(MercuryNews) - Even as Bay Area imbibers continue their love affair with boutique brewers, mom-and-pop vintners and small distillers like St. George Spirits in Alameda, which makes apple brandy from a single family orchard, one of the biggest bottle-sellers in America is storming into town next week, plopping a humongous retail outlet in the middle of Fremont.

Wine lovers, in particular, will rejoice over the Feb. 11 opening of the region's first-ever Total Wine & More, the country's largest independent retailer of fine wine, beer and spirits with a fan base that spans the nation in 18 states. Shoppers familiar with Total's 8,000-strong wine collection and competitive prices will no longer have to drive to the closest Total near Sacramento to scratch their itch but instead will find plenty of booze to purchase in the former Staples store at the Pacific Plaza Shopping Center on Boscell Road. "Total Wine & More provides the best customer service, selection and price in the nation, and we are excited to bring that experience to passionate wine, beer and spirit drinkers in the Bay Area," said Kevin Peter, Total's CEO.

"We are excited to enter the Bay Area market, arguably the center of the wine industry in the United States, and share our commitment to providing customers in Fremont, the Silicon Valley and the growing East Bay region with a unique and outstanding customer experience."

And according to local reports, the Potomac, Maryland-based retailer has also signed a lease in Mountain View, where the company says it will open another outlet later this year.

The chain, with 130 stores, has great creds with the oenophilia crowd, said wine consultant Eileen Fredrikson with Woodside-based Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates.

"This is a very good thing for Bay Area wine lovers," she said. "Total is an outstanding retailer with a very large footprint across the nation. Their prices, as well as their service, are excellent. So anyone who likes wine, along with the best prices, will have plenty of choices."

Fredrikson thinks there's room enough in the region for both Total and the other alcohol superstore, Concord-based BevMo with 157 stores including one in Fremont about 4 miles from the new Total. She said given the fact that it has "survived many other challenges from competitors, I think BevMo will likely continue to do well, even with this new competition."

Along with more than 8,000 different wines, Total stores carry 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers, and the chain is known for trying to be the price leader in every market it operates in, claiming in a news release that each store's inventory is typically three to five times the size of its competitors. Award-winning writer and wine expert Leslie Sbrocco, host of KQED's popular Check, Please! Bay Area, said it's no surprise that Total is planting a beachhead here.