Owner Jean-Baptiste Humbert’s tiny shop sells a thoughtful collection of biodynamic, organic, and natural wines. “They do an incredible job of showcasing wines that aren’t just funky for the sake of being funky,” says Emmeline Zhao, a sommelier and partner at nearby restaurants Cora and Figure Eight. She credits Wine Therapy with introducing her to “envelope-pushing” natural-wine-makers in America, like Martha Stoumen. “I’d known about her wines but never really dug into them until I picked up a bottle of her Venturi Carignan ($44) at Wine Therapy, and my world changed,” she says. Zhao’s restaurants now carry several of Stoumen’s wines.
Food & Wine special-projects editor Lucy Simon used to live near the shop and found her favorite dinner-party wine, Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaru Rosato Terre Siciliane ($32), here; she says it’s “stunning with vibrant acidity and just enough tannins to make me want a few more glasses.”
For Hard-to-Find Bottles
Not surprisingly, most people we spoke to brought up the employee-owned Astor Wines & Spirits, which has been a go-to for New Yorkers looking for an esoteric liqueur or wine for nearly 80 years. Housed inside the landmark De Vinne Press Building, the store is sprawling. Its on-site storage has over 5,000 bottles. Then there’s a massive retail floor, an educational center, and a “cool room” (a brisk 57 degrees Fahrenheit) for especially delicate wines. “It’s where I go for extremely specific bottles, such as a Ronces Vin Jaune ($87) to cook with for Christmas and my favorite rhum, Boukman Botanical ($45),” says creative director Anna Polonsky. Master sommelier Sabato Sagaria often goes to find a specific bottle and ends up leaving with much more. On one trip, he went in for ingredients to batch negronis and walked out with seven additional bottles. The store’s tastings help facilitate this too. They’re how Daniel Soares, owner of specialty grocer Alimentari Flâneur, found a new favorite wine — Quinta de Lemos’ Dão Dona Santana ($30).
For Special Occasions
Bordeaux-based rare-wine merchant Millesima’s sole brick-and-mortar location in the U.S. is on the Upper East Side, and its aesthetic — red velvet seating, light curved wood — is more Hermès flagship than neighborhood liquor store. The shop’s main inventory includes more than 3,000 bottles from all over the world, but what makes it truly special is the Forum, a room in the back that houses more than 500 rare and collectible bottles from producers like Lafite Rothschild, Dujac, and Château Margaux. “It’s breathtaking,” says Murray’s wine-and-cheese instructor Pamela Vachon. “It has stacks of the world’s greatest wines and a remarkably deep selection of iconic producers, appellations, and vintages.” Celine Yousefzadeh, founder of culinary-events and caviar company CY Kitchen, appreciates the Champagne. “It’s the only place where I can find my favorite, Telmont ($80),” she says.
For a Variety of Wines Under $30
This shop has a partylike vibe — customers say it’s a mix of an artist’s loft and a dance floor (disco ball included) — that adds to the fun of browsing its affordable wines and liqueurs. Almost a quarter of the store’s inventory is priced under $26, though some fans find even cheaper bottles. Rug designer Anna B. Albury loves the Lino from Prima Piuma ($20). “It’s a chillable, chuggable Grignolino and is always a crowd-pleaser at dinner parties,” she says. Lauren Hoey, wine director at Manuela in Soho, has found two affordable favorites: a one-liter Furst Elbling for $16 she describes as “fresh, crisp, mineral-driven, and perfect for large parties” and a $19 “versatile, citrus-forward, naturally made” Chenin Blanc from Gaspard.
For Wines From Unexpected Regions
This Brooklyn shop carries hard-to-find bottles from regions like Japan and Mexico and liqueurs from small producers as close as upstate New York and as far as the Maritime Alps. That’s why wine writer Anna Lee Iijima goes out of her way to shop here. “It’s a deeply thoughtful place to peruse. There’s this sense that you’re being let in on a treasure trove of secrets, but in a non-chaotic, curated way that makes it easy to spend a lot of money,” she says. The store is a favorite of food content creator Emerald Chan, who first stopped in while looking for a wine to go with the branzino she was cooking. “I came in during a wine tasting, and I was introduced to the perfect crisp white wine. Now I try to make as many tastings as I can,” she says. Joe Campanale, a co-owner of Brooklyn restaurants Fausto, LaLou, and Bar Vinazo, says if he’s heading to any kind of gathering in the neighborhood, he pops in to the shop for an unusual bottle to gift, like a Tuscan red from Le Boncie ($40).
For Nonalcoholic Wines and Spirits
Spirited Away, 177 Mott St.; 929-277-2520; spiritedaway.co
