It was not until I found the Lunch.com review that I realized my favorite local wine store, K&L Wine Merchants, is a chain. The best part about K&L is that it has an anti-chain feel.  I bet you'll be fooled.

Imagine your local bookstore, where not only are the staff well-versed on the inventory, so are your fellow shoppers.  You can feel free to spend as much time as you want browsing  without feeling pressured to buy, and often I find myself talking to the guys who work there about their dining experiences with a particular wine. Example, imagine vacationing in Sicily, sitting on the coast enjoying a fruity, but somehow dry white wine with a basket of fried whitebait (tiny little fish) and wedges of lemon.  Of course I bought that bottle of wine, because it had a story, and the story gave me a bit of Sicily with my Trader Joe's frozen gnochhi.

Beyond an amazing and ever evolving wine selection, there is another facet to the K&L experience that sets it apart from many snooty wine stores: they sell beer~! It was not until my 2nd or 3rd visit that I recognized it , but it sure beats heading to Bevmo the next time you need to stock up.  If you are prepping for a party and need some advice on everything from the wine you plan to serve to the beer that will also compliment the occasion, you can count on finding eccentric staff and plenty of browsing (and opinionated) locals to choose the perfect wine AND beer.  Don't worry about the fact that you are in flip flops or your hair is greasy, you will be treated well, regardless of your price range or your 'walk of shame' outfit.  K&L takes the snobbery out of NorCal wine shopping, which makes this Nawlins girl smile.