Finding the Perfect Bottle: NYC’s Wine Shops

Greeting guests with a small taste of their Spanish mulled house wine, we immediately knew that we had discovered a small wonder. Aytac and Zaf, both from Turkey, are the owners. They lived in New York for many years, working in other restaurants before the two friends decided to embark on their own adventure. They opened their doors in 2007 and have had a steady flow of customers, drawing from both the locals living in the neighborhood and the strong tourist population that surrounds them. Nothing is made from scratch on the premises, as the kitchen is minute, but what they bring out of there is absolutely scrumptious. We managed to eat every piece of chocolate made by either renowned Jacques Torres or Xocolatti. Small chunks are served on a wooden platter, similar to a cheese board. Delving into their signature dessert, "21 Layer Crepes Cake" was like indulging in a piece of heaven. Thin crepes and whipped cream, topped with burnt sugar. We watched as others shared the dark chocolate fondue, dipping into their melted land of wonder with bananas, strawberries, marshmallows and finger cookies as Frank Sinatra was singing in the background. Although we did not order anything else, there is a menu filled with savory treats - Angry Chicken Lollipops, White Truffle Pizza, Goat Cheese Brulee and, of course, a cocktail menu of Chocolate Martinis and wines from around the world.

Stepping out of the culinary carnival in the main Eataly building through the side street entrance of the calm, cool wine shop next door was a soothing experience. The space is primarily filled with Italian wines, though there is a selection of local New York varieties upstairs. Also on the second floor is the “Riserva Room, ” a temperature-controlled chamber with rare wines, mainly acquired through auctions. What surprised me about the Riserva Room, however, is that the bottles are not very expensive. Despite feeling the need to whisper inside the elegant space, I noticed that many tags quoted prices under $100. We learned from Brianna Buford, the PR Assistant, that this is so that customers do not feel intimidated to try new wines. As with the rest of Eataly, Vino is dedicated to educating the public about the quality, origin, and uses of its products. There are helpful signs in the area and tastings every week. “Staff Pick” signs give shoppers individual recommendations and there are often fun promotions whose goal is to introduce customers to new labels. For example, in 2015, the wine store hid golden corks all over Eataly, offering anyone who found one a special bottle of Vino Libero. “Vino Libero” means “free the wine, ” a motto which seems to ring true throughout the store, where wine is freed from any pretension or intimidation and presented in a playful, educational way.

We stopped by St. Marks Wine and Liquor early one evening when it wasn't too hectic and got the opportunity to speak to the manager, Jesse. His passion for wine, liquor, and this shop was evident as soon as our conversation began. He told us how he was a part of the concept from day one and absolutely loves being here everyday building the business and introducing customers to bottles of alcohol that they have never tried. Their wine selection is impressive with several hundred in stock at any given time. The shop holds tastings frequently and Jesse feels that they have already developed a loyal clientele. They look forward to educating many more customers about the various bottles of vodka, bourbon, whiskey, rum and, of course, wine that line their shelves.

After about a decade of residing on the corner of Madison and 74th, Marche Madison decided to open a wine shop to complement their deli and cafe. While chatting with the manager, Sammy, I learned that it is primarily people from the neighborhood who frequent the store. Because of this, Maison du Vin carries many high-end wines in order to cater to its Upper East Side clientele. Sammy emphasized, however, that this does not necessarily mean that they only offer expensive bottles. She also pointed out that there is a section of kosher wines, as well as a shelf full of local and organic wines.

As the name suggests, Burgundy Wine Company specializes in wines from this glorious region in France. Opening in 1988 in the West Village as a niche market before this concept became so trendy, their clientele has remained loyal and many over the years. Max, one of the knowledgeable staff members, explained to us that his dad got him into wine long before he was of legal age, and it has since become his passion. The shop seems like a perfect place to nurture a passion for wine - we can easily imagine ourselves curled up on their cozy couch with one of their books about wine, and a glass of red in hand.

I was drawn into 55th Street Wine & Spirits by the colorful, artfully arranged display of bottles in its window. Inside, I found glimmering rows of wines and liquors extending elegantly along an aisle. And as I walked towards the back, I met Shirley, who owns the shop with her husband. She laughingly told me that their primary motivation behind its opening in 1999 was, at the time, an ensured Sunday off. The couple began in a much smaller Manhattan location, and moved to 55th street after four years. Looking at me more seriously, Shirley declared, "this business has been my life's passion, and its success a dream come true. "

There is a tremendous amount of wine that is produced by large manufacturing companies who ship hundreds of thousands of bottles a year. These wines cannot be found at MCF Rare Wines, where Matt Franco curates a collection of just the opposite - wines from small, individual growers. Opened in 2010 - and in his present location since 2017 - MCF sells rare wines from around the world. While many believe that rare wines are expensive, MCF carries a wide price range. One can find a $10 bottle as easily as a bottle that is several hundred dollars. According to Matt, "We only have correct, classic, well made wine. It’s authentic. We keep it focused and curated. ” Matt grew up in a family that surrounded itself with wine. His uncle ran a wine shop in Connecticut, which allowed Matt to experience first hand the ins and outs of the business. Today, Matt spends a lot of his time visiting vineyards and wine distributors, many of which return the favor, as they are eager to see their brands sold in New York. From the start, Matt chose to have a limited collection. He wanted to stand out from other wine shops. “A small collection is easier to manage, and allows us to choose the wine personally, ” he explained, and then added, “We want to know the people, have the right spirit behind every bottle. ” While the story about the wines is definitely important to Matt and his customers, “In the end, it’s about the taste. ” Having tried all of the wines on his shelves, Matt feels confident that he is selling "only the best. " Matt has created a following in the community. Many customers regularly attend his wine tastings and eagerly await his newsletters, which highlight the latest delivery. If one stops by on most Saturday afternoons, one will find some bottles open and people sipping on a glass of the latest interesting wine while listening to the brief history behind it and engaging in conversation with the staff. “We have stuff for everyone, and our customers know that. ”

You may be familiar with wines organized by red, white or rosé — but what about bottles categorized as “Old Pals”, “Good Fellas”, or “BFFS”? Welcome to Veritas Studio Wines, a small-but-mighty independent wine shop on a quiet block of W45th Street where you can embrace unexpected and unique flavors at affordable prices. The creative mind behind Veritas and its unique offerings is none other than longtime New Yorker Jeremy Kaplan, whose career began in marketing for Madison Square Garden. After years of working on campaigns for the Knicks and Rangers, Jeremy decided to pursue a lifelong interest in wine by jumping directly into the heart of the city’s hospitality industry. “I had a friend in the wine industry tell me that to get my foot in the door, I needed to work at the best restaurant I could, ” said Jeremy. “At the time, the best restaurant I had worked for was Friendly’s! ” he laughed. “Fast forward to 2008, I got the opportunity to work in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tribeca called Bouley — for a year and a half or so, I worked for free, shadowing the sommelier, ” he said. “Eventually, I just started being a ‘som’ — that was my first time tasting everything. You taste everything you open, ” he noted. “I’d taste, I'd say, between 25 and 40 wines per shift, and probably 1500 to 2000 wines total in my time there. It was like going to a museum and being able to see the great pieces of art. ” Having learned the ins and outs of fine dining, “white tablecloth” wines, Jeremy moved to the West Village’s late Bar Blanc, where he helped develop their beverage program to much critical acclaim. “I was very proud [of Bar Blanc], because the wine list got noticed in the Times and in New York Magazine, ” said Jeremy. While he doesn’t hold an official sommelier certification, “I am blessed with a palate that allows me to taste a wine and say, ‘I think people would like this. ’”It was his innately intuitive palate that caught the attention of an investor —who in 2014 asked Jeremy to open up a new shop in what was previously a commercial studio space known as Veritas Studios (also known as the place where the famous “Mikey Likes It” commercial was filmed, Jeremy told us). Running Veritas gave Jeremy the opportunity to build his own wide-ranging program of wines — and to make them accessible to everyone from novices to seasoned vino vets. “Our categories are about using language that people are familiar with, making people feel comfortable — certainly embracing anybody who walks through the door, ” said Jeremy. “We seem to do well with people who are curious — who are willing to take a risk on something they've never heard of. ” More than anything, he looks forward to guiding patrons through their own wine education, he told us. “​​I'm involved with our customers’ most important decision of the day, ” said Jeremy. “They’re picking the wine that they're going to go home with to accompany their dinner, the wine that they're going to use to smooth things over with their spouse, the wine that they're going to go celebrate with — or maybe bury their sorrows in, ” he added. “This is the last stop many people make before they go home — and it's a nice thing. ” 

For half a century, Kessler’s has been mixing the tasteful with the everyday for its midtown east clientele... and delivering sterling results. According to owner Steven Kaiden, “we are completely focused on the neighborhood, ” drawing local business people by day and a loyal crowd from the many nearby residential buildings at night. Kessler’s focuses on everyday, lighthearted drinks. “I like finding unique alcohol from all over the world to offer customers and then turning them onto it. ” Instead of bigger-name brands, customers often leave with something that has a bit less name recognition, but a rich history of its own. Scouring the corners of the earth for only what he would drink himself, Steven offers a personally curated collection of wines and spirits. The results include quite a few bourbons and other American whiskeys, lots of gin, and a healthy dose of aperitifs and digestifs.

In January of 2007, Oscar Farinetti founded the first Eataly in Turin, Italy, specializing in quality Italian goods. Under B& B Hospitality, the marketplace has since expanded throughout the United States. The first New York City location opened in the summer of 2010 near the iconic Flatiron building, and an expansion has been planed in the Financial District for 2016. Strolling through the epicurean haven, I saw a dazzling array of artfully displayed gourmet products. The produce section alone reaped multiple varieties of earthy mushrooms, vibrant stone fruits, and luscious greens. The cotton candy grapes and sea beans were astoundingly similar in flavor to their namesakes. Other sights included a traditional espresso bar, a butcher counter with cuts from sustainable farms, and a station entirely devoted to making mozzarella, turning out two to three hundred pounds daily. Above, ornate ceilings accentuated these wonders, paying homage to the building’s previous life as a luxury hotel. “Eataly is the gallery, the producers are the artists, and the products are the art, ” explained Italian-born Dino Borri, Eataly’s brand ambassador. He got his start working under the founder of the Slow Food movement, Carlo Pertrini, at the age of fourteen, eventually helping to open an Eataly branch in Japan. He is now based in New York as a major product buyer. He still, however, visits Italy frequently. The gallery analogy is a perfect metaphor, especially since Eataly advocates for small businesses by clearly crediting them with their products and financially sponsoring projects to accelerate capacity growth. “The majority of our products come from Italy, but we also get some locally, ” Dino told me. Some of the local sourcing has to do with shipment restrictions - salami and unpasteurized cheese are not allowed to cross over the borders, but primarily the goal is to find the freshest ingredients. One of the benefiters from Eataly's work with local businesses has been Wild Hive Farm, a small farm from Upstate New York with organic, stone-ground bread. GuS Soda also met immense popularity after hitting Eataly’s spotlight, and local farmers turn to the marketplace for a steadier income source than farmers’ markets. However, it is not just the labeling of product origins that keeps shoppers at Eataly informed. Cooking classes are offered regularly at La Scuola, recipes are provided with many of the meals, and various signs give product tips and facts. “The olive oil expert can go on for over twenty minutes in a discussion of delicate, grassy, and herbaceous varieties, ” stated PR Associate Brianna Buford, “he knows the proper tasting techniques. ” I am sure the vinegar expert is just as well trained. Passing by the highly specialized eateries, my cravings constantly wavered between savory and sweet. The newest edition when I visited in the summer of 2015, the Nutella bar, features a constantly running chocolate hazelnut fountain, ready to be poured on a bounty of appetizing creations. In the bakery section, I learned that all the hearth-baked breads come from the same “mother yeast. " Nearby, serving some of the best pasta and perfectly charred Napoli-style pizza pies in Manhattan is La Pizza & La Pasta. During my discussion with Dino, he told me, "We really made this store for ourselves. " He declared himself a primary customer for Eataly, saying, “We are what we eat. ” It is less about the fancy products than about having everything be “good, clean, fair, ” and having something for every price point. “We have introduced a new way of eating, ” he smiled. He is glad that others have begun to mimic Eataly's highly successful marketplace model, since it means increased quality for everyone. While spending hours touring Eataly, I sampled the food at some of the eateries. A favorite was the zucchini Carpaccio with fried capers, toasted pine nuts, soft white cheese, and fresh mint at Le Verdure, a veggie-centric eatery that has been a go-to place for me since it first opened. After trying the Pesce Crudo Trio, including raw pink snapper, swordfish, and steelhead trout, from Il Pesce, my photographer, Tom, exclaimed, “this is fresher than the fish my dad caught and cooked last night. ” The Manhattan Sideways Team finished off with a necessary treat at Il Gelato. By providing quality flavor, supporting small farmers and educating shoppers, Eataly has truly maximized their slogan “Eat. Shop. Learn. ”