Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bine & Vine looks the part

Recently renovated standout bottle shop ups its game with redone interiors

The recently renovated Bine & Vine bottle shop in Normal Heights - Image by @sdbeernews
The recently renovated Bine & Vine bottle shop in Normal Heights
Place

Bine & Vine Bottle Shop

3334 Adams Avenue, San Diego

The one part of Bine & Vine that has yet to be renovated shows just how far it's come

Believe it or not, there was a time when craft-stocked bottle shops weren’t in every neighborhood throughout San Diego. Sure, there was craft beer, even the local variety, but it took awhile for the retail world to focus on any of it. Two of the very first liquor outlets to go heavy on craft were Escondido's Holiday Wine Cellar and Imperial Beach's South Bay Drugs. Geoi Bachoua was one of the early adopters working to scavenge fine ales and lagers for fellow enthusiasts while involved with the latter interest, back in 2003. Today, he owns Bine and Vine (334 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights), one of the better stocked, well respected bottle shops in the county.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Bine and Vine is the type of ale and lager depository where rarities from other parts of the country and the world are in good supply, along with nearly-impossible-to-procure brews from the likes of Russian River Brewing Company (Pliny, anyone?). The guy even got Alpine Beer Co., a company that, for the longest time, wouldn’t even take on new accounts, to brew a special beer to celebrate his store’s three-year anniversary. An IPA brewed with coveted Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops (it’s actually the first Alpine beer ever brewed using Mosaic), it sold out in a mere three days. On top of all the quality beer, there’s plenty of mead, ciders (none of which contain high-fructose corn syrup), sake, and fine wines procured by an on-staff Level 2 Sommelier…who’s also a certified beer judge. Bottom line, the place is legit, and it recently got better.

The special IPA brewed by Alpine Beer Co. to celebrate bottle shop Bine & Vine's third anniversary

A recent visit turned up an almost-completely revamped Bine and Vine. What once resembled a convenience store with drab colors and faux brick facades now looks much classier. Two walls lined with illuminated refrigeration units are framed in black. The ceiling is similarly onyx and outfitted with light fixtures hovering above wine bins. While I was there, numerous regulars sauntered in, and were visibly and happily taken aback by the night-and-day change. The renovations put Bine and Vine right up there with similarly luxurious Brother’s Provisions in Rancho Bernardo as the most nicely appointed beer outlets in the city.

And Bachoua’s not done. He plans on moving his check-out counter and turning the current register space into a tasting bar that figures to open sometime in 2015. In Bachoua’s words, he wanted to make his store a place that looked the part of a standout spot for fermented beverages. Even only partially complete, that mission’s been accomplished.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Fiesta de Reyes Dia de los Muertos, Summer Salt and The Symposium, Scream Diego

Events October 10-October 12, 2024
The recently renovated Bine & Vine bottle shop in Normal Heights - Image by @sdbeernews
The recently renovated Bine & Vine bottle shop in Normal Heights
Place

Bine & Vine Bottle Shop

3334 Adams Avenue, San Diego

The one part of Bine & Vine that has yet to be renovated shows just how far it's come

Believe it or not, there was a time when craft-stocked bottle shops weren’t in every neighborhood throughout San Diego. Sure, there was craft beer, even the local variety, but it took awhile for the retail world to focus on any of it. Two of the very first liquor outlets to go heavy on craft were Escondido's Holiday Wine Cellar and Imperial Beach's South Bay Drugs. Geoi Bachoua was one of the early adopters working to scavenge fine ales and lagers for fellow enthusiasts while involved with the latter interest, back in 2003. Today, he owns Bine and Vine (334 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights), one of the better stocked, well respected bottle shops in the county.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Bine and Vine is the type of ale and lager depository where rarities from other parts of the country and the world are in good supply, along with nearly-impossible-to-procure brews from the likes of Russian River Brewing Company (Pliny, anyone?). The guy even got Alpine Beer Co., a company that, for the longest time, wouldn’t even take on new accounts, to brew a special beer to celebrate his store’s three-year anniversary. An IPA brewed with coveted Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops (it’s actually the first Alpine beer ever brewed using Mosaic), it sold out in a mere three days. On top of all the quality beer, there’s plenty of mead, ciders (none of which contain high-fructose corn syrup), sake, and fine wines procured by an on-staff Level 2 Sommelier…who’s also a certified beer judge. Bottom line, the place is legit, and it recently got better.

The special IPA brewed by Alpine Beer Co. to celebrate bottle shop Bine & Vine's third anniversary

A recent visit turned up an almost-completely revamped Bine and Vine. What once resembled a convenience store with drab colors and faux brick facades now looks much classier. Two walls lined with illuminated refrigeration units are framed in black. The ceiling is similarly onyx and outfitted with light fixtures hovering above wine bins. While I was there, numerous regulars sauntered in, and were visibly and happily taken aback by the night-and-day change. The renovations put Bine and Vine right up there with similarly luxurious Brother’s Provisions in Rancho Bernardo as the most nicely appointed beer outlets in the city.

And Bachoua’s not done. He plans on moving his check-out counter and turning the current register space into a tasting bar that figures to open sometime in 2015. In Bachoua’s words, he wanted to make his store a place that looked the part of a standout spot for fermented beverages. Even only partially complete, that mission’s been accomplished.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The ups and downs of Cel Cerro on a bike

Best outdoors times
Next Article

Quill & Arrow Law is Saving Drivers Around California with Lemon Law

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader