Verve Wine
Verve Wine is a Master Sommelier-led, multi-location specialty wine retailer operating three storefronts in NYC, San Francisco, and Chicago, complemented by a Shopify e-commerce platform, a $95/month wine subscription, private events, cellar consultations, and corporate gifting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Verve Wine does
Verve Wine is a privately held, multi-location specialty wine retailer founded in 2016 by Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson and operated by Verve Holdings LLC. The company sells a curated selection of wines and sakes at multiple price points — from sub-$20 everyday bottles to high-end offerings such as a $4,499 Salon Gift Set — through three physical storefronts in New York City (Tribeca, 24 Hubert Street), San Francisco (Pacific Heights, 2358 Fillmore Street), and Chicago (Lincoln Park, 2349 N. Lincoln Avenue), with the Chicago location incorporating the company's first wine bar format.
The core technology stack is a Shopify-hosted e-commerce platform segmented by market into location-specific subdomains (ny.vervewine.com, sf.vervewine.com, chi.vervewine.com) to manage regional inventory, local pickup, same-day delivery, and flat-rate shipping. The product surface extends beyond bottles to include The Grand Tour monthly curated wine subscription at $95/month, digital gift cards in $50–$500 denominations, curated bundles (Go-To Gift Pack, Syrah Bundle, YPO/Harvard Tasting Bundle), private event hosting at NYC and SF locations, paid cellar consultations, and a corporate gifting service. A referral partnership with Mana Wine extends into off-site storage.
The business model combines transactional retail (one-time bottle and bundle sales), a modest recurring-revenue layer (subscription and stored-value gift cards), and higher-margin service revenue (private events, cellar consultations, corporate gifting). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via owned retail, owned e-commerce, content marketing through The Verve Mag blog and a thrice-weekly newsletter, organic social, and earned media coverage in outlets such as Forbes, WSJ, and Food & Wine. The headcount is reported in the 11–50 range and no external funding rounds have been disclosed.
Verve Wine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Verve Wine
- Legal name
- Verve Holdings LLC
- Website
- https://vervewine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Verve Wine is a Master Sommelier-led, multi-location specialty wine retailer operating three storefronts in NYC, San Francisco, and Chicago, complemented by a Shopify e-commerce platform, a $95/month wine subscription, private events, cellar consultations, and corporate gifting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Verve Wine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Wine Retail
- NAICS
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)
Keywords
Where Verve Wine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Verve Wine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Wine and Sake Retail: Direct sales of wine and sake bottles to consumers through physical retail locations and e-commerce platform. Offers a curated selection across price points, including rare and premium bottles.
- Subscription Services: Monthly subscription service (The Grand Tour) offering curated wine selections delivered on a recurring basis, with location-specific variants.
- Private Events: Hosting wine-focused private events at retail locations in NYC and San Francisco, including bottle selections and sommelier services.
- Corporate Gifting: Bulk corporate gift orders for business clients.
- Cellar Consultations: Paid consultation services to help customers build and curate wine cellars, offered as a value-added service.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold at various price points ($50-$500) that recipients can redeem for wine and accessories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Digital Gift Cards |
| Subscription | Monthly | The Grand Tour Monthly Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Custom Wine Bundles |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Verve Wine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Verve Wine operates a multi-location specialty wine retail business selling a sommelier-curated selection of wines through three physical store locations (NYC, San Francisco, Chicago) and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The core offering is wine bottle sales, supplemented by a monthly wine subscription (The Grand Tour), digital gift cards, curated wine bundles, cellar consultation services, private event hosting, and corporate gifting.
Product overview
Verve Wine is a multi-location wine retail operation offering a curated selection of wines complemented by services including wine subscriptions, cellar consultations, private events, and corporate gifting. The core offering is the wine retail platform (available via three physical locations in New York City/TriBeCa, San Francisco/Pacific Heights, and Chicago/Lincoln Park, plus e-commerce with same-day delivery and flat rate shipping), supported by subscription services (The Grand Tour Monthly Subscription), wine bundles (Go-To Gift Packs, Syrah Bundle, YPO/Harvard Tasting Bundle), digital gift cards, storage partner services through Mana Wine, and private event hosting. The sommelier-led team curates wines from producers worldwide at various price points, supported by educational blog content covering regions, pairings, and expert advice.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wine Retail (Curated Wine Selection) Curated retail wine selection across all price points, sold through three physical stores and e-commerce, featuring wines from producers who farm with meticulous craft. Available to individual consumers for personal consumption and gifting.
- The Grand Tour Monthly Subscription
- Digital Gift Card Pre-loaded digital gift cards available at denominations of $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250, and $500, redeemable online for wine bottles and accessories. For individual gift-givers and corporate clients.
- Cellar Consultations Paid one-on-one personalized wine cellar building service with curated recommendations for any cellar size or budget. For individual collectors and enthusiasts building wine cellars.
- Private Events & Tastings Wine-focused private event hosting and tasting experiences at Verve Wine retail spaces in NYC (TriBeCa) and San Francisco (Pacific Heights), including bottle selection assistance and sommelier services. For individuals, groups, and organizations hosting wine-themed events.
- Corporate Gifts Bulk and corporate wine gifting service for businesses seeking premium wine gifts for clients, employees, and business partners. Supports bulk ordering and professional presentation.
- The Go-To Gift Pack Pre-curated wine gift pack available in red or white options containing 2 or 4 bottles (750ml each). For individual gifting occasions.
- YPO/Harvard Tasting Bundle Curated three-bottle tasting bundle featuring Gevrey-Chambertin, Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, and Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne. Priced at $156. For individual enthusiasts and tasting events.
- Syrah Bundle Two-bottle Syrah bundle featuring Faury IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2019 and Sous-Marine Syrah 'La Lotte de Mer' Santa Barbara County 2018. For individual Syrah enthusiasts.
- Wine Empowered Tote Bag Collaborative branded tote bag with Wine Empowered non-profit, priced at $30, with 100% of purchase donated to provide tuition-free wine classes to women and minorities in hospitality.
Companies that use Verve Wine
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Verve Wine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Verve Wine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mana WineminorMana Wine serves as Verve Wine's storage partner for off-site wine storage solutions in New York. Verve Wine offers complimentary first month storage for customers referred to Mana Wine.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Verve Wine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Flatiron Wine & Spirits: Independent Manhattan wine shop emphasizing expert curation and producer relationships. Comparable to Verve in positioning, sommelier credibility and curated philosophy.
- K&L Wine Merchants: Multi-location independent wine retailer with curated selection and strong online presence. Closest direct competitor to Verve Wine's premium-curated bottle shop model.
- Sherry-Lehmann: Iconic NYC wine retailer with curated portfolio, sommelier staff and event programming. Overlaps with Verve on premium curation, private events and cellar services in Manhattan.
- Morrell & Company: Manhattan-based curated wine retailer with sommelier-led selection and on-premise wine bar. Directly overlaps with Verve on premium curation, NYC location and hospitality-forward model.
- Astor Wines & Spirits: Long-standing New York City wine and spirits retailer with deep inventory across price points. Directly comparable as a curated, sommelier-aware New York bottle shop competing with Verve's Tribeca location.
Emerging players
- Bright Cellars: Wine subscription club using a quiz-based matching algorithm. Comparable to Verve's Grand Tour on the recurring-subscription, curated consumer angle, though with a digital-only model.
- Winc: Direct-to-consumer wine subscription and label house offering personalized monthly bottles. Overlaps with Verve's Grand Tour on subscription curation and on shaping consumer palate over time.
Broad incumbents
- Wine.com: Largest U.S. online wine retailer, carrying broad assortment across price points. The dominant incumbent in Verve's online/direct-to-consumer channel and a benchmark for category scale.
- BevMo!: Multi-state wine, beer and spirits big-box retailer. Comparable as a brick-and-mortar alcohol specialty chain whose footprint and breadth contrast with Verve's small-footprint, curation-led model.
- Total Wine & More: Largest U.S. specialty retailer of wine, beer and spirits with broad assortment and discount pricing. Represents the mass-market, scale-driven end of the category against which Verve competes on curation rather than breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Verve Wine social profiles
Digital presenceVerve Wine compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Verve Wine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Verve Wine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Verve Wine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Verve Wine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Verve Wine
What does Verve Wine do?
Verve Wine operates a multi-location specialty wine retail business selling a sommelier-curated selection of wines through three physical store locations (NYC, San Francisco, Chicago) and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The core offering is wine bottle sales, supplemented by a monthly wine subscription (The Grand Tour), digital gift cards, curated wine bundles, cellar consultation services, private event hosting, and corporate gifting.
Is Verve Wine a public or private company?
Verve Wine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Verve Wine founded?
Verve Wine was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Verve Wine based?
Verve Wine is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Verve Wine make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Wine and Sake Retail is the primary driver. The others are subscription Services, private Events, corporate Gifting, cellar Consultations and gift Cards.
Who are Verve Wine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Flatiron Wine & Spirits, K&L Wine Merchants, Sherry-Lehmann, Morrell & Company and Astor Wines & Spirits. Emerging players are Bright Cellars and Winc. Broad incumbents are Wine.com, BevMo! and Total Wine & More.
Does Verve Wine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Verve Wine.
What industry is Verve Wine in?
Verve Wine's product category is Specialty Wine Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANABAB, Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants), with a secondary code of CRANABAF, Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail). Its NAICS code is 445320.