My first experience with Pennsylvania’s curious liquor laws dates to August 2005. While driving through the state en route to college, my father and I decided to spend the night. We dipped into the nearest gas station in search of beer only to be laughed out of the store after asking the cashier where it was hiding. 

At the time, I had no idea that we’d have to go to a bar to purchase a 6-pack to go, nor that beer was sold only in larger quantities at licensed distributors. What if we’d wanted a bottle of wine or some spirits to make a cocktail? Oh, then we’d have to visit a state-run Fine Wine & Good Spirits store. Who knew? 

Finding the Right Wine for You at Fine Wine & Good Spirits

As a wine professional in PA, it dawned on me that newcomers and locals alike could use a comprehensive guide to explain the keys to finding fermented grape juice around town, allowing consumers to shop with confidence and avoid confusion and disappointment. 

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Explained 

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PCLB) regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol by operating over 570 Fine Wine & Good Spirits (FWGS) stores throughout the state, each of which gets a specific store number. The PLCB is also responsible for issuing bar and restaurant liquor licenses, as well as other licenses to serve alcoholic beverages. A look at their FAQs gives you an idea of the many nuances at play. As you’ve already seen above, beer is handled separately through licensed distributors. 

As a result of this system, private retail is extraordinarily limited. Many local consumers lament the lack of specialty shops, as well as the fact that the state may not consistently purchase the same wines: when a wine you like is gone, it might be gone for good. 

Conversely, an advantage of this system is that there’s a minimum selection available throughout the state. While the PLCB and FWGS stores often receive a lot of understandable flak, this is an often-overlooked aspect of the system that is quite positive. The base inventory from store to store allows access to certain wines statewide, making it easy for consumers to expect at least some level of consistency, especially in more rural areas.  

A Cut Above: Premium Collection Stores 

Not all FWGS stores are created equal! Just because the state purchases a wine does not mean it will be available on the shelves of your local FWGS outlet. For wine lovers, this can be especially frustrating. To give yourself the best chance of success at finding the best bottles, ensure you are visiting a Premium Collection store. These designated retail outlets offer more high-end and specialty items than your run-of-the-mill FWGS store. However, the availability of the best selections may vary even between Premium Collection stores. 

Store Organization: Navigating the Aisles 

Once you arrive at the store of your choosing, it’s time to make sense of how the wines’ organization. Alas, we find ourselves in another potentially confusing situation: the stores organize some sections by country and others by grape variety. 

The first thing to note: only international wines are organized by country (e.g. Spain, South Africa, Italy, etc.), and domestic wines are organized by grape variety. This has to do with the fact that here in the United States, we tend to look for wines by grape variety – when you’re at a bar or restaurant, you’re likely to ask for a glass of Pinot Grigio or a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the other hand, internationally wines, particularly in Europe, order by region and not the grape variety or varieties (e.g. Barolo, Champagne, Rioja, and so on). To be sure, there are exceptions to those rules – Germany and Austria use grape varieties on their labels, for example, and so do countries outside of Europe like Chile or New Zealand.  

This explains why it can be so hard to find that amazing Pinot noir from France that your friend brought over for dinner. If you went to the shelf labeled “Pinot noir,” you’d go mad combing through bottles from places like California and Oregon, but not a single example from France would be in sight. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you can’t seem to find what you need. 

Chairman’s Selection: Juice Worth the Squeeze? 

One of the most frequent questions I get is surrounding Chairman’s Selection wines. Are they good? Are they special? The answer is, unfortunately, a little complicated. It’s true that you can often find some outstanding deals, but whether the wine is noteworthy is often up to the palate of the buyer.  

Bear in mind that the seemingly amazing deal might simply be the result of a producer trying to clear out inventory. Maybe it’s an older vintage that isn’t quite at its peak; maybe it was an off-year, and they figure you’ll never know the difference. On the other hand, there are regularly some good finds if you know some producers and regions. The Argentinian producer Zuccardi often figures in the mix, and everything from them is worth a shot, whether it’s Malbec, Cabernet franc, or their excellent Tempranillo. Similarly, Corsican white wines from the Vermentino grape frequently appear here, and those are always a good value. 

Special Liquor Orders: Your Secret Weapon 

One of the idiosyncrasies of the Pennsylvania system is that restaurants and bars don’t get any discounts on wines. As a result, they often will only put wines on their lists that you won’t see on the store shelves – they know you won’t pay 2 or 3 times the price at the restaurant for the same bottle you enjoy at home. So where are they finding these wines? 

Enter the Special Liquor Order, or SLO. You see, there are more wines available for distribution within Pennsylvania than those you see in-store. Most consumers have no idea that you have the same access to these wines as the restaurants around town. If there’s a wine you like but you don’t see it on the shelf, it’s worth going to finewineandgoodspirits.com and searching for it using the field at the top of the page. Wines available for SLO will appear in your search results, and you can place an order through the website, as well as at the store at which you’d like to pick them up. The search tool is also useful for in-store wines, notably to see how much is in stock and in which stores they’re available (and you can even order some online there, too). 

If you place a special order, the PLCB will ensure there’s actual inventory with the distributor. If so, they will confirm the order and update you on delivery status to the store of your choice. Even better? There is no minimum purchase requirement, so you can get anything from a single bottle to many, stock permitting. 

Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collections in Pittsburgh 

• Shadyside/East Liberty, Store #247, 5956 Centre Avenue 
• Downtown, Store #237, 339 Fifth Ave
• The Waterworks (Aspinwall/Fox Chapel), Store #214, 991 Freeport Road 
• McKnight (McIntyre Square), Store #232, 3080 McIntyre Square Drive 
• South Hills Village (Village Square), Store #9211, 5000 Oxford Drive 
• Sewickley, Store #266, 521 Beaver Street 

Story by Adam Knoerzer
Photo by Floris Christiaans

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