After not being able to visit one the wine shops listed, a friend and I decided to visit the Midtown 38 wine shop, located on 38th street between 6th and 7th avenue. Upon entering the store I noticed that it was spacious and organized. Youssef, one of the workers in the store, immediately asked if we’d like assistance. We told him that we were visiting for an assignment and we were hospitality students from New York City College of Technology, and we’d like to know the selection of wine they had and how the store operates. He proceeded to answer our questions and give us a tour of the establishment.

He informed us that the store receives shipments and replenishments from sales representatives every day. They would also offer tastings of new varieties that they think would serve the store’s clientele. The average price for a bottle of wine sold ranged from $35-$90. To me that sounded a bit a high but then I’m only used to buying Barefoot and Yellowtail brands.

On the right side of the store, the wines were neatly organized by grape varieties, beginning with red then moving on to white. This is was all on a 12ft wall that occupied almost half of the store. Youssef informed us that because of the store’s location they mostly catered to a more commercial group than residential. And the most commonly bought red grape variety was Pinot Noir. Because it was versatile enough that it satisfied a wide range of their customers. And Merlot was a close second. Next was the sparkling wine section that was located closer to the rear of the store, with some selections being in a refrigerator. Of the sparkling wines Prosseco was the most bought by clients who had to entertain during meetings. On the left side of the shop was their vintage wines organized by countries such as; France, Germany, Italy and Spain just to name a few. The rest of that wall was stocked with the spirits they offered.

After my visit I decided that, this is a store I’d love to patronize. Some wine shops that I had visited before were cluttered and had somewhat of a stuffy feel to it. But here at Midtown 38, it was spacious and airy, and that accompanied by the service would make for an exceptional shopping experience.