The storefront display of Astor Wines & Spirits showcasing some of its wines.

The view once you enter the store. It reminded me of a museum with so much to learn including the history of wine.

When I first walked in Astor Wines & Spirits, I was very overwhelmed by the thousands of wines displayed on polished wooden shelves. I imagined the store to be very small from the outside. I took a while to build up some courage to ask questions and this can be quite difficult for someone who lacks confidence. However, after roaming around the aisles, observing the products and taking pictures, I had met a friendly wine consultant named Bambi Ray. Ms. Ray is also a sales manager of the establishment and has been generous to share some of her knowledge on wine with me. I was prepared with a pocket notebook, a pen and some gutsy questions. Some of these questions were “What is the best-selling wine region?”, “Why are a lot of California wines priced higher than wines that are shipped overseas?” and “In the most recent years, what year was considered ‘bad’ for winemakers?”  Bambi has answered these questions in the following ways:

What is the best-selling wine region?

France is definitely the best selling region because it is very well-known and after all, they have officially started the wine-making process. However, Italy is a very close second and competes with French wine sells.

I like that the best selling wines have their own section because it keeps track with the popularity of the wines.

Why are a lot of California wines priced higher than wines that are shipped overseas?

For example, a country like France has been doing this for many years and produces a much larger quantity of wine than California. California is still fairly new so they have not figured out a system that works well to reduce their pricing. Generally, no matter what you purchase from California, prices tend to be elevated because you are paying for California’s expensive real estate.

In the most recent years, what year was considered ‘bad’ for winemakers?

Well, it depends on the wine region. However, here in the U.S, wine-making

in California this past year has been difficult because of California’s wild fires. This obviously decreased the number of crops tremendously in the vineyards. This has also affected the quality and taste of wine since the vines absorbed the smoke from the fires. Wine laws secure a winemaker’s income by allowing them to use small amounts of wine from other years in order to make up for loss in situations that are not under the winemaker’s control.

After a series of questions, I continued to talk to Bambi about the course and she has shared some of her personal experiences. For that, I am truly grateful. As for the establishment itself, it has a beautiful floor plan with bright lighting and spacious walkways. The workers wear a red apron which makes it easy for customers to identify them as workers. Most of the workers are fairly young and the majority of them are female.

I also visited Union Square Wines located at 140 4^th ave, New York, NY 10003 and Gramercy Wines & Spirits located at 104 E 23rdst New York, NY 10010. Union Square Wines is medium size and Gramercy Wines is small with narrow paths. In comparison, Astor Wines & Spirits is more modern and have a larger variety of wines with a great scale of prices as well.  Also, it is more organized with the best-selling wines being in the front and spirits and other fine alcohol located in the back. They also have a cool room that stores certain wines at a cooler temperature and on the side of the middle of the store they have their sake and other wines chilling. Overall, my experience has been successful and I managed to grow my networking circle as well.

All of the sparkling wines are organized by wine region as well as the other wines but are grouped together.

Italian Sparkling is located right next to French sparkling wines in the front of the store.

Italy wines other sparkling specifically from Northern Italy.

One of many sections of France wines. Italy and France are the only countries in the store that are divided in different wine regions.

For each region/country, there is a sign that contains a brief description of the area which can be helpful when selecting wines.

This is where spirit tasting takes place. Behind the barrels is the cool room and as you can see, there is a employee checking inventory.

A type of spirit that is located on a shelf in the back.

The majority of the spirits are locked up. These are secured because of their price tags averaging $500.

Malt is a type of grain that is used for brewing, distilling and even vinegar-making. This can be found in the back of the store with other spirits.