uptowngirl

Best Wine stores in the City

Wine is my drink of choice more often than not and the husband and I always try to keep our home well stocked with enough choices just in case friends decide to come visiting. Most of the stores listed below offer free delivery if you buy about $100 worth. Do add any of your recommendations to the list.

1. Warehouse Wines and Spirits
735 Broadway
(between Waverly Place & Astor Place)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 982-7770
Just as its name suggests this store is housed in warehouse setting and offers a huge selections of wines (more than 500 wines which priced less than $10) and all kinds of other alcoholic spirits as well.
2. Astor Wine and Spirits
399 Lafayette Street
(between 4th St & Astor Pl)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 674-7500
Slightly more upmarket, well organized and manned by a knowledgeable staff. Check their website for information about their free tastings and other events-http://www.astorwines.com/
3. Trader Joe's Wine Store
38 East 14th St
(between 4th Ave & Irving Pl)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 529-6326
Incredibly popular with a fairly decent selection of wines including their super cheap own label,
4. The Green Grape
55 Liberty Street
(at Nassau St)
New York, NY 10005
(212) 406-9463
This cozy little store has a great selection from smaller ,less known winemakers . Also offers free tastings.
5. Best Cellars
1291 Lexington Avenue
(between 86th St & 87th St)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 426-4200
Best Cellars also has an outlet on the Upper West Side and offers a decent selection of wine. Many of the bottles which are stocked here are priced under $10.(http://www.bestcellars.com/)
6. Sherry Lehmann Wine and Spirits
505 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 838-7500
The granddaddy of all the wine stores in the city. Expensive, upscale, great selections of wines and wine accessories. Stellar staff who are very knowledgeable about their various products.
7. Smith and Vine
268 Smith Street
(between Degraw Street & Sackett St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 243-2864
Great little Carroll Gardens wine store owned by the same folk who own the Stinky Brooklyn Cheese store. Affordable and varied selection.

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27 Comments

ajadedidealist Mar 18, 2010

Let me put a rec in for: K&D Wines & Spirits www.kdwine.com 1366 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10128, United States (212) 289-1818 It's one of the best wine shops (and also sells other, varied, liquors) in the city...

JenMac Mar 19, 2010

I'm with you on Astor Wines, uptowngirl. They have great wines, it's not expensive and the staff is really friendly. Plus, they have really cool food and cocktail classes there. I got one for my sister as a gift and she raved about it.

NeverSleeps Mar 20, 2010

I'm going to jump on the Astor Wines train as well, and also recommend Trader Joe's for wine - even if the line seems long, it moves pretty quickly!

ajadedidealist Mar 20, 2010

Sherry Lehmann is great as well - good for an extra special dinner party gift...

Uraniumfish Mar 20, 2010

I like Astor Wines too. I found them really approachable and well stocked. They had wines from obscure regions I hadn't expected to find. An I like that they have about ten different wines available each week for free tasting, so you can always discover a new wine you like.

ajadedidealist Mar 21, 2010

Free tastings - what a great idea! When are they on?

NeverSleeps Mar 21, 2010

I've been to Astor for that - I think it was one of the most extensive free tastings I've been to in NYC, which is saying a lot as just about every wine store seems to have them. @ajadedidealist: http://www.astorwines.com/TastingEvents.aspx?rel=homeToutTxt

Uraniumfish Mar 22, 2010

@NeverSleeps Yeah, and the people who are there at the tastings seem to be pretty intense about their wines, which I guess is a good sign.

uptowngirl Mar 23, 2010

@Everyone was wondering if anybody knew of any wine appreciation classes. You know where you learn about wines , have heard about such classes in other cities was wondering if NYC also had them? any ideas?

ajadedidealist Mar 24, 2010

Thanks for the link, @Neversleeps. I was at a lovely tasting a couple months ago trying out Northern Italian wines and I really enjoyed it; I'd be happy to go to some more tastings in the near future.

Uraniumfish Mar 24, 2010

@uptowngirl Here's six good answers to someone who asked the same question as you: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/576385

JenMac Mar 25, 2010

I have to throw in a rec for Discovery Wines in the East Village. You can search inventory by price, type and region at a computer station so you don't have to feel sheepish talking to a snooty wine clerk. Sometimes, it helps.

JenMac Mar 25, 2010

Also, Bottlerocket (in Flatiron) is a great wine store if you do like to interact. They keep under 400 wines so the staff knows everything about all of them and they're really friendly. They have treats for dogs, tastings, and a reading room in the back.

ajadedidealist Mar 25, 2010

There's a NYTimes article today that's especially relevant - the "new wine shops" of NYC http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/dining/24pour.html?ref=dining

uptowngirl Mar 25, 2010

Thanks JenMac, Uraniumfish and ajadedidealist for all the fantastic additions.

NeverSleeps Mar 26, 2010

After doing some grocery shopping in Red Hook the other day, I was directed to a little wine store in the neighborhood called Dry Dock. It's incredibly adorable, and the staff helped me pick out a wine that went perfect with my pasta and mushroom/tomato sauce.

NeverSleeps Mar 26, 2010

This is a little off topic, but does anyone know if Red Hook is one or two words? On Craig's people list both.

Uraniumfish Mar 27, 2010

@NeverSleeps I always thought it was two words: Red Hook

ajadedidealist Mar 27, 2010

I love cooking with wine (red and white alike - delicious in sauces) - I've just realized that a dash of wine in almost any meal is a delicious way of adding complexity to the flavor. My latest discovery: pasta with mushrooms and onions sauteed in white wine and lemon juice with garlic and olive oil and some dried chilli flakes...

BroadwayBK Mar 28, 2010

I tend to do my wine shopping in small local places... currently at Big Tree Bottles in Brooklyn. They are in Williamsburg/Bushwick, and they deliver to my house, which makes them even better.

DBlack Mar 28, 2010

@BroadwayBK Do you know if they deliver as far as Crown Heights? Or the question really is, anyone know of a similar place that would deliver in Crown Heights? I'm still getting to know the area but it's pretty sparse for that kind of stuff.

NeverSleeps Mar 29, 2010

@Uraniumfish I thought so, too. I mean, that seems grammatically correct. I wonder why people on Craig's try to do both? I've been looking at apts over there, even if everyone says not to move there unless you have a car. @DBlack I heard that a nice wine shop opened up in Crown Heights recently. Do you want me to find out the details?

ajadedidealist Mar 29, 2010

Ooh - delivery sounds like a good option, especially for those of us living in walk-ups - when I lived in Rome, I was on the 5th floor/top floor with some very steep stairs, and carting wine or water bottles up was a nightmare, especially given that buying cases is the economical way to do it. Is the delivery free?

uptowngirl Mar 29, 2010

@Neversleeps that's so true about the need for a car in Red Hook. My husband once went to the IKEA to look for a bed for my mum in law. He couldn't cart the bed on the ferry and asked one of the taxi drivers who hang around there for the charge back to Manhattan. The quote he got was so astronomical that he went right back in and returned the bed. The next day he rented a car and drove out to the IKEA at Elizabeth, N.J. and bought the bed from there. I dont remember the amount he was quoted but it must have been a lot for him to have taken this step.

uptowngirl Mar 29, 2010

@ajadedidealist all the wine store that I frequent offer free delivery if you buy $100 worth of wine and you have to tip the delivery guy $10-$20.

DBlack Apr 03, 2010

@NeverSleeps I definitely want to know about any good wine shops in Crown Heights. Like I said, I don't know the area yet but it's a real desert around here for certain things. I did find a fantastic fish market, but no good wine shops till now.

BroadwayBK Apr 05, 2010

@DBlack I dated someone who lived out there - whenever I went to visit I had to bring the takeout from my neighborhood, because there is just nothing good to eat out there, except for perhaps that diner on Rogers and Empire.

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