Yes, Whole Foods Really Has Certified Wine Experts To Help You Shop

A glass of wine, whether red or white, is a great way to wind down after a long day. Wine loosens us up, rounds out a well-balanced meal, and comes with exciting, complex flavors. Only sometimes, these complex flavors can be intimidating. Unless you're a trained sommelier, it's difficult to get familiar with all of the details that go into crafting a bottle of wine. And when there are so many options to choose from, selecting a bottle of wine for movie night becomes stressful instead of adventurous and fun.

However, buying your wine from Whole Foods might be a hack to a stress-free wine shopping experience. The health-conscious grocery not only has an abundant selection of wines but also has a team of experts dedicated to helping everyday people select the wine that works for them.

Whole Foods says its wine experts "know their stuff," and they've even implemented a team of cheese experts to help shoppers select the perfect pairing for their wine.

Whole Foods' wine selection starts with Katherine Wallace — head of domestic wine, sake, and specialty wine. As a Senior Category Merchant, Wallace says that her focus relies on "how wines are made, winemakers' stories, and bringing the best value and assortment to the customer."

For Whole Foods, it's more than just the brand names. But it doesn't stop there. Some locations even offer in-store sommeliers to help guide customers to their dream wine for a more customized shopping experience. One happy customer on Twitter posted a photo of their expert helper with the caption "LaVonda was very helpful today. Having an in-person expert made the difference." Even if your Whole Foods doesn't have an in-store sommelier, all Whole Foods employees are trained to know the ins and out of all of their products.

When they're not carefully curating their wine selection and helping customers find their new favorite pinot noir, Whole Foods wine experts often compile lists of the best wines for specific occasions, like the perfect vino for summertime entertainment.

From the spirit of the wine itself to its compatibility with the shopper, Whole Foods wine experts are dedicated to making wine shopping less intimidating and more accessible.