Store Front

After countless hours of researching the best wine stores to visit in New York City, I finally decided to go to Astor Wines and Spirits which is just a block away from where I work. It’s located in 399 Lafayette St. in between 4th St. and Astor Pl. I already had a certain expectation in mind before I even got there just from reading great reviews about the place; but what I didn’t know was that this place was even better than what I expected it to be. Once I entered the store, I was immediately blown away by the massive space and the broad selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages displayed.

Front half of the store: old world wine and sparkling wines

Red and White Displays

The store was packed with customers carrying shopping baskets filled with wine bottles. They had a 20% off all Sparkling wines sale that day which is probably why a lot of customers were shopping. I started to look around to check the wines they were selling since all the employees were busy talking to customers. I’ve noticed that they had a display for “great wines under $12” (I was tempted to buy one). All the wines they sell had short descriptions about their region and their taste which were really informative. They also had some facts about wine regions and even sold wine reference books on the displays.

As I was looking at the wines, one of their employees approached me and asked if I needed help. I then replied: “Hello Sir, I’m currently a wine student at NYCCT, and I would really appreciate  if you can tell me about the wines and spirits you sell  and maybe give me a quick tour of your store.” He gladly said “Sure, where do you want to start?” with a smile on his face.

After a series of questions and a quick tour of the whole store, I found out that they arranged their wines geographically per bin in the front half of their store which were predominantly “old world wines” (Mostly French, Italian, and Spanish Wine regions). They had their french and american sparkling wine display right next to each other because of their 20% off sale. The sparkling wines were arranged according to their bubbles as well. The wines of the new world  are located at the other half of the store. He didn’t specify if they arranged their wines based on how they were fermented ( oak barrel/ stainless steel tanks, etc) The wines of the new world are arranged according to their grape variety ( a display of wines from different new world countries with he same grape variety). Other alcoholic beverages such as whisky, cognac, sherry, Madeira, rare wines and spirits, are located at

the back of the store. They even had Korean liquor like soju. They also boast almost 200 of the finest sakes which are stored on the far right side of the store;  a 57 degree, 70 percent humidity cool room for delicate, rare, and organic wines, a tasting bar for free wine tastings, a library of wine reference books, and lastly a 2nd floor space for wine-related classes and wine tasting events. They have everything a wine store needs–great selection of wines and spirits from around the world, knowledgeable and friendly staff who would take their time to help their customers find the right wine, well-labeled bins that are very informative, etc. They’re easily one of the best if not the best wine store in New York City.

I went to Warehouse Wines and Spirits which was just a block away. It’s located in 735 Broadway between Astor Pl & Waverly Pl. The place was also huge, but with a more “warehouse”  atmosphere. It wasn’t as great as Astor Wine and spirits, but what makes this store different is that it boasts a wide selection of wines and spirits at affordable/cheap prices which is one of the best in Manhattan. They also arranged their wines geographically. They didn’t have any descriptions in their wines regarding their taste and it was really confusing at some point. The huge turn off here was that their staff didn’t seem to know what they were talking about, but nevertheless, they still tried to answer all my questions.

I decided to visit the Park Avenue Liquor Shop; do not let the name fool you, as this store carries a huge selection of alcoholic beverages, (not just liquor) from outside the United States. The Park Avenue Liquor Store recently moved from its previous location, into a more spacious building. It is now located at 270 Madison Avenue, in Manhattan.
My ideal store happened to have the most horrible display of hospitality I have ever seen since my visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles last year. It is important to mention this as the associate who assisted me in the store happened to mention that the previous establishment is known for being rude and unfriendly; but I digress.
The associate at the Liquor Shop, Ben, was the most attentive employee in regards to questions, concerns, and information. He explained that the store recently moved, so their entire stock of wine had not completely transferred over yet, and thus explained the ladders, set-up diagrams on the floor, and some empty shelves. Other than that, the store is spacious, with wine shelves that housed a stock of the wine bottles on the display shelves. The store was organized in terms of the type of wine, and country. There were signs above the shelves as well as the ceiling in order to help distinguish what you could expect to find in that section. The regions varied from France, California, Germany, and Italy, to name a few. While the store was in the middle of a location transition, all the necessary displays have been already setup, with the regions and bottles mostly organized.
The price range in the store ranged from incredibly inexpensive wine starting at $5, all the way to $2000. According to Ben, they also had wine in much higher price ranges, which were obviously kept out of sight, under lock, and under the strictest temperature regulations. The interesting thing about the store is that the temperature will fluctuate in order to keep the wines chilled. Ben gave me a wine catalogue, which contained all the wines the store carried, as well as the highest quality wines, which cost $15,000 and even more. Although the catalogue given to me was for the previous season, it was more than enough to give me a general idea of the liquors that the store has available. Not only does this store sell individual bottles, but also by case, due to the nature of clients who purchase from them.
A benefit that I immediately noticed as soon as I walked in the store was the great customer service in this store. At any point, whether you are a new customer, or a returning one, the employees are eager to help. Any complaints (not that there will be many), will always be promptly addressed by the employees. This is definitely the place to go to for your wine needs. Even as I made my way out the door, Ben insisted I return, and only come to the Park Avenue Liquor Store to buy all my alcoholic beverages; with a personality like that, and the hospitality received, I can’t think of any other place I would rather purchase from.

The Front of the store.

I thought they wouldn’t mind letting me take pictures inside the store since they were friendly but they didn’t allow it.

Retail Wine Shop Experience – Gusmary Sanchez

For my Retail Wine Shop Analysis I decided to go to Bottle Rocket which is located at 5 W 19 street. I can say I had a good experience because all the employees were very attentive and friendly with me. As soon as I walked in the store they approached me and offered help. I enjoyed the atmosphere in the wine shop because of the colors and designs it had. I had the opportunity to talk with one of the employees and she explained how they carried wines from different places such as Argentina, Australia, Chile, Germany, Italy, France etc. They arranged their wines in two different ways. First they had their wines in alphabetical order on the shelves. And the other way is that they have different selections of inventory in the middle store. They have different sections of wine that gives you a brief summary of the wine, where it comes from, and the food you can have with the wine.  These sections are divided into different categories such as poultry, meat, seafood and desserts. This was very interesting because as soon as you go in to the store you see different sections. Which I believed is a great idea because you are able to see the wine, the information, and the food you can have with it and have an idea of how to find the wine in an easier way. It helps the researcher have a better understanding of the wine they want to purchase.

As I was exploring the wine shop I noticed that the prices of the wines were affordable except some wines from Burgundy. Burgundy had a whole section at the back of the store. I asked her and she said that Burgundy plays a very important role in that store because it’s very popular and many costumers always want wines from Burgundy. She also explained that they don’t have a specific section for old wine because all the wines they have are from new vintage. They also have different shelves for dessert wines, liqueurs, and champagne. They also offer free wine tasting every Thursday to Saturday from 5- 8pm. I went Monday and I couldn’t try their wines. Overall I liked my experience because the employers gave me a nice attention that I always look forward to in a place. And they also have different types of wines that I would like to taste. When I was leaving she gave me a card and told me to call her if I had  more questions.

The front of the wine shop.

wine section in alphabetical order by country.

White Wine Display.

Red Wine Display.

Sparkling Wine Display.

Burgundy Section

Different Selection of inventory in the middle of the store. Including Meat, poultry, seafood dessert etc.

Retail Wine Shop Analysis- Richard Buren

    Doing this retail wine shop was interesting,  I ended up going to 3 wines shops, two being in the city and one in my home town Queens. The first wine shop I went to was Chelsea Wine Vault, located within Chelsea Market in the Lower Westside. This wine shop had a semi old school  due to being made out of brick yet had hipster vibe to it. The wines that they had were separated by region. Some of those regions are Spain, Chile, Germany, South Africa,  America,  and many more. The employees were friendly and informative by telling me that they have wines aged in Oak and steel barrels. He told me that oak aged wines were more popular in America. He also showed me two different wines one aged in Oak and one aged in steel. The one aged in steel was the Natura a Chardonnay saying Un-oakes on the bottle from Chile and the aged in Oak was Rombauer also a Chardonnay. In the stored, they had their cellar which people were allowed walk in and look at what they have stored. The cellar is temperature and humidity controlled room, where they hold their more expensive and older wines which is also arranged by region. I wouldn’t know all of this if it wasn’t for the helpful and informative employees.

     From a hipster old school  wine shop to a modern and more inviting wine shop located on 38 st and Madison, called Park Avenue Liquor Shop. Recently moved to this new and more spacious location about a year ago,  walking in felt more inviting and welcoming , due to how chill and friendly the employees were. As soon as I asked to take pictures, one employee showed me  wines that might me cool yet interesting to take a picture of like a Opus One a Napa Valley red wine which is favored by the Asian population and also Opus One was mentioned in a Jay Z song. Another cool and interesting wine to take a picture of was their  Bordeaux section where they had some of their pricier wines shown on display. Their wines were also arrange by region where the prices ranges from inexpensive to high priced wines due to popularity. They have a cellar which is located down stairs  with more expensive wines arranged by region. Besides the cellar, they have a another room with more higher end and rare wine as far as late 1800s that you need a special key  to get in there.

     Last but not least was the Hunter’s Point wines and Spirits in Long Island City Queens,  their logo was my favorite, it was unique and sophisticated and modern red and black sign , but the inside had the sophisticated classy feel yet eerie due to I was the only customer there and the employees didn’t really have that welcoming feel. Their wines were arrange from region and prices and some were aged in steel and oak. The wines that were displayed had a description about the wine and what you would expect from that wine to taste and also a food pairing that will match the wine.

• the one aged in steel barrel was the Natura ,a Chardonnay  saying Un-Oaked on the label of the bottle from Chile and the one Aged in Oak was the Rombauer

• Opus One a Napa Valley red wine which is favored by the Asian population and also Opus One was mentioned in a Jay Z song
• Bordeaux section where they had some of their pricier wines shown on display

• unique and sophisticated and modern red and black sign
• The wines that were displayed had a description about the wine and what you would expect from that wine to taste and also a food pairing that will match the wine.

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