The Rise Of Total Wine & More In Minnesota's Liquor Scene

When it comes to stocking up on your favorite beer, wine, or spirits, it seems Minnesotans love going big. Because the largest liquor store chain in the country can now be found in multiple locations right here in the North Star State.

Minnesota is, of course, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but did you know it is also home to eleven different locations of the largest liquor retailer in the entire country? And it turns out that amount isn't even all that many, at least when looking at the total number of stores in other states.

Overall, when it comes to places to buy an adult beverage, the United States has a lot of different offerings. According to recent data from IBIS World Industry Reports, there are currently 45,740 beer, wine, and liquor store businesses in the U.S. as of 2023, an increase of 2 percent from 2022.

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You might think that our neighbors to the east, behind the Cheddar Curtain over in Wisconsin, would have the most liquor stores. Those Cheddarheads LOVE their alcohol, right? (As a Wisconsin native, I can confirm that fact.) But seeing as you can buy just about any liquor at most grocery stores over in America's Dairyland, there aren't as many liquor stores there as there are in other states.

So, which states have the most liquor stores? Not surprisingly, California tops the list with around 6,300, followed by New York with just over 4,800, and Texas with just under 3,000. Here in Minnesota, though, we’re sitting at roughly 1,260 liquor stores, according to data from Smartscrapers.

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But when it comes to the *largest* beer, wine, and liquor retailer in the country, Minnesota now boasts 11 different locations. That honor goes to Total Wine & More, which just opened its latest Minnesota location in Rochester, Minnesota, last fall. The Rochester store also has the designation of being the first Total Wine & More store located outside the Twin Cities metro.

A view inside a Total Wine & More store. (courtesy Total Wine & More)

According to the Total Wine & More website:

Total Wine & More is America's Wine Superstore — the country‘s largest independent retailer of fine wine. We started in 1991 when brothers David and Robert Trone opened a small store in Delaware. Today, we operate 276 superstores across 29 states and continue to grow.

Total Wine & More has more than 11,000 employees, including 2,102 wine service team members and 427 wine experts. It opened its first store here in the North Star State in Bloomington, back in 2014.