This is by design the focus is on makers who adhere to organic or biodynamic viticulture standards that yield “living” wines. Thirst can’t compete with any emporium or midsize shop on this list. The best approach might be to discard your shopping list in favor of stumbled-upon gems, like an amphorae-fermented Spanish Macabeu that ends up costing five bucks less than you’ll find it for anywhere else.ġ1 Greene Ave., nr. Inwood’s superstore is certainly chaotic, and its layout defiantly haphazard, with fine old Riojas stocked side by side with Cupcake’s ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc and the Chocolate Shop’s Chocolate Lover’s NV, a Merlot-heavy novelty from Walla Walla. Though smallish in terms of square footage, Leon & Son is the type of place that both invites browsing and rewards it, most notably with an impressive number of forward-thinking American producers like Anthill Farms, Dirty and Rowdy, Bedrock, Ridge, Amplify, Red Car, Vaughn Duffy, and even generally hard-to-locate Ceritas. A table full of inexpensive reds and whites takes center stage, and a back room is stocked with both benchmark and obscure wines from Spain and France. Staff have a lightning-quick Goldilocks-level knack for gauging what customers are seeking. Detailed fact sheets are included with each purchase.ĩ95 Fulton St., nr. Trends and conventional tribalism tend to be shunned, and the practice of stocking multiple wines from the same producer makes sampling three same-vintage Ojai Chardonnays or stunning Weingut Ratzenberger Rieslings attractively easy. Second Ave., Sunset Park 21Īs was standard at the retailer’s now-closed Manhattan shop, the thermostat is kept at a perpetual 56 degrees in the name of proper storage at its fantastically roomy Industry City showroom, where fleeces hang on the wall for customers in July. The $35-and-under “Everyday Values” is helpful for anyone headed to a party or looking for a Riesling with the balanced acidity to pair with tonight’s baked salmon.ĥ1 35th St., nr. The Eurocentric “Fine & Rare” department is a draw for regulars, and the straightforward explainers that herald special offers on buzzy allocations are informative with a minimum of hype. Many junior-executive types building out collections source their wine here, and it’s not hard to imagine Crush as a more unbuttoned, younger brother of Sherry-Lehmann, one who wants you to know he’s been to Bushwick twice. There’s plenty of Yquem and rare Bordeaux in the cellar, and an exceptional selection of everything you’d want to sip up front. That continues with the shop’s unparalleled seminars, which feature heavy-hitter winemakers from around the world. Jean-Luc Le Dû, who died in December of 2017, put a particular focus on wine education without pretense in a dapper, sophisticated setting. Regular email blasts with news of aged Burgundy from professionally stored collections, a stash of 1970s Napa deep-cuts, a manifesto from an upstart Spanish winemaker, or just the dates of some unmissable incoming Crozes-Hermitage are required reading. They’ll scrutinize your dinner plans and zero in with a handful of bottles similar to past likes, or better yet, a few left-field suggestions. The shop eschews score-bearing placards and adjective soups from third-party critics in favor of conversation, and at least one person on duty will know a detail or two about the weather in Tourmont or the slate in the soil, or even the cool dog that patrols the vines. For the most part, the abundant Loire wines, grower Champagnes, and Mosel pét-nats (short for pétillant naturel, fizzy wines that complete fermentation in bottle) hail from biodynamic, certified organic, or practicing organic wineries. Pretty much all of the 2,000 bottles here are small-production, and amazing bargains abound.
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