In response to my earlier post about Sam's, a reader writes in with a dissenting view:

Hi -- I recently read your post on Crescat Sententia about Sam's Wine. I should say this is far from being an example of the idiocies of wine regulation. In fact, it's hardly surprising that they are being investigated by the Illinois liquor regulators. From what little I know of their business practices, they have no problems using their enormous clout with the city to flagrantly hinder competition. And that's apart from their disloyalty to employees responsible for the store's success. While such things may or may not be punishable by the state, I think it's representative of the ethics (or lack there of) which guide their business.

Moreover (and this is the part that forced me to write), you shouldn't really feel pity for Sam's for no other reason than because it's not that great a wine store. They're over priced. And the selection, considering how enormous it is, lacks a surprising amount of quality, to say nothing of value. And the staff is often of little help. Don't get me wrong, I'm a reasonably frequent customer of Sam's. They have a fantastic selection of beer, scotch, whiskey and cheese. And being across the street from Goose Island makes the store all the better. But for wine, there are better places in the city (there are also better places for beer and cheese, but I generally care less about them).

In my opinion, the best wine store in the city is a place called Howard's Wine Cellar. It's on Belmont, just west of Racine. Howard Silverman is the only person who works in the shop. He is also the former head wine buyer for Sam's.

In fact, he was with Sam from the beginning and built it up. Now, clearly he's where I've learned what little I know of Sam's business practices. But before I knew any of that, this was still where I bought all of my wine. Howard has to be one of the most knowledgeable wine persons in the city. And on some regions (like Burgundy), in the country. And he's there at your service every day. I've never come out of Howard's with a poor bottle of wine. Now, the store is not the sort to go browse around in till you find a bottle of wine that looks interesting. Nor is it necessarily the store to look for the hottest wine on the market. It's small and cramped. And one does very well to tell Howard what you're looking for (style, region, qualities, price) and what you like and don't like and have him pick out a bottle (or several). I honestly cannot sing his praises enough, and I suggest you give his store a try.