Established in Millbrae, California in 1976, K&L Wine Merchants runs retail stores in San Francisco, Redwood City and Hollywood. But it is the family-owned company’s online presence that is the cornerstone of the business today.
K&L Wines has an impressive selection of old and rare wines plus latest-vintage domestic and international wines. The company’s mission statement is to offer the world’s finest wines at competitive prices, priding itself on its customer service.
The ‘boots-on-the-ground’ search for wines is personal and professional: Bordeaux buyer Ralph Sands has visited the region 55 times.
Sands says K&L’s 12-strong buying team is committed to investing the time and effort to build relationships with producers and negociants to buy direct. They also cherry pick the best wines from other sources.
He says this investment sets K&L Wines apart as a business: ‘family-owned, with a trusted reputation for wine procurement and education, combined with a contagious passion for the 7,000 hand-picked wines available year-round’. This passion is evident on the website, where many K&L employees write reviews of their own favourite wines.
Members can also sign up to an Insider’s Advantage mailing list to get exclusive savings on inventory clearance wines.
Fun fact: K&L Wines takes its name from the initials of the founding partners’ wives: Clyde Beffa Jr’s wife is Kay and Todd Zucker’s wife is Linda.
The partners, who met as children in 1947 when they lived across the street from each other, produce a private label for K&L as well. Kalinda, also named in honour of their wives, includes a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Sourced from top producers at great-value prices, the wines are among some of K&L’s most popular.
Decanter’s selection of top K&L Wines to try
The wines below are a current selection from the K&L Wines portfolio. The most recently tasted are at the top of the list.
