New York City without wine shops is a situation too horrific (for those of us who drink, of course) to comprehend. Need a visual? It would be like going to a cherished ex’s wedding, and arriving at the festivities only to find out that it was to be a dry wedding that was being kicked off with a four-hour ceremony. The wine stores in this city are great at smoothing out the edges this awesome city’s sharp sides. Following are some fave wine shops all NYC dwellers with a fondness for vino should check out.
Astor Wines & Spirits
Whether you remember this wine haven from your NYU days or you’ve recently discovered this place after clocking 15 consecutive 80-hour work weeks at Fill-in-the-Blank Bank, you’re probably are already quite familiar with this shop. Crowned by the Village Voice as the “Best Wine & Liquor Store” in 2014, Astor Wines is where you go when you want to hear the words, “Yeah, we’ve got that.”
Walmart-esque in size and sheer volume of product, it has everything that seasoned wine drinkers or beginning tipplers could desire. That sparkling Grüner Veltliner you downed on your trip to Vienna? Astor’s staff will not only know exactly what you’re talking about, but they’ll have it in stock or know how to get it. The store also delivers. No doorman? No problem! The shop employs a courier service that can deliver to your Manhattan brownstone walkup after hours. Need cocktail party inspiration? Visit Astor’s blog for inspiration.
399 Lafayette Street | 212.674.7500
Chambers Street Wine
If organic wine makes you sing, or if you’re looking for a bottle of good European wine that won’t set you back 32 percent of your paycheck, Chambers Street Wines should be “in the house.” This shop is to local wineries what the farm-to-table movement is to small and local farmers. Store partners David Lillie and Jamie Wolff favor small and independent growers over big-named producers, introducing customers to a wide range of fabulous wines they’d otherwise never hear about. Every price point is covered here, so if you’ve got 12 bucks to your name, you can walk out with a delectable French Marsanne that will go perfectly with that pan-fried red mullet recipe.
148 Chambers Street | 212.227.1434
Union Square Wines & Spirits
Located off of 14th Street, Union Square Wines is ideally located for just about everyone, from grad students to commuters. This famous wine emporium manages to maintain a cozy feeling of intimacy despite its size. Once you make a purchase, get a card from the staff and try out one of the shop’s Tuscan-made (of course) Enomatic wine systems, the sleek units that store, preserve, and dispense wine samples from four dozen different bottles. When you make a purchase, points are added to your card, allowing you to sample even more selections.
140 Fourth Avenue | 212.675.8100
Frankly Wines
If there was such a thing as an artisanal wine store, Tribeca’s quirky Frankly Wines would be it. Each bottle of wine is carefully selected, and you get the feeling that every bottle from the lowest Chablis to the most important port is treasured. Owner Christy Frank, an LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton alum, is as pedigreed as her wines and a font of information for newbies. Tickets for their very first wine dinner sold out before you could utter the words “Wine dinner?” But don’t worry; the shop’s entertaining blog and newsletter can fill you in on store specials and upcoming events.
66 West Broadway | 212.346.9544
Image Source: Flickr
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