<PAGE>

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August ,1999
                                                           File No. 33-_________

================================================================================

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549

                             ____________________

                                   FORM S-8

                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT

                                     Under

                         THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                             -------------------
                            GEERLINGS & WADE, INC.
           (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S>                                    <C>                              <C>
              Massachusetts                       5995                     04-2935863
     (State or other jurisdiction      (Primary Standard Industrial      (I.R.S. Employer
   of incorporation or organization)    Classification Code Number)     Identification No.)
</TABLE>
                              960 Turnpike Street
                         Canton, Massachusetts  02021
                                (781) 821-4152
         (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
                           _________________________

                               STOCK OPTION PLAN
                           _________________________
                           (Full title of the plan)

                                David R. Pearce
                  Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
                            Geerlings & Wade, Inc.
                              960 Turnpike Street
                         Canton, Massachusetts  02021
                                (781) 821-4152
                           _________________________
(Name, Address and Telephone Number, including Area Code, of Agent for Service)


                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of            Amount           Proposed         Proposed    Amount of
Securities          to be            maximum          maximum     registration
to be               registered       offering         aggregate   fee
registered                           price per        offering
                                     share(1)         price(1)
<S>                 <C>              <C>              <C>         <C>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock,       150,000          $6.969           $1,045,350  $290.61
par value $0.01     shares
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>


/(1)/  Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee
pursuant to Rule 457(h) on the basis of the average of the high and low prices
of the common stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Stock"), of Geerlings & Wade,
Inc. reported on the NASDAQ National Market System on  August 18, 1999.

================================================================================
<PAGE>

                                    PART I

             INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     Note:  The document(s) containing the information required by Item 1 of
this Form S-8 and the statement of availability of information regarding
Geerlings & Wade, Inc. (the "Company" or the "Registrant"), and other
information required by Item 2 of this Form S-8 will be sent or given to
employees as specified by Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "Securities Act").   In accordance with Rule 428 and the requirements of
Part I of Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") either as part of this Registration
Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424.
The Company shall maintain a file of such documents in accordance with the
provisions of Rule 428.  Upon request, the Registrant will furnish to the
Commission or its staff a copy of any or all of the documents included in such
file.

                                      -2-
<PAGE>

                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.   Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
          ---------------------------------------

          The Registrant hereby incorporates the following documents herein by
          reference:

(a)       The Company's latest Annual Report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or
          15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
          "Exchange Act").

(b)       All reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange
          Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the Company's Annual
          Report referred to above.

(c)       The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in the
          Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A (No. 0-24048) filed with
          the Commission under the Exchange Act on May 5, 1994.

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a),
Section 13(c), Section 14 and Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement that
indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all
securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed incorporated herein by
reference from the date of filing of such documents.

Item 8.   Exhibits.
          --------

Exhibit

4.1       Geerlings & Wade, Inc. Stock Option Plan, as amended.

5.        Opinion of Ropes & Gray.

23.1      Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.

23.2      Consent of Ropes & Gray (contained in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5
          to this Registration Statement).

24        Powers of Attorney (included on signature page).

                                      -3-
<PAGE>

                                  SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Amendment to
Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Canton, in The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this 19th day of August, 1999.

                                   GEERLINGS & WADE, INC.

                                   By  /s/ Jay L. Essa
                                     ---------------------------------------
                                       Jay L. Essa
                                       President and Chief Executive Officer

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.  Each person whose signature appears below hereby authorizes
and constitutes Jay L. Essa and David R. Pearce, and each of them singly, his
true and lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to
sign for him and in his name in the capacities indicated below any and all
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement
and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, and he hereby ratifies and confirms his signature as it may be signed
by said attorneys, or any of them, to any and all such amendments.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Signature                             Capacity in Which Signed             Date
---------                             ------------------------             ----
<S>                                   <C>                                  <C>

/s/ Huib E. Geerlings                 Chairman of the Board and            August 9, 1999
----------------------------          Director
Huib E. Geerlings



 /s/ Phillip D. Wade                  Director                             August 8, 1999
----------------------------
Phillip D. Wade

 /s/ Jay L. Essa                      President and Chief                  August 9, 1999
----------------------------          Executive Officer
Jay L. Essa                           (Principal Executive
                                      Officer) and Director


 /s/ David R. Pearce                  Vice President and Chief             August 9, 1999
----------------------------          Financial Officer
David R. Pearce                       (Principal Financial and
                                      Accounting Officer)
</TABLE>

                                      -4-
<PAGE>

<TABLE>
 <S>                                  <C>                                  <C>
 /s/ James C. Curvey                  Director                             August 11, 1999
----------------------------
James C. Curvey

 /s/ Robert Webb                      Director                             August 17, 1999
----------------------------
Robert Webb


 /s/ John M. Connors, Jr.             Director                             August 17, 1999
----------------------------
John M. Connors, Jr.


 /s/ Gordon R. Cooke                  Director                             August 17, 1999
----------------------------
Gordon R. Cooke
</TABLE>

                                      -5-