Wine Vault

Was a big fan of this place a few years ago, and frankly, most of my wine purchases came from them ( yes, corporate credit card helps)..well, this is not the case ( unfortunately). The close description 12 bottles that I've ordered is " prison or toilet wine" despite a very respectful price tag. Well, the owner can choke on my money

Arranged for an afternoon wine tasting with friends recently and had a wonderful experience. From the start when I called to make the arrangements, Ken was accommodating and asked key questions to ensure I received my desired experience. After some discussion, I explained I wanted to take a "tour of France." No further questions were required, as Ken knew exactly what to do. He even recommended a nice charcuterie pairing with these wines as well. On the day of the event, one of my friends arrived before me and Ken made her feel welcome as she waited. Upon my arrival, Ken recalled the details of our earlier phone conversation and confirmed everything I had arranged. While we waited for the rest of the group to arrive, Ken treated us to a bonus tasting of a wine that went well at the front of our tasting list. Our tasting started on time and the good service continued. Not only did we have a great selection of wines from the best known regions, we were served wines from some lesser known French regions. It was great to have Ken explain the characteristics of the wines and how slight differences in location even within these regions can yield variations in the wines. Ken's knowledge was a great addition that helped me to enjoy the tasting experience that much more. Ken was attentive throughout our event and around just enough to contribute pleasant conversation, information about the wines, and to see if we needed anything. I felt at home throughout the entire event. I highly recommend the Wine Vault for a quality wine tasting experience in South San Francisco.

I'm all for supporting local businesses. In fact, I walked close to 1.5 miles to pay this place a visit. But now I feel like I got burned. Definitely seems an event space more than a shop, which is fine. Good wine is good wine and that's what I was there for. My beef is this...I asked for a recommendation and was provided with a few options. Out of curiosity, given I'd seen a bottle before at a much less expensive place, I looked up standard pricing post-purchase. One bottle was marked up about 30%, but the other that I recognized was over twice the price it was listed anywhere else. If I am not in a restaurant, that's just plain unacceptable. Disappointing experience overall.

If I could give a 0 review, I would, based ONLY on the call my school had with Ken Taylor. We were trying to book a holiday party and spoke with him when he had the audacity to say:"well what are you looking at price wise, teachers are poor" He automatically assumed that we could not afford his wine and asked if we even wanted to continue this conversation. How can he assume that we make less than he does? We as a team feel degraded and are now searching elsewhere for our party. If you are looking to book a party here, do not speak with Ken Taylor or the Wine Vault.

So, here's why I'm giving it two stars: 1 - We had a mid-sized party there. We picked out wines and food to be catered. So that's great, the wine was great, but we realized after the party that food that we HAD NOT ORDERED (Strike 1) and were subsequently charged for - was on the table. I wondered why there was so much food.....That food was packed up (yes, the food we paid for) before our party was ready to leave. 2 - We were told that The Wine Vault doesn't cater to "residents of SSF", they cater to the people that "commute in". Um, OK. Ick. I'm so sick of snotty wine people. It's cliche at this point. Get over yourselves. (Strike 2)3 - When we got the inflated bill we realized that they had already added a very generous tip. OK, understandable for a party larger than say 8 people....but when you sit behind a counter, pour some wine (for the party people and for yourself - you're welcome - Strike 3) and you're eating the food we paid for (suppose they figured it was OK since, well, you know, there was stuff that we didn't order....so, lots of extra).I'd rather "commute" over to Burlingame and hit up Nectar - where the sommelier is AMAZING.

Nice selection of wines; they have great deals during the "Genentech Goes to Town" weeks too. Cute little bar for tasting. If you work at GNE and join one of their wine clubs, they'll even deliver right to your desk at work. Rad!! But their hours are kinda dumb....they rarely seem to be open when my husband and I want to go in for some tasting and shopping. There have been a couple occasions when we've walked in well during their posted hours and the guys behind the bar were like "we're closed" and copped some 'tude like we were bothering them; not to mention there were other customers drinking at the bar too. Closed huh? WTF?

Came here a few weeks ago on a Friday right after work. Had two glasses of malbec. The malbec wasn't very good... I should have ordered a Napa red =( The service is great, but the place is tiny so not much room for seating. I here its great if you work for Genentech and join one of their wine clubs =)

What a find this place is! I was recently introduced to their vast selection of US and international red and white wines through a work function where I bought a lovely Argentinian Malbec and a Chilean cab for very reasonable prices. I am seriously thinking of joining their wineclub in which they state that they will deliver right to my desk - who could ask for more?

Big selection and fair pricing across from Trader Joe's, so conveniently located too!

Ken has helped me find some of the best wines! And he hand-delivered it during the pandemic. Wine Vault was a great location for our office events pre-pandemic. Overall, two thumbs up!