Say Miami, and most people will think of pool parties, salsa dancing and supercars. They wouldn’t be wrong. Anyone who has walked along lively Ocean Drive in South Beach or danced the night away in one of Calle Ocho’s Cuban bars will agree that this city has energy. It has not, however, always been famed for its wine offerings. Yet today, an eclectic mix of independent retailers is determined to change that.
The very best of these translate the city’s unique energy into their wine offerings and atmosphere – through modern luxury, shop floors that turn into dance floors, and much more. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up the eight best places to shop for wine in Miami. They each offer exciting selections and a little Miami fun.
Downtown Miami
Maison Mura (Downtown)
French duo Matthieu Yamoum and Philippe Vasilescu opened Maison Mura in December 2022. Its small driveway is almost always occupied by a different brightly coloured supercar. The store quickly became a magnet for celebrities and the city’s most enthusiastic collectors who visit to pop open fine and rare wines.
Maison Mura has a healthy supply of global icons, but its range is particularly strong in Burgundy and Champagne – Yamoum is from Reims. The selection includes both established household names and emerging young growers, and its knowledgeable team is always on hand to guide you through the shelves.
It has also become a favourite stop for visiting producers. Some weeks, it hosts events on several nights, ranging from informal drop-in tastings to wine dinners in its private board room. It also has a broad selection of luxury spirits.
South of Downtown
Vinoteca (Coconut Grove)
Vinoteca in Coconut Grove. Credit: Vinoteca
Coconut Grove local Alex McDonnell studied viticulture and enology in Italy. She was so inspired by the country’s wine bars and shops that she decided to open an Italian-style wine boutique back in Miami. Vinoteca, which she runs with her mother, Sandra, is the newest (and most Instagrammable) addition to Miami’s independent wine retail scene.
It has already gained a reputation as a great place to source wine from small producers around the world and often runs tutored in-store tastings led by visiting winemakers or local experts. Although it has an Italian focus, its shelves also house bottles from more unusual origins: Bosnia, Macedonia, and Armenia, to name a few.
Allocation Room (Coconut Grove)
The retail arm of Michelin-star Ariete gives shoppers access to a selection from the same wine director. Adrian Lopez describes his offering as ‘a little bit of everything’, but he’s particularly fond of thin-skinned reds. This is reflected in his range of Pinot Noir and Grenache from small producers around the world. He also offers several Sakes. Shoppers are welcome to enjoy bottles at its modern bar with no extra fee.
Vinya Wine & Market (Key Biscayne)
Vinya Wine & Market, or ‘Wine Island’, as sommelier and partner Allegra Angelo prefers to call it, opened its doors in May 2020. It serves the local community on Key Biscayne – an affluent Miami island – but has also become a destination for mainlanders who will pick up a few bottles or enjoy a glass at the bar after a day at the beach.
Angelo is unafraid to champion under-the-radar countries and regions, and the store’s design, selections and events encourage customers to explore. Every bottle is tagged with a shelf talker explaining its personality – from ‘Patio Pounder’ to ‘Mineral Bomb’. Above a selection from Adelaide Hills, Barossa, and Margaret River reads a sign: ‘Don’t forget Australia!’
For buyers looking for something more familiar, there is also a healthy range of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Its sister store and restaurant, Vinya Table in Coral Gables, has a similarly exciting range of wines.
Happy Wine Calle Ocho (West Miami)
Happy Wine owner JC Restrepo is very serious about the wine. Credit: Happy Wine Calle Ocho
JC and Joanna Restrepo purchased Happy Wine on Eighth Street in 2009. Since then, they’ve turned it into a fun, lively, and unpretentious Miami wine institution. Its enormous range of wines – everything from inexpensive Malbecs to Bordeaux first growths – lines shelves that cover every wall. Boxes are piled high, prices are handwritten on florescent yellow tags and fairy lights hang from the ceiling.
Happy Wine has a particularly strong focus on wines from Spain and South America. For $10 per bottle, you can enjoy your purchase in-store and dine from its growing menu. Think steak, pastas, patatas bravas. Live musicians take to the stage every night (except for Monday). Often, the shop floor transforms into a dance floor. Salsa surrounded by hundreds of wine bottles is one of the city’s most unique – and joyful – Miami wine experiences.
305 Wines (Palmetto Bay)
305 Wines is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Alessandra Esteves and Guilherme de Macedo, who also run Miami’s wine school, Florida Wine Academy. Esteves manages the wine selection, which focuses on traditional styles from premium regions around the world – exactly the wines needed by students. It also offers over 80 different sakes, which might be one of the largest ranges in the southeastern United States. These are selected by Macedo, who is a Master Sake Sommelier.
The store has been so successful that it upsized to a new location in South Miami, a shorter drive to Downtown and Miami Beach, at the beginning of July 024. As part of this move, Esteves plans to increase her range of wines from Spain and South America and has a separate space for offering in-store events.
North of Downtown
Wine by the Bay (MiMo District)
Stefano Campanini of Wine by the Bay. Credit: Campanini
An industrial park isn’t the first place you’d think to look for one of Miami’s best wine shops – especially one called Wine by The Bay – but this is a city full of surprises. It was opened in 2011 by art dealer Stefano Campanini, who wanted to offer his clients something good to drink. Today, the store doubles as an art gallery, making it a unique space to enjoy tastings led by the Italian owner. It has a wide range of mostly Old World classics, with a very good depth of older vintages and a particular focus on Italy.
Vinonueva (Morningside)
Owners of Vinonueva, Ana Corina Baptista and Bernardo Villanueva. Credit: For the Future You Photo Co
Former New York banker Bernardo Villanueva opened Vinonueva in July 2021 with his wife Ana Corina Baptista. Located in peaceful Morningside, it sells mostly European wines, including many of the world’s great classics. The couple also has an eye for spotting rising star producers, making it a destination for curious collectors and many of the city’s wine-loving sommeliers.
More Miami wine shops worth visiting:
Vinya Table (Coral Gables)
Azul Spirits & Wine (South Beach)
Sobremesa (Little River)
Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe (Coral Gables)
Happy Wine in the Grove (Coconut Grove)
Sunset Corners (South Miami)
El Carajo (Coral Way)
Graziano’s (Multiple locations)
