Ultimate Shops for the World's Finest Wines & Spirits

Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a greenhorn just learning your way around grape varietals, you'll feel right at home at the Wine House. As sprawling as Los Angeles itself, it encompasses 18,000 square feet, within which you'll find 7,000 wines from around the world. If you're feeling overwhelmed, ask for help from the staff; every member seems as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as a sommelier in a Michelin-starred restaurant. There's a wide selection of premium spirits to choose from as well, but it isn't just a place to buy bottles: You can peruse the book aisle, shop for gourmet goodies and grab-and-go snacks in the food section, and pick up wine cellar gadgets and storage units. The shop also hosts classes where you can hone your nose and palate—it's a wine wonderland.

Bottles range from $3 - $2,959

Pick a country, any country. If whisky is made there, you'll find a section devoted to it at this malt mecca in Paris. There are about 800 selections from which to choose, including various wood finishes and hard-to-find single malts. You can also browse their collection of magazines, books and teas and glassware—including nosing glasses made exclusively for the shop.

Bottles range from €5 - €2990.

This independently owned shop sits on a quiet road in Scotland's West Highlands. The whitewashed facade is barely notable, but step inside and find what is perhaps best described as the Louvre of whisky. Everyone there is a malt master and will work with you to choose a bottling that's perfect for your tastes from among the hundreds they stock. You can sample from the large selection of bottles reserved for tasting. Whisky aficionados take note: the shop keeps a Living Cask in the house and pulls from it for special bottlings. Loch Fyne's signature whisky, blended exclusively just for them, is available there or through their reputable mail order service. In addition to a carrying a wide range of glassware, flasks and confections, the shop also has own brand of drinking accessories and foodstuffs, such as marmalades and fudge as well as drinking accessories.

Bottles range from £17 - £14,000

London's liquor landmark has been in operation at the flagship site for three centuries, and it has outposts in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dublin. Its vaulted cellars, formerly storage space, are currently used as tasting rooms and can be rented for events. But despite the cozy vintage look of the store and the high standard of personable service that's maintained, the wine merchants here run a very up-to-date operation, and they ship to a wide range of international destinations. Browse their incredibly handy Website, which catalogs their thousands of wines and spirits and offers special features, like the cleverly named “podcasks” of the classes that take place in the store's education center.

Bottles range from £119 - £6,000

Set in the center of the city of Cognac, the Cognathèque is to the region's eponymous brandy what the Baseball Hall of Fame is to the sport. This surprisingly small shop has an old school yet elegant general store look to it. On its meticulously arranged shelves, you'll find a treasure trove of cognacs, from collectors' editions and hard-to-find releases—including a few bottles that date back to before the phyloxera epidemic—to young cognacs for novice connoisseurs. Also check out the extensive selection of Pineau des Charentes, a fortified sweet wine made from cognac, and the collection of snifters, decanters and delicate tulip glasses.

Bottles range from €19 - €179,400