This past Thursday (July 28th) BevMo! held the grand opening of its 160th store in Lafayette, California. The shop is located on the northeast corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Lafayette Circle in the west Mt. Diablo shopping district (see map below). Thank you, BevMo!, for my special invitation to the opening.* If you’ve shopped the other BevMo! stores nearby – Orinda or Walnut Creek – you’ll find the Lafayette location unique. The first difference is no parking lot. Public parking is available behind the building (west), on the street and in the public parking structure across Mt. Diablo Boulevard on Lafayette Circle. The second difference is the size. The Walnut Creek location is one of the larger BevMo! stores and includes a very nice wine bar and tasting area (see my article tasting with Joseph Perrier Champagne). Orinda is a step down from Walnut Creek, but the new Lafayette store is yet another size smaller. Despite the reduced floor space, the layout is very efficient and it seems that most of what you would find in other locations is on the shelf in Lafayette. The third difference I noticed was a broader selection of higher end beverages, especially wine. There may be some tailoring of inventory to match Lafayette demographics – a good idea. Lots of very good domestic and international selections. I bought a few bottles of the 2015 By.Ott Cote de Provence Rosé, a great summer wine (click link to read my review). Another feature I liked about this store is ample use of very helpful signage (photo below). Whether you are a beginner in the big game of wine/food/cheese pairing or a subject area expert, the signs below are found throughout the store and can help you get to the register faster. For more about pairing as you shop, see my review of the Hello Vino wine pairing app.

BevMo!  3590 Mt. Diablo Avenue, Lafayette, CA 94549

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