As I approached Astor Wine and Spirits located at 399 Lafayette Street, New York, NY was surprised by how large the store was.  It appears to be a large warehouse but once you walk inside you are surrounded by elegance.  If you are a lover of wine, this is the place to shop.  From moment you walk in it is a learning experience.  Even if you have no knowledge of wine when you walk in when you leave will feel like an authority on the wine that you choose to buy. They have an aisle for every wine, and the wines are separated by region.  Above each they have a sign that lets you know about the region from including soil type, climate, and type of grapes grown in that region.  The sign also tells you about the taste to expect from the wine.  It will tell you if the wine is sweet, semi-sweet, what hints of flavor to expect in the wine.  If after reading the signs you still find yourself with questions, the staff is very knowledgeable and will courteously answer you.

If you are having a dinner party you can speak about the wine you buy as if you are a certified sommelier.  I noticed wines from Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Rhone Valley, California, Spain, Greece, New York, and many other regions that I did not know about.  Astor Wine and Spirits also has a cold room, and the walls are made of glass.  The glass wall has a sign painted on it inviting everyone to come in and look.  At Astor Wine and Spirits most of the wines are stored and displayed lying down.  For each region they have a staff recommendation of a wine.  The store gives equal attention to each wine that it sells.   The Staff at Astor Wine and Spirits are very friendly, welcoming, and helpful.  The employee that I spoke to seemed very knowledgeable about wines.  The store also offers free wine tasting.

They have a section of the store set up for wine tasting, and a calendar is posted letting you know when they are.  Astor Wine and Spirits offer a wide price range, and they have some wines on special which appeared to be a great bargain.  The wines are priced from the very expensive to the $10.00 bottles.  They are located below the Astor Center which offers classes and events about wine and cocktails.  The fact that the store and the Astor Center are connected allows for the possibility for this to become a social networking environment where individuals with the common interest of wine can meet.   The sales associates are not rushed when they assist you.  They were available to answer all my questions, even invited me to come back for their next wine tasting.  Although I did not buy anything, I felt comfortable and will come back to the store again.  I cannot think of one thing that would improve this store, they seem to attend to every customer’s needs.