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New York City wine stores - Printable Version

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- noitall - 08-06-2000

I'm planning to go to New York city in a few weeks. My main purpose for going there is to buy some wine that I can't get at home. However, since there are so many wine stores there and since I haven't frequented any, I need some help. I looking to buy some Ports, some Monbazillacs, some Cabernets and some Grappas, along with some others. Can anyone give me some suggestions, as to what wine stores I could try. Thanks for the help. It's greatly appreciated. Noitall


- RAD - 08-06-2000

There are several good wine stores in the City, and I'm sure Scoop and others will be able to offer some suggestions. Stores that I frequent are:

Sherry-Lehman http://www.sherry-lehman.com/
679 Madison Ave.
Great port selection, spanning several vintages. You can probably find cheaper, but probably not more knowledge, especially on high-end wines. If you're looking to stock up on Petrus, this is your place. Kind of a bavarian cellar atmosphere, though.

Morrell's http://www.morrellwinebar.com/
One Rockefeller Plaza
Combination retail wine store with a great wine bar right next door, so you can "try before you buy", so to speak. Great selection. They do a "top 10" for each country, which may prove helpful if you don't know what you're looking for.

Garnet Wine and Liquor http://www.garnetwine.com/
929 Lexington Ave.
Great place if you know what you're looking for, because the help seems to be a bunch of college kids (or less) from neighboring Hunter College. Sometimes you can find some obscure Italians here. Prices tend to be cheaper.

Union Square Wines
33 Union Square West
Great California selections--lots of good cabernets here--and not bad Italian either (you're beginning to see some of my own tastes coming through). Generally nice, helpful staff.

Italian Wine Merchants http://www.italianwinemerchant.com/
(yes, the URL leaves off the "s", despite the store's name)
108 E. 16th Street
If you like Italian wine, give this one a whirl. It's a quick walk from Union Square Wines above. As the name suggests, it's Italian-only, and each wine is tasted by the proprietors to boot on their buying trips to Italy.

Best Cellars http://www.bestcellars.com/
1291 Lexington Ave.
Okay--you're not going to find much here that you can't find elsewhere, but in fairness, it deserves a mention. Amazing concept. Every bottle of wine in the store is $10 or less, and they're grouped according to "style"--"big", "smooth", "juicy", "luscious", "soft", etc.--rather than country of origin. Definitely not for enophile snobs, but a fresh take that appears to be doing well (there are now 3 other locations--1 in the Boston area and 2 in Seattle).

Quality House http://www2.smartec.com/~qualityh/
2 Park Avenue
Self-proclaimed "#1 French wine store in NYC". The owner is indeed nice--the two times I've been in there, he has given me a nice little tasting--but his personality is indeed quirky, and can be off-putting to some. The last time I was in there, boxes of wine were strewn all over the store, as if they were moving. I wasn't getting any help, and I asked the owner, "what's going on here?", and he immediately took offense, pontificating about "this is how a busy wine shop looks." Personally, I liked one out of two of his recommendations from my last visit.

67 Wine and Spirits
179 Columbus Avenue
I don't get over to the West Side much, but when I do, I always stop in here. Good selection, helpful staff, and frequent elbow-to-elbow tastings held upstairs. Also, the cheapest and best selection of Riedel stemware in the city (the Sommelier Bordeaux goes for $50 ea., which I believe is cheaper than even online, and a hell of a lot cheaper than Barney's, where it's $89!)

Hope these help, and have fun!

[This message has been edited by RAD (edited 08-06-2000).]


- noitall - 08-06-2000

RAD
Thank you so very much for the information. I greatly appreciate your assistance. I'm sure it will make my wine expedition to New York most successful. Once again, thank you.
Noitall


- Thomas - 08-06-2000

Noitall, hope my license comes through before you arrive in NYC.

Is-Wine (Picadeli Merchants): 225 East 5th Street. Specialty is in wines that are difficult to find. 212-254-7800.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 08-06-2000).]


- noitall - 08-07-2000

foodie,
Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the information. I'm planning on coming to New York by the end of the summer, the end of September at the latest. Let me know how you make out with the license. noitall


- Scoop - 08-07-2000

RAD has given you a very thorough listing.

Failing Is-Wine being open:

I would perhaps add The Chelsea Wine Vault (located in the Chelsea Market -- 15th St. at 9th Ave), which has a nice selection of Loire wines, and Crossroads in the West Village (I don't recall the exact address), where you can find some unusal selections.

Since I do a lot of shopping at Garnet, I have to give them a recommendation. It's bit cramped and busy, but the selection is good
-- and they have some Monbazillac in stock. Talk to David Lilley (Loire/Rhone) or the gray-haired guy with the goatee and thick-brimmed glasses (Italian/Californian) for "expert" advice (as opposed to the "other" help).

Cheers,

Scoop


- noitall - 08-07-2000

SCOOP,
Thanks for the information about the N.Y. wine stores. Garnet seems to be my best bet. I contacted them by email and they do have some Monbazillac in stock. They seem to be the only ones that do. I'm looking forward to going there. Thanks once again for your help. noitall


- Thomas - 08-07-2000

Crossroads is on 14th Street, near Seventh Ave, I believe.


- Scoop - 08-08-2000

My pleasure, Noitall, happy hunting!

Cheers,

Scoop


- RAD - 08-08-2000

Hey Scoop,

Hope I didn't offend you or anyone else with my comments about Garnet! I do like the store, as they have great prices, but the help I've gotten there seems to be extremely limited.

And looking forward to the launch of Is-Wine!

RAD


- Thomas - 08-09-2000

RAD, I promise that the help at Is-Wine will not turn you off; I am working hard to get help that will turn people on...but that is another story....

Seriously, I'll be in the city all next week working on training staff, putting in floors and furniture, meeting with importers, and all else that goes with wine retailing. Drop by 225 East 5th if you get a chance--you too Scoop.


- winoweenie - 08-09-2000

Does this mean we wont get a Foodie Fix ALL next week? winoweenie


- Scoop - 08-10-2000

No offense taken, RAD. And I do know what you mean about Garnet -- they've got a lot of people running around on the floor, and not all of them, suffice it to say, are gurus. But the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.

Will give you a shout next week Foodie (same cell #?).

Cheers,

Scoop


- Thomas - 08-10-2000

WW, you got that right. But I will not abandon you; will have my hypodermic full on the weekend.

Scoop, I'll email my cell # in place of Frank's. Maybe RAD can join us. I was thinking about checking out the King Bar in Chelsea; interested? Owned by the guy who wrote The Perfect Storm. He says it is for writers who are not sissies--leaves ww out on both counts....


- RAD - 08-10-2000

Hey Foodie--

I'd love to check the place up and possibly hook up with both you and Scoop. But at this point, I'm afraid only Monday and Tuesday are open for me. Heading to Chicago Wednesday, then to ATL Friday...


- Scoop - 08-11-2000

Hey Foodie:

Check out the Wine Spectator's site today -- there's an article on I Trulli's new wine store, Vino. They appear to be taking a similar tack as Is-Wine, at least in terms of Italian wines.

As for next week, I've got that dental thing that I keep putting off, so as of Aug. 16th, I'll be out of commission for a few days. I'm sure Sebastian can wait a day or two! It might be fun to check out Rhone, the wine bar(if not your competition at Enoteca I Trulli!).

Perhaps you can give me a ring when you have a chance on 8/15 (Or e-mail the cell #).

Cheers,

Scoop


- SCHINC - 09-19-2000

I'm looking to purchase a store in the NY Metro area. Must have annual sales in excess of $ 1,750,000. do you know of any that are availble.????


- mrdutton - 09-19-2000

Next trip to NYC................

Try Foodie's place by all means!

Try this shop also:

Nancy's Wines
313 Columbus Avenue at 75th Street
NY, NY 10023
(218) 877-4040
Directions:
1,2,3,9 train to 72nd street, walk east toward the park 1 block and then uptown 2 1/2 blocks.
B or C train to 72nd street, walk west away from the park 1 block and then uptown 2 1/2 blocks.

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 09-19-2000).]


- Thomas - 09-24-2000

Schinc, you have the right idea. Starting from scratch in NY City is a complicated , and quite frustrating, matter. You would think in this cosmopolitan place the message of culture would have gotten to the authorities. not to mention the community at large. But there are a lot of crazies in the city: some sit on community boards....

It is much simpler to buy an existing license, but to find out which is for sale, you might need to go to the trade journals.