Urban Grape South End

Amazing shop! Great selection of all the best spirits and beers and wines you could ever want. Beautiful presentation. And they have lots of in-​store tastings! They even carry this wine called «The Oyster» that restores 100 oysters per bottle!

The BEST Boston has to offer.
I have been shopping here for years. A friend asked me why I shop there, and I noted that it has absolutely changed how I enjoy beer, wine and spirits. On one hand, this is a high-​end place that can really educate you on what you drink, and get you to enjoy what you buy more than you ever expected. Yet at the same time, it is accessible to anyone — the owners and staff are really passionate about their product as well as their service, and they want to share that passion. If you have any interest in the quality of what you drink, this is really the best place to go in Boston.

The trendy way of buying and tasting wine
Came in to see what the fuss was about. So basically you can taste all of the wines they have on their hand dandy tasting machine and apparently you buy one for your home for a couple thousand bucks.
The staff is very helpful and knows if we could be wind tasting in there all day we would. The point of the tastings is to have a better understanding of. Which wine you want to buy from their walls, based on their interesting categories. They also have a beer section and DIY 6 packs!

I have purchased several cases of wine from UB over the past few years and have found the staff to be exceptionally knowledgable and helpful. I also enjoy that the selection is expertly curated to include great value and selection at many different price points.
I must also commend TJ and his staff for how they handled a recent issue I had with a case of wine that had purchased from the Chestnut Hill location that exhibited some spoilage. In my view, service after the sale is what differentiates the good from the great. Thanks Urban Grape.

Cool spot with tons of wines, beers, and booze. They do a lot of tasting and the employees are all really cool & helpful!

I stopped in last week looking for a bottle of prosecco. I’m very new to the wine game and had no idea what I wanted other than bubbles! A very sweet young lady instantly greeted me and was happy to help me with my search! In just a minute we had picked out a reasonably priced and super tasty option. The store was super cute and all of the staff very friendly. I will definitely be back!

This is a super neat liquor store tucked away in in Back Bay/​South End, by Back Bay Station. They have a really nice selection of wines (whites, reds, roses, you name it), liquor (vodka, whiskey (Japanese whiskey too!), rum, whatever you desire) and beer (ranges from Corona 12-​packs to more craft beers you can buy one off for $ 5−9+ a bottle. For beer, its marginally pricier than your local supermarket. But if you’re looking for a specific kind of beer, odds are that this place stocks it. They also have a really nice staff that is more than happy to help you out.
If you pay by card, they can open up a free account for you that logs what you buy so if you like something you don’t remember, you can just check the system!
One other cool thing is the beer and wine tastings. A couple days a week, they have tastings that free! For events, check out

I want to agree with a previous reviewer, that «this place looks fantastic from the outside, but not so friendly on the inside». I also want to begin by saying that I was so excited to go to this wine shop on each occasion that I’ve gone, in spite of the poor service that I’ve received. I’ve been to this wine shop on at least 3 occasions. On the first visit, I went with a friend. She and I were going to be doing a wine tasting a couple of weeks out, and we were looking for wines in the region that we would be tasting to try out ahead of time. As soon as we arrived one of the wine salesmen greeted us and asked if we needed help, I spoke up and said, «yes». His response was a little bit audacious and sarcastic for my taste, but he said something to the effect, «I guess I can help you». He turned out to be really nice and knowledgeable, but his initial interaction with us was a little rough. I brushed it off, not to take it so seriously. So after we’d chosen our wines strolled around browsing, he’d already walked our bottles to the check-​out counter. Meanwhile, as we were browsing the store we noticed one of the salesmen giving a very detailed spiel /​demonstration of an intricate wine bottle opener to a woman. As we were approaching the check-​out counter there were 3 salesmen. As you approach, there were two on the right hand side chatting with one another and one on the left hand side. The phone happened to ring as we walked up too and he (guy on the left) answered the phone. So now we’re standing at the counter and the two guys talking never stopped talking to acknowledge us. That was so rude! We brushed that off! The person that helped us, was coming over to check us out when the salesman (we later was told was the owner) asked him to check the woman with the «wine bottle opener» out first. Mind you were standing there waiting patiently first before her. I didn’t appreciate that! That pretty much was the end of our 1^st visit. Not totally bad but not totally good either! The second experience was ok, we went for a wine tasting and Umberto (wine owner) & Jackson were nicer than some of the salespeople. However, the second visit was by far more pleasant! The third visit was on 5÷8÷2015, and it was by far the worse experience. We were snubbed! My friend and I (same one from before) walked in was greeted by a young lady at the check-​out counter. We let her know that were there to check-​out the wines for the wine tasting. She let us know that it was to the back. We approached the table and there was a man standing with the wines for the tasting. My friend approached and began looking and talking about them with me. He never said, «hi ladies» or anything. However, another woman approached that was not even interested in the wine tasting and he immediately said, «hi, how are you?» Also, while in there, I noticed the same owner (the man) helping someone else intensely. He’s never spoken to my friend and I on any of the times that we’ve visited. On each visit, I’ve noticed that his spoken to other customers. I mention it because we’ve gone into this shop on 3 separate occasions within a 2 – 3 week period. I believe that you’d notice your customers, especially the ones you care about and it shows. I didn’t feel welcome on my third visit. I felt out of place, and like no one wanted me there or cared if I purchased anything. Needless to say we walked out last night, and I don’t think I’ll return! Even if you don’t remember me (not saying that the owner should, but it would be nice if he did), it’s pretty sad when you can’t even get a greeting from the one of the owners, a simple «hello or welcome back» would be better nothing or being ignored. Maybe wave of the hand as a hello to acknowledge that you noticed I’ve arrived. There are a few salespeople, like «Alex» that are great, but overall this is a very «cold» business establishment to shop in, if you’re not important enough to the owner (s) to warrant their attention!

I went to this location yesterday for a wine tasting as part of a Meetup. They had the Mise Organic Wine event: 3 Reds and 1 White from Italy for tasting that are absolutely SPECTACULAR — even the White, which I don’t usually like.
I don’t remember the name of the guy telling me about the wines, but he was really nice and probably gave me the least ridiculous sounding descriptions wine I’ve ever heard. I’ve been to wine tastings before and half the time I’m there thinking they must be making shit up. The man hosting the Mise tasting was not like this at all!
I only talked to one other staff member and he was also very friendly and willing to talk to me about the store. They have this really interesting organizational system for the wine based on how heavy the body/​texture is, which I LOVE because texture is just as important for me as flavor when it comes to wine. I prefer medium to heavy-​bodied wines, and this store makes it SUPER easy to know what you’re getting.
Sadly, I do not live nearby, but I definitely plan on coming back at some point when I really want to splurge on wine.

Walked by this place on a whim, popped in, and was pretty impressed with the layout and the selection… even better, while discussing the selections, the proprietor was kind enough to realize I wasn’t local and made some damn fine lunch recommendations (Coda), which I went to next and loved. Thumbs up on store quality and friendliness.

Nice selection of wine. They do wine tastings there. The time I went, they also had a beer tasting which was a nice addition before the wine tastings. Staff was very kind to us. So much better than Bacco’s Wine (though they have the cheese) but I still like Urban Grape.
Price is reasonably for wine and located in a great location!

Looks nice on the outside–
not so friendly on the inside :(kinda snobby :/​
but they at least sell hard alcohol ;)

Very helpful coding for how rich each wine is, and how «heavy» the taste is. They also host wine and beer tastings every Thursday evening, which is a very nice way to get acquainted with new wine flavors.
I’m not a wine expert, but the prices are reasonable, staff is very friendly, and location is ideal right next to Back Bay station and a 7 – 10 min walk from Copley square.
They also keep your name on file if you wish, so you know which wines you’ve purchased!

The staff know their stuff. They do tastings all the time and the staff know everything you could want to ask about the wine (beer probably too). I went onto the website of the wine that I bought later and it was only $ 2 more at the store, so the pricing is great.

Super selection of wine in an
everyday bottle price range… $ 15.
Let the friendly staff know
what your price range is
and they will help you find
the best bottle of Wine in it.
The deal: conveniently located in between
Bostin’s South End and Back Bay.

I remember walking by this place one time on my way to Giacomo’s and I have wanted to try it for a long time! I finally found a change to go recently and I really like this place.
First off, they are open until 11PM which is pretty late for a wine tasting place. Second, I really like that they don’t charge for tastings from the machine… A lot of places I’ve been to always charge. I’m sure they charge for wine tasting events, but I haven’t had a chance to attend one. The staff are super friendly and knowledgeable.
Their selection of wines, beer, champagne is so vast! I’m sure I can find a good amount of things I want! I would definitely return next time I’m in the area.

Over the last several months, I have become a regular customer here, which is weird since this wine shop is not in my work neighborhood nor in my home neighborhood. I find that every time I head into The Urban Grape, I learn a new little lesson about wines, beers, spirits… and also about geography, culture, history, and even a little bit about myself. That sounds like cheerleading, I know. But allow me to present my case:
Not at all inaccessible, this delightful little shop in the South End is right around the corner from the Back Bay train station on Columbus Avenue. I found it when I was searching for a location for a bachelorette party that would roam about the South End. I moseyed inside and glanced at the high shelves of wine and immediately fell in love with the butcher block table where they were setting up for a free tasting later that day…
What’s that? Free tasting? Why, yes, I’d love to stick around for that.
That’s right, every week, they hold free tasting events to educate customers about different wines, beers, liquors.
You read that right. They are trying to create educated consumers. Which was evident, when I asked a question about Rose wines. I was treated to a lesson by a very passionate staff member, who took me through the process that those delicious pink wines go through. I tasted all of the free wines, and then I stepped over the the wine tasting machine, affectionately called «La Principessa» by some of the staff and I tasted several of the dozen or so wines contained in the glass vending machine.
Back to the bachelorette party, we totally booked it there and it was awesome. Chelsea helped me every step of the way, even creating a little booklet to hand out to the guests with maps of where the wines come from.
Which brings me to the second lesson about wine that I learned at Urban Grape: tasting notes. I hate this part about wine tastings. I feel like it is the SATs and I never get the answer right… am I supposed to taste, cloves? What about fruit? Is it bad if I like the fruity wines? What if I taste bubble-​gum in a fancy Reisling? Chelsea set my fears to rest: All of your answers are right. If you taste a wine and it reminds you of mint chocolate chip ice cream… cool. That’s totally valid. Suddenly, I could just enjoy tasting wine.
A few weeks later, I returned to the Urban Grape to get one of the wines we had tasted at the bachelorette party to take to the wedding, and in addition I needed some champagne for mimosas for the bridesmaids. Since I’d be mixing the champagne with Orange Juice, I wasn’t looking to spend a lot… no worries, the staff person said. She pointed me to an interesting bottle of sparkling wine. I turned it around and it was below my budget (I bought 3 bottles instead of 2 for what I had budgeted).
Lesson learned: Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to taste delicious and be exactly what you are looking for.
Then, I was hooked. Now, I try to go in at least once a month to find out what is new, and the things I have learned are endless:
I like Zinfandel! Who knew?
Rye Whiskey is like Bourbon’s spicy older brother. It’s delicious in Old Fashioneds (which they also have the hand-​crafted bitters and much better maraschino cherries than other liquor stores)
Wine in a box can be great. Especially for camping.
The list goes on and on. It’s why I keep going back.

This store is very unique and seems to be more on the high end of things — walking by it, not really knowing what it was, we decided to go in on a whim and I ended up dropping over $ 50 on a couple of bottles of wine and beers. The store itself is vary spacious and stylishly decorated unlike most ‘packy’ stores around Boston. This one definitely stands out and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to sample some of their wine and also helped ourselves to some samples at their automated pouring kiosk which I thought was neat as well.
They have a very interesting way to classify their wines on the shelves and although I can’t recall exactly how it worked, once the staff explained it, it made sense. It’s definitely not by region or country but more by taste profiles if I remember correctly.
Whether you are going there for an affordable or nicer bottle of wine or a couple of bottles of beers, this is definitely a great place to go even if you’re just looking for a six pack of Sam Light or even Corona or anything macrobrewed.

I happened to be eating in the South End after work and was immediately drawn into this place. I was with two of my coworkers and lucky for us there was a free tasting going on. The event had a steady flow of approximately 20 people in attendance. In the middle of the store there is a wine tasting kiosk that allows you to taste each of the featured wines. The staff was very helpful in explaining the wine flavors and what they each paired well with. There was also a liquor and beer tasting going on. Unfortunately, the beer tasting ended before we were able to taste any. For liquor there was gin, whiskey, and absinthe. I would never think I would be sipping any of the aforementioned liquors without needing a chaser and actually be enjoying them. We had the pleasure of meeting the distiller and hearing their personal insight on the spirits.
We loved our experience so much that my coworkers and I immediately signed up for their newsletter and plan on going back for another event soon.

The Urban Grape is a great new addition to the South End. My first visit to the store was this past Sunday for a beer and food pairing session called ‘Beer for Wine Lovers’. We sampled 5 different kinds of beer and ate mini dishes prepared by the Mei Mei food truck. While we sampled everything, we learned a little foodie knowledge about the beer, how to pair it with food, and the best glassware to use. For only $ 20 it was a good amount of food and a fun Sunday night activity.
The store has a trendy and open atmosphere with a lot of space for group tastings. They mentioned hosting a birthday party there last weekend. Just by passing the store I wouldn’t normally think to shop there because it looks pretty fancy. Since my palate can’t tell the different between a $ 100 bottle and Charles Shaw I tend to stick with cheaper wines. But, they mentioned that they had a big selection of wines in the $ 8 to $ 15 dollar range, which is a huge plus for me.
I had a great time at the event and enjoyed learning more about their products so I plan to look for future tastings and events here.