The Wine Outlet Offers Great Selections At Shockingly Good Prices

This Patch article is sponsored by The Wine Outlet.

The Wine Outlet located in Vienna, Virginia, was launched in 2013 with the hope of making wine culture more accessible through excellent selections at affordable pricing. Each day, its knowledgeable staff focuses on creating a destination where customers can buy the highest-quality wine and beer without the burden of high pricing or overwhelming options.

Patch caught up with the team at The Wine Outlet, including store manager and wine expert Lisa Ames, communication and content manager Jamie Beddow, and several other team members to learn more about the unique neighborhood wine outlet.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town?

The Wine Outlet Team: Our original Vienna shop opened in late 2013. In 2017, we needed to expand, so we moved to Church Street for a larger space and to be in a more walkable part of Vienna. We love the historical parts of Vienna, and being so close to Viva Vienna’s locale allows us to participate even more in the Vienna community.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?

The Wine Outlet Team: We all have a passion for wine and beer. But more so, we love making people happy through expanding their wine experiences, finding them the perfect bottle and making sure they walk away confident knowing we are giving them the best deal on the market. Our customers are our priority and our favorite part of doing business in Vienna.

Patch: If you had to sum up your business mission to a stranger, what would you say?

The Wine Outlet Team: We would describe it in two different ways. The first is to provide “Great selection at great prices.” But the second mission that perfectly describes what we do is to make wine buying as fun and carefree as beer buying. We love bringing in exciting new options in both categories at amazingly good prices. We even bring in a variety of incredible cheeses and specialty foods to complement our wines and beers.

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced in your job?

The Wine Outlet Team: Adjusting to the changes the COVID-19 pandemic brought. We are thankful we were designated an essential business and were allowed to remain open. However, the wine business relies heavily on tastings and being able to experience new options before purchasing. We had to suspend this aspect of our business due to health regulations and safety standards. We’ve asked our customers to put faith in our recommendations and are grateful each and every time they accept our recommendations without being able to sample! Also, we worked quickly to get our entire inventory online so that customers could shop our full collection from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

The Wine Outlet Team: It may sound simple, but making our customers happy. Anytime we can make wine buying fun and accessible for people, we know we’re doing our jobs well.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?

The Wine Outlet Team: We actively seek out smaller producers to provide unique wines at better values. We try to surprise and delight our customers with new wineries they’ve never tried and take pride in supporting other small businesses by doing so, while at the same time ensuring we have the tried-and-true favorites.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?

The Wine Outlet Team: The customer is always right! And also the fact that each community is different and unique, and should be treated as such. So we look to customize our stores to the community it’s a part of.

Patch: Are there any new projects or endeavors you’re working on that you’re extra excited about?

The Wine Outlet Team: We are continuing to improve our website and digital presence every day for our customers to bring them virtual wine tastings with winemakers around the world, frequent content and a way to experience new wines, beers and cheeses each week.

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community?

The Wine Outlet Team: Yes! We have two live virtual wine tastings this month with winemakers and plan to bring in at least two more for July (if not more!). We also offer private tastings for our customers and have been encouraging them to shift this to virtual with us as well.

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about your work and business?

The Wine Outlet Team: Check out our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.