines in every price range, and their staff is incredibly helpful. I once wandered in, told them wines I liked, and they totally pick out some new bottles that I loved.
They also carry bottles from the Wine Festival in their store, so if you missed this year’s tastings, you can relive Wine Fair at home. Which might be less of a public spectacle. If you’re me anyway.

I don’t come to the Port of Wines boutique of the NSLC often but I have had some pretty incredible customer service from their team of wine fanatics that has at times been miles ahead of most other shops in the area.
Back in the hot and heavy craze when a solid portion of the city’s population was chasing after any remaining bottles of the award-​winning Apothic Red. After three stops in other NSLC stores, each one less helpful than the last (i.e. «It says that we have some in stock but I have no idea where they are.»), someone did a search that sent me over to the Port of Wines with confidence that they had a half-​dozen bottles left.
Now, unfortunately, their search system couldn’t tell me that those half-​dozen bottles were all on hold for someone. Which apparently you can do. Which I think of as cheating only because I didn’t have the smarts to do it first.
Completely fed up and at the limits of my patient customer game, I’m pretty sure I just sighed heavily, turned around and walked out. At this point I had sunk an hour-​and-​a-​half into finding this stupid bottle of wine that I didn’t even want anymore. Almost back to my car, I hear a «Sir?» coming from the shop.
One of the staff members had actually jogged out to catch me, mentioning that he’d be happy to order in a few bottles for me, put my name on them, and hold them behind the cash for whenever I could make it back in. They’d call so all I’d have to do is show up. Fantastic!
Every other time I’ve been in, the staff have really, really known their stuff and are able to help without making you feel dumb for not being a full-​blown sommelier. Just a wonderful spot to find a special bottle!

It had been a while since I had been to the port of wines, focusing most of my wine buying at Luckett’s in Bedford or Bishops.
Upon visiting the Port of Wines the other day, I must say I was pleasantly surprised, both with their selection and the staff. As most Halogonian wine lovers know, NSLC doesn’t necessarily spend the most money on training their staff in the regular NSLC locations on wines… That said, the staff at the Port of Wines were extremely helpful in guiding me through this «new to me» store and making excellent suggestions.
The Port of Wines offers a wide variety of choices, with the majority of their wines being in the $ 25+ price range. But! Yes BUT! There are some great buys for the frugal wine shopper that is looking for a great $ 15 buy. We’re not in the States or Europe after all and that means we do have to pay more than the rest of the world for a decent bottle of nectar of the gods!
I was also happy to see a great selection of BC wines!
Happy shopping

Fermented grapes from every branch come together, bottled and packaged under this downtown roof.
Good service? You got it! Tons of options? Indeed-​a-​lee-​doo! This NSLC offshoot is a great place to pick up some vino, especially if you’re in the market for something new and exciting to spruce up your evening.
I have discovered some great makes at this boutique style location. Their employees are connoisseurs and can help you find what you’re looking for, even if you’re not really sure! They’ll even be happy to assist you in finding a cheap yet delightful bottle, without turning up a nose at a low-​price request.
It’s a bright location, and creates the illusion that you’re not at a government run alcohol supplier, like most other NSLCs with their bizarre dance club vibes do.
Not only can you get grape bevies here, but also top-​o-​the-​line spirits, as well as some beers and ice wines. Local varieties you ask? Certainly! They carry a good range of Nova Scotia wines as well as other Canadian options.
Check out this downtown wine shop and pick yourself up a lovely bottled treat. The options flow freely and you’ll definitely come across some new varieties to fall in love with.
Cheers! A Sante! Salud! Yiamas!

With all of the wine and spirit shops in the area, is Port of Wines really worth the trip?
The answer is YES. Besides a well ranged body of wine and an inviting store space, the staff here are incredibly accommodating. The last time I was in, I could’ve easily been mistaken for a homeless person. I hadn’t been feeling well and decided to get outside for some fresh air– facing daylight for the first time in three days. Hair astray, disheveled layers of clothing and a spaced out frame of mind is what I brought into the store. Not exactly an image of wine connoisseur. None the less, I was greeted with a friendly hello, given some breathing space to browse and approached later to see if there was anything I needed help with. (Addressed as ‘Miss’, how polite) Now that is the perfect customer service approach. So despite my appearance as the littlest hobo, staff of Port of Wines get major points for genuine service.
Wine stems from $ 15 and upward. Upwards being the bulk of it. However there are some great bottles for under $ 20. I found Chile’s Carmen Reserva to be a nice treat. Its really just a matter of looking and getting advice if you need it. I think I’d choose this spot over others in the area simply because of its friendly expertise. If you’re curious about wine, but don’t know a whole lot, Port of Wines may be a less intimidating way to go about it.
Champagne, Rosé, Red, White — the works. Its all here, as well as a small corner of top notch international spirits and beers. Great downtown spot.

Port Of Wines is a great shop especially if your travelling by foot. To have such a huge selection smack in the middle of downtown is fabulous.
You will not get your $ 10.00 bottle of wines here, but you will get some fantastic service and knowledge from the staff.
The store is really nice inside and you can spend a lot of time browsing the isles. There are so many wines and it is such a huge part of culture in so many countries, I love to learn everything I can about wine.
Gee, can you tell I like Wine!!!

I’m not a big wine drinker, so it’s very nice to have a place like this around when you’re looking to fool people into thinking you’re cultured, when in reality you’d rather be drinking Wildcat (Wild kitty!)
So we went in this store looking for a bottle of wine to take to a dinner. I knew ahead of time what we were having, but had no idea what to pick up. Lucky for me, the staff at the Port of Wine were very helpful in letting me know what I needed.
The prices were fair and in the end we wound up with a tasty bottle of red to go along with a tasty dinner and I emerged as a hero with a real knack for picking a good wine.
All in all, a great experience! Definitely stop in!