Oddbins' debts are estimated to be as high as £30m and the company had hoped to secure additional finance from creditors through a company voluntary agreement.
On Friday, Oddbins largest creditor, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said in a statement it would not back a restructure, making administration likely.
Lee Manning, joint administrator and Deloitte partner, said: "We are pleased to have received interest from a number of parties interested in buying the business. We will continue to trade the company while seeking a sale as a going concern. Employees will continue to be paid and will be fully briefed."
, featuring fewer lines and more beer, particularly local brews.
The company was founded in 1963 by Ahmed Pochee, who later went on to found the Great Wapping Wine Company.
The business had a characteristic laid-back look that went on to influence the look of off-licences, and the operation of the wine trade, for a generation.
Oddbins has 89 stores in the UK and Ireland, and employs 400 staff, with £75m in turnover, £2m in online sales.
At its height, when Oddbins was owned by Seagram during the 1990s, the wine merchant ran 278 stores and was the market leader in the fine wine trade.
Supermarkets, new competitors such as Majestic, and online retailers, have all eaten into Oddbins' market share.
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