Empire State of Wine
61 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010, USA
Best Wine Shops in New York
New York's wine culture blends Old World imports, natural wine movements, and New York State stalwarts. This directory lists 20 wine shops across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens offering tastings, curated selections, and expert staff to guide collectors and everyday buyers.
20 venues
4.5 avg
Tasting Events
The Corkery Wine & Spirits
15 Bridge St, New York, NY 10004, USA
Wine Therapy
171 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10012, USA
Royal Wine Merchants
13 S William St, New York, NY 10004, USA
Simply Wine
55 Liberty St, New York, NY 10005, USA
Astor Wines & Spirits
399 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003, USA
Chambers Street Wines
79 Chambers St a, New York, NY 10007, USA
Delancey Wine
35 Essex St, New York, NY 10002, USA
Urban Wines and Spirits
Corner Space, 45 1st Ave space 1-D, New York, NY 10003, USA
The Wine Hut
10013 197 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014, USA
Archive Wine And Spirits
270 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007, USA
West Street Wine & Spirits
56 West St, New York, NY 10006, USA
Union Square Wine & Spirits
140 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003, USA
FiDi Wine
120 Nassau St, New York, NY 10038, USA
Seaport Wine & Spirits
110 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038, USA
City Hall Wines & Spirits
158 Church St, New York, NY 10007, USA
New York Wine Exchange
9 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, USA
Freedom Wine Cellar
200 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, USA
Tribeca Wines & Spirits
173 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013, USA
Rosetta Wines: Purveyors of Fine Wines & Spirits
44 Exchange Pl, New York, NY 10004, USA
Wine Culture in New York
New York's wine culture is both cosmopolitan and fiercely local. In Manhattan and Brooklyn you’ll encounter classic European imports—from Burgundy and Barolo—to a thriving natural and biodynamic scene championed by small shops and bars in the East Village, Lower East Side, and Williamsburg. At the same time, New Yorkers celebrate regional pride in New York State wines: Finger Lakes Riesling, Long Island Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Hudson Valley experimental whites appear regularly on shop shelves and tasting lists.
Collectors, sommeliers, and casual drinkers converge in neighborhood merchants and historic retailers like Astor Wines & Spirits and Chambers Street Wines, which have long curated deep selections of both old-vine bottlings and emerging producers. Seasonal events, winemaker visits, and pop-up tastings in places like DUMBO and the West Village keep the scene dynamic. Whether you’re hunting rare imports, organic labels, or a terrific everyday bottle, New York’s wine culture rewards exploration and questions of provenance, vintage, and terroir.
Where to buy wine in New York
Neighborhoods define buying habits in New York. For wide selections and specialist staff head to NoHo, Midtown, and Union Square where larger merchants stock imports, domestic rarities, and collector-worthy bottles. In the East Village and Lower East Side you’ll find smaller shops favoring natural, low-intervention producers—perfect for finding orange wines and minimal-intervention Loire or Italian producers. Brooklyn neighborhoods—Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Park Slope—blend urban winery collaborations with neighborhood bottle shops and frequent weekend tastings.
Notable local shops to know include Astor Wines & Spirits for a massive, well-curated floor; Chambers Street Wines for old-world focus; Delancey Wine and The Corkery Wine & Spirits for approachable everyday bottles; and smaller specialists like Empire State of Wine, Royal Wine Merchants, Wine Therapy, and Simply Wine. Many shops also host evening tastings and buy-back events. If you’re traveling, plan visits around subway lines—most top shops are a short walk from major stations, and many offer delivery across the five boroughs.
What to Look For
A great New York wine shop combines knowledgeable staff, a curated selection, and transparency about provenance. Look for shops that categorize bottles by style and occasion—natural, Old World, New World, and New York State—and that list vintage notes and importer information. Staff recommendations and tasting notes are invaluable in a city where inventory rotates quickly and small producers sell out fast.
Other markers of quality: regular tasting programs or classes, reputable cellar conditions (cool, dark storage), access to rare or allocated bottles, and clear pricing that reflects tax and shipping. For local wine hunters, prioritize retailers that support New York State producers—Finger Lakes Riesling, Long Island Merlot, and Hudson Valley whites—and those that carry ethical, sustainably farmed labels. Finally, consider shipping and delivery options: many shops offer same-day delivery within the city, convenient for last-minute entertaining or gifting.
When do wine shops in New York open and close?
20 of the 20 wine shops listed in New York publish their opening hours. The median one opens at 11 am and closes at 9 pm on a typical trading day.
Sunday is the day that catches visitors out: 19 venues in New York (95% of those with published hours) trade on Sunday, against 20 on Monday. 19 open seven days a week.
9 addresses stay open past 10 pm, which matters if you are buying after dinner rather than before it. Freedom Wine Cellar closes latest, at 12 am.
At the other end of the day, New York Wine Exchange opens earliest, at 8 am.
These hours come from each venue's own Google Business Profile as read in March 2026. They are regular hours: public holidays, August closures and harvest-season changes are not reflected, so call ahead for a specific date.
What the ratings in New York actually say
The 20 rated wine shops in New York carry 4,481 reviews between them. The mean rating is 4.45 out of 5 and the median is 4.5, and 11 venues hold 4.5 or better — 55% of the list.
Empire State of Wine carries the highest rating with a review base large enough to mean something: 4.9 from 298 reviews. Astor Wines & Spirits is the most reviewed address in New York, at 1,983.
A five-star average is worth less than it looks on a venue with a dozen reviews, which is why the ranking above is sorted by rating and review volume together rather than by rating alone. The rating also measures the visit, not the cellar: service, queueing and the state of the room all land in the same number as the wine selection. It is a starting filter, not a verdict on what is on the shelf.
How much do wine shops in New York cost?
Price level is published for 5 of the 20 wine shops in New York, and it splits as follows: 2 moderate (40%), 3 upmarket (60%). Google's price level is a four-step band reported by the venue and by visitors, not a price list, so it says where an address sits relative to its neighbours rather than what a bottle costs.
The specialisations that recur most often in New York are Tasting Events (4), Organic (3), Delivery (2), Local Wines (1). Filtering the list above by one of those is usually a faster route to the right shop than sorting by rating.
New York compared with the rest of United States
New York accounts for 20 of the 262 wine shops we list across United States, spread over 15 cities.
Sunday trading is the clearest local difference: 95% of venues in New York open on Sunday against 68% nationally, 27 points higher.
Both columns are computed from the same rows that build these pages, so the national figure moves whenever a city's listing does.
| Measure | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Venues listed | 20 | 262 |
| Mean rating | 4.45 | 4.51 |
| Open on Sunday | 95% | 68% |
| Median closing time | 9 pm | 9 pm |
Where to look next from New York
Other wine venues in New York: 20 wine bars, 6 wine restaurants, 18 wineries and tasting rooms. In a city with a thin specialist trade, the restaurant list is often where the interesting bottles actually are.
The nearest larger listings in United States are Charlotte (20), Columbus (20), Fort Worth (20), Jacksonville (20), San Jose (20). Each is a separate page with its own hours, ratings and map.
Bottom line
New York has 20 wine shops on this list, averaging 4.45 out of 5 across 4,481 reviews. The median address opens at 11 am and closes at 9 pm; 19 of the 20 with published hours open on Sunday.
If you only have time for one stop, Empire State of Wine is the highest-rated address with a real review base (4.9 from 298).
Ratings, hours and price bands here come from public venue profiles read in March 2026; they describe how an address is reviewed, not how good its wine list is. Confirm hours before travelling for a specific bottle.
Buying wine in United States: age, tax and trading rules
The purchase age is 21 in every US state, the highest in this directory. It is not federal law directly: the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 withholds federal highway funding from states that set it lower, and every state complied.
Federal excise duty on still wine at or below 16% ABV is $1.07 per wine gallon under the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's schedule — about $0.21 on a 750 ml bottle — with a credit for smaller producers. State and local taxes sit on top and vary widely, which is why the same bottle carries different shelf prices across state lines.
The structural difference is the three-tier system left by Prohibition's repeal: producers sell to wholesalers, wholesalers to retailers, and retailers to you, with the tiers legally separated in most states. Seventeen control states go further and act as the wholesaler themselves. It is why a wine that is easy to find in one state is unavailable in the next, regardless of demand.
Sunday sales, grocery-store wine and shipping rules are all set at state and sometimes county level. Check the state before assuming a shop will be open, and never assume a rule from one state applies in another.
Sources: TTB — Tax rates for wine (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) · National Minimum Drinking Age Act, 23 U.S.C. §158
Local Tips
01
Start with neighborhood specialists
Visit small shops in the East Village or Williamsburg to discover natural and small-producer wines that larger retailers may miss. Staff often have deep knowledge of niche producers and can guide unexpected finds.
02
Look for Finger Lakes and Long Island labels
Ask shop staff about Finger Lakes Riesling and Long Island Merlot or Cabernet Franc. New York State wines offer great value and regional character—many shops feature dedicated local sections.
03
Plan tastings around transit
Most top wine shops are a short walk from subway stations. Plan visits after work or on weekends and carry a reusable bottle bag—it makes transporting purchases easier on public transit or rideshares.
04
Ask about upcoming allocations and events
Sign up for shop newsletters and follow social channels for allocations, special buys, and winemaker visits. Snagging a release or a tasting ticket often requires early signup in New York’s busy market.
FAQ
This directory highlights 20 wine shops in New York, spanning Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The city has many more retailers overall, but these 20 are curated for variety: neighborhood specialists, large merchants, and shops known for tastings or rare imports.
Yes. Most reputable shops in New York stock regional bottles from the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and Hudson Valley. Look for Finger Lakes Riesling, Long Island Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and experimental whites from Hudson Valley producers—many shops promote local releases and host winemaker tastings.
Many do. Larger merchants and neighborhood stores regularly run in-store tastings, verticals, and guided classes in the evenings or on weekends. Check shop websites or sign up for mailing lists—shops like Astor Wines & Spirits and Chambers Street Wines often publish tasting calendars and ticketed events.
New York's status as an international city means many shops import rare bottles and maintain allocation lists from top regions like Burgundy, Champagne, and Piedmont. While availability depends on allocations and demand, dedicated merchants and specialty importers increase your chances of finding rare bottlings.
Price ranges are broad. Everyday bottles can start around $12–$20, solid mid-range choices $25–$50, and collector or rare bottles often exceed $75 or much higher. City taxes and import costs influence retail pricing, so compare shops and ask staff about similar alternatives when budgeting.
Yes—many shops offer same-day or next-day delivery within New York City, often with a minimum order. Delivery options vary by shop and neighborhood, and some retailers partner with third-party services. Ask about delivery fees, scheduling, and ID requirements for age verification.
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