Best Wine Selection, Reader's Choice: Cellar Rat Wine Shop (owner Dean Schlabowske)

Reader’s Choice

Cellar Rat Wine Shop

In business just this side of a year, Cellar Rat’s pinned its identity on quality, not quantity, stocking a small but meticulously curated selection of distinctive bottles from small producers, including many committed to organic and sustainable viticulture. It’s also the only shop in town that’ll hand over your purchase slipped into a jaunty submarine sandwich sleeve. Owner Dean Schlabowske—guitarist for the Waco Brothers and Dollar Store—has years in the wine industry under his belt, most recently as the French wine buyer at Sam’s. His cri de coeur: “Corporate wine still sucks!”  1811 W. North, 773-489-2728, cellarratchicago.com. —Martha Bayne

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