Village Wines

I moved to Nashville 13 months ago and was really disappointed in both the high pricing of better known fines wines and the general lack of availability of boutique wines around town. That is until I found Village Wines. Hoyt (owner of Village Wines) is an true wine expert and his recommendations have yet to let me down. He gets really incredible wines from all regions of the world that you cannot find anywhere in town. Get on their email list and get ready to enjoy great wines at the best prices you will find in Tennessee. Pros: low prices and great expertise of wine Cons: none except traffic can get congested near store more

Hoyt Hill is arguably the most knowledgeable individual in the area about wine. His recommendations reflect this expertise. Village Wines sells primarily through e-mail with a continuous flow of offerings from very high to very reasonably priced wines. There are reviews and comments on each. For those of us who do not want to spend a huge amount of our time reading the wine literature then going out in Nashville and searching in vain for what sounds like the perfect wine for an occasion this is the answer. The eclectic offerings from as varied sources as the restrictive Tennessee laws allow should have every taste and occasion covered over a relatively short periond of time. The trick here is to esablish a relationship. The store has a variety of wine but the inventory is not the focus of this store which is a treasured resource in our community. Pros: Greatest place for e-mail wine purchasing Cons: Not a large in house inventory more

Hoyt Hill provides an excellent information service with regard to wines that are available. Searching for a particular wine is interesting, but having available choices laid out to you eases the task of building a wine cellar. Hoyt's information is concise and accurate. My wine cellar has blossomed as a result of this connection to Hoyt Hill and his Village Wines enterprise. Friendly. knowledgeable and straightforward to deal with - what more could one ask for in a wine dealer. Pros: Excellent and varied choice at competitive pricing more

This is my favorite wine retailer in Nashville because of the unbelieveable wine knowledge of Hoyt Hill the owner and the wide selection of wines from around the world. if they don't have what you want in stock Hoyt will work his magic and get it for you. His email updates are by far my favorite way to shop for wine. He includes tasting notes and ratings on the wines and offers volume discounts. Villlage Wines has great wine at great prices with excellent service. Pros: Hoyt Hill's knowledge of wine more

Hoyt Hill owner of Village Wines knows more about wine than anyone I have every met. I have known him for at least 15 ys.,since his days as one of the owners of the Wild Boar. I buy 95% of my wine from him and he has put me on great Spanish, Italian, French, etc, vinos that otherwise I would only have read about in places like WS. Due to his expertise in wines, I asked his group to build my wine cellar(great job Hoyt). His emails are a great service to find nice wines, in various price ranges, with tasting notes from Robt Parker, various WS guys, etc. If one wants good wine at good prices from all over the world, go to see Hoyt and Raymond. If not, there are other places. Pros: Email service is fantastic... Cons: Not sure. more

Wine Spectator suggested last year that Village Wines and Hoyt Hill were perhaps the best wine retailer in the nation! Get on his email lists to keep apprised of his continuous great bargains! Pros: Best value in the widest selection of wines; more

Hoyt and the good folks down at Village are always so helpful if you just ask. That's how I discovered the place. It is across the street from my management office. Whether you have 8 bucks or 80 tell them what your eating or how you are entertaining and they have fantastic answers at a good price. I got on their email list and get tons of discounts. I've even given them a price range and menu for a party and they have come through with flying colors. Plus, Hoyt has a way of moving me towards better wines at a lower price than the ""trophy"" labels. Perfect, Radney Pros: Great suggestions in every price range more

Hoyt Hill, who owns and runs Village Wines, if not the most knowledgeable person about wine in Tennessee, is one of the top 5. He has a great selection of wines from all over the world, many of which never hit the floor of his shop due to pre-orders from regular customers. Get on his email list for these wines and for deals that you will want to know about. Hoyt will help you find the wines that fit your palate and budget. Pros: Service, Selection and Knowledge more

All the wine that comes into our home comes from Village. I love the emails that Hoyt Hill sends out and that is how I shop. As a result of this helpful relationship I have put together a nice little collection of wines that I enjoy without having to wonder what I'm getting. If easy appeals to you, then get on Hoyt's email list. Most of my friends say they love to drink wine at my house, because it is always good. Hoyt helps me put together something special, or something when I'm serving a crowd and have a limited budget. I always trust his advise and he's never steered me wrong. He is one of Nashville's treasures. more

Don't let the storefront fool you, for what awaits the customer inside the doors is an incredible selection of wines, and knowledgable staff. Village specializes in stocking allocations of hard to get wines, along with unique value wines. With a clientele ranging from Country Music personalities to (21 and over) college students, the shop offers something for everyone. Inside you can find rare First Growths, superb Burgundies, or $8 values like Redtree Pinot Noir. Subscribe to the email lists, and you will receive info about the current offerings along with Food pairing suggestions that help you know how to serve the great wine you're purchasing. Don't see what you want in the store? Ask the staff; most times it can be ordered for you. Village wines does not typically offer the current ""hot selection"" being pushed by distributors. It does, however, offer exciting wines at every price point to suit all levels of wine lovers. And, the staff know how to help with special requests for parties, wedding, etc. How can you afford NOT to be a customer? Pros: Incredible Selection of Wines Cons: Somewhat off the beaten path more

Although Hoyt has an outstanding selection of great wines, he is very helpful in picking out wines in any price range. He generally carries wines that are hard to find and interesting to drink.\r \r I really like the fact that I can give him an amount that I want to spend for a mixed case and he will pick out wonderful wines. I follow his recommendations and am never disappointed. I have also learned a lot about wines from him over the years. I wouldn't shop anywhere else.\r \r Pros: Hoyt Hill is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. Cons: None. more

There is no other retailer in the middle Tennessee area who has the passion and knowledge as Hoyt. His history in the fine dining world is so helpful...tell him what you are having for dinner he pairs it like no other. Some say his store is not a stroll around shop...what it lacks in size... doesn't matter. You should read an article on Hoyt Hill from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate. Its pretty cool to have this kind of store in our town! Pros: you want it he can get it! more

I've always found Hoyt and Raymond to be very helpful. They have connected me with some fabulous wines over the years. He is esp good finding just the right wine for any occasion--his Thanksgiving suggestions were spot on! Pros: very knowledgeable more

The owner Hoyt, is one of the most knowledgeable in town. The store might not be a big and shiny as some of the other wine stores in Nashville, but Hoyt has the access that some stores don't have and has a large selection despite the small store footprint. This is especially true if you are on his mailing lists. If you are looking for something new; I have never bought a wine recommend by Hoyt or his staff and not been 100% satisfied. Some might be disappointed by not seeing large displays of oversold, underwhelming in taste, big name wines in the front of the store. If you are looking for these wines you might be better off going some where else. If you are looking for something 10 times better at the same price point go to Village Wine. Pros: Location, knowledge and access to wines more

I have shopped at many wine shops over the years and Hoyt's place remains at the top of my list. He has the knowledge and experience to help me find wonderful wines that taste like they cost a lot (but are under 20$) or special wines to cellar for special occasions. I have never been disappointed in his selections. Pros: excellent selection and prices across the board more

New to town and checking out the wine shops local to Vanderbilt. I walked in, no hello, no one asked if I needed help, just blank stares by the two guys behind the counter. I made eye contact with them several times and they were just staring at me. Pretty strange. So the service stunk because it was non-existent. Most bottles I came across were $50+ and I thought I was in a high end place, until I came across some standard, entry level, Australian white wine that I've seen many times before...for $20...about $8 more expensive that I've seen elsewhere. So the place is overpriced and therefore not a good value for the consumer. Although Village Wines is limited in space there seems to be a good number of options but the selection is limited by price range, mostly $50+ bottles, I'd like to see a wider price range represented in the store. I did laugh to myself as I was looking around because almost all the wine bottles seemed to have a layer of dust on them. I was trying to figure out if these guys were attempting to make the store ""seem"" like an old wine cellar (if so that is HILARIOUS) or if their turnover on bottles is so low the dust has accumulated over the months/years. Anyway, check it out and form your own opinion, if you value these reviews on CitySearch, I say go elsewhere. I won't be heading back anytime soon. Pros: Location Cons: Price, selection, service more

Hoyt and his staff are very helpful with picking the right wine for any occasion. He has a vast knowledge of wine and enjoys sharing it. All of the people I know who really know wine trust Hoyt. more

This isn't my first time in a wine shop. I read extensively about wine and travel every chance I get to visit wineries, and almost without exception, vintners and sommeliers have been proud of their creations and eager to share their passion. However, because I am a graduate student on a tight budget, I choose very carefully before I buy, knowing that I only have a chance to buy a very special bottle of wine once or twice a year.\r \r I recently visited Village Wines and after looking around the shop for a few minutes I asked the proprietor (who had been staring at me since I walked in but didn't offer to help me) if he had any bottles of Chateau Leoville Barton. He told me that he was sold out, so I asked if he was going to have any more coming in. He responded by telling me that the cost of this bottle has nearly doubled since its release. I told him that I was aware of this and asked again if he would be getting any more. He responded by telling me that I couldn't ""cherry pick"" wines like that and that I had to ""establish a presence in the wine shop to be offered a wine like that."" \r \r This type of self-consumed elitism represents the worst of the wine world and gives a bad name to those of us who love wine. If you're looking for a good selection of American wines at inexpensive prices go to Midtown Wine ... It may seem large but the staff is surprisingly knowledgeable and friendly. If you?re looking for premium wines from France and around the world go to the Wine Shoppe at Green Hills. The staff is great, and they have an exceptionally consistent selection of wines at all prices.\r \r I know other reviewers of Village Wines have said that it isn?t Hoyt?s job to be nice. I beg to differ. He does a disservice to the wines he sells and makes what should be a wonderful experience of wine selection into one of enduring someone making sure that you know that he is better than you. I will never enter his shop again.\r Pros: Decent selection at above average cost. Cons: High cost with terrible service. more

A friend and I were cooking something that needed Irish Cream so we stopped by this store to pick some up. Because my friend's passport was from a South Asian country, there was some confusion about it's expiration. Before we could get a few sentences into figuring it out with one staff member, another employee barged into the conversation, angrily yelling at us that we had made a mistake and to stop arguing. We were both incredibly offended and have since told all our friends to try a store with less hostile staff. Also, with such a small amount of shelf space, there is not be much selection compared to the other liquor and wine stores in the area. Pros: Location Cons: Staff, Selection more

The wine selection was small, but by no means is that a bad thing. However, it was difficult finding a selection of wines that were affordable and what I was looking for. The store seemed real unorganized and the employees were not interested in you until you sought them out for help. When I did ask about some wines, I did not get a response that made me feel I knew what the wine would taste like. They do have the liquor need met :) more