Kroger is turning a routine grocery run into something closer to a wine outing, rolling out a new in-store wine-shop concept with tasting bars in 147 locations across the country. Instead of just grabbing a bottle from a shelf, shoppers will find curated wine assortments and guided tastings inside their neighborhood stores. The Cincinnati-based grocer announced the expansion on July 8, 2026.
As reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, Kroger pinpointed nearly 150 stores where customers specifically asked for a stronger wine selection and is rolling out dedicated wine shops with tasting bars in 147 of those locations. According to the Courier, each counter will be staffed with trained wine stewards who can pour samples, walk customers through tastings and help match bottles to dinner plans.
What the Shops Will Look Like
The setups pair expanded, curated wine displays with compact tasting bars where beverage stewards host samplings and field pairing questions. Kroger has experimented with tastings and on-premise programs before and puts many of its stewards through recognized industry coursework, according to Market Watch, which notes the company’s beverage-steward program and certification efforts.
A Bigger Play for Store Experience
The new wine counters are part of a broader push to upgrade Kroger stores and expand its large-format Marketplace locations in a bid to lift both sales and margins. Industry coverage and company filings indicate that Kroger is prioritizing store investment and has signaled multibillion-dollar capital plans for this year, according to Grocery Dive and Kroger’s own investor materials.
Why Brands Are Paying Attention
For premium and indie wine labels, where a bottle lands on a shelf can make or break sales, and more suppliers are pushing deeper into grocery. Recent moves, such as organic wine maker Avaline expanding nationally into Kroger divisions, show why producers are chasing Kroger placements and in-store discovery moments, according to BevNET.
Rules, Formats and What Shoppers Should Know
Not every Kroger location will be pouring wine by the glass. On-premise tastings and in-store drinking are tightly governed by state and local rules, so what customers see will vary by market. In many states, Kroger also runs standalone liquor locations and lists nearly 400 liquor-store sites on its store pages, which is where the deeper spirits assortment lives in markets that require separate outlets. Shoppers can check Kroger’s store listings for specifics.
The chain’s tasting strategy blends that patchwork of liquor laws with more experience-focused wine shelving and trained staff meant to make choosing a bottle less intimidating. Kroger told the Cincinnati Business Courier it picked locations based on customer feedback and demand, and that the rollout is meant to deliver a more curated wine experience where shoppers were asking for it.
