244699 Sat Dec 11 02:00:02 -0800 2004 6 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1299668 Survey of the various wine and liquor shops in the Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens area. What is your favorite store? Elaborate on the pluses and minuses. Speak with particular emphasis on: 1) Value: plain cheap, good value for the dollar, hoity toity but worth it? 2) Selection: small but immaculate, extensive and far-reaching, emphasis on particular geographic area? 3) Service: helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, cranky but lovable, generous with the samples, remembers your name? All stories and opinions welcome. Sat Dec 11 02:00:02 -0800 2004 0 Pupster 1 1299676 I shop at Scotto, Smith & Vine, Vintage Cellars and Heights Chateau. Heights is my favorite for broad selection and a strict determination to steer customers away from the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. Dan, Matthew and Judy are all tremendously knowledgable and their advice has always been on the mark. Plus, they give you plenty of space if you just want to browse. I had been going to Smith & Vine on Smith Street, but haven't been there in a while. Selection is teeny, as is the space, but some real gems and the owners are very warm. Sometimes too warm - when they first opened it seemed like they wanted to narrate every bottle I picked up. Now that they've been open some time, they're quick with good advice but happy to let the browsers browse - the kind of people who could inspire fierce loyalty... if you can afford their wine. Too few bottles in that small space + Smith Street rents = atrocious markups. Even their under $10 selection is generally $1-2 more expensive than other places in town. That said, $15 will get you that odd little Oltrepo Pavese that almost no-one else in the city carries... I think they'll do just fine catering to a specific niche in the neighborhood, but it's probably not me - I need more selection and my grad student dollars to go farther. Scotto is strictly for passersby and bare necessities - they have plenty of wine but I've never found any of it interesting. Vintage Cellars on Smith is pretty much the same, except they do surprise sometimes with their wines - they seem to buy a lot from Kermit Lynch. If only the guy behind the counter would ever crack a smile... As for value, I order from PJs in Inwood. Their selection is huge, their staff very knowledgeable, and their wines are often 20-40% cheaper than anywhere in the neighborhood. Sat Dec 11 11:49:40 -0800 2004 1299668 0 Fillay 2 1299709 Just to illustrate the poster above re: Heights Chateau's commitment to outside-the-mag thinking: I was looking for a cheap, herbaceous bottle to drink with Atlantic Ave.'s Levantine delights and was steered towards a Long Island Cabernet Franc. Now, how many places would even carry such a thing? And here she is, telling me Long Island will be the rebirth of Cab Franc. Needless to say I snapped it up. Sun Dec 12 16:52:51 -0800 2004 1299676 0 Spoony Bard 3 1300516 Re: Re: Heights Chateau steering clear of WS picks. They do have some of those too. This year, the week after the "Top 100" was released, I was pleasently surprized to find the top Oregon Pinot and Spanish Tinto quietly waiting to be snatched up. Needless to say, those wines are long gone by now. Thu Jan 20 17:46:07 -0800 2005 1299709 0 BrooklynChris 1 1299702 I second Smith & Vine; they have a very well-selected selection in a pleasant and warm setting. One particular purchase I remember is a nice Pinotage that was on the Under-$10 table a while back. If I were you, I'd definitely give Smith & Vine a try ... Sun Dec 12 08:56:44 -0800 2004 1299668 0 J 1 1299746 I have to second Smith and Vine. They have tastings nearly every weekend. I frequently pick up whatever it is they are giving out as it's usually amazing. The shop is tiny but they do fit a lot in. The table in the center has over 20 wines for under $10 and the shop owners are friendly and really know their wine. Another tip - on Monday's they have a happy hour that is 10% off after work. Saves a bit more even... Mon Dec 13 13:25:40 -0800 2004 1299668 0 Anne 1 1299798 I like Slope Cellars, 436 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th, 718-369-7307. They have a very nice selection, with many wines around $10 (at least before the dollar went into free-fall). They know what they have and make good recommendations. Open on Sunday. Tue Dec 14 10:52:55 -0800 2004 1299668 0 KRS