Scene by Laurie

If you appreciate a glass of good wine (and who doesn’t??), then shop at Moore Brothers in the Flatiron district, NYC. I was introduced to the wine store by a friend who invited me to a wine tasting there. It was hosted by Greg Moore and not only was the wine amazing, but it was the most informative tasting I’ve ever been to thanks to Greg, who goes beyond mere enthusiast. His love for wine is pure reverence as evidenced by his passionate discussion and the way he’s built his business.

His model is unique and frankly one that should be emulated. He preserves the taste and integrity of the wine from the vineyard to the customer by temperature controlling it at 56 degrees at all times and through all points of transportation. Wine exposed to warm temperatures and heat goes bad and looses its flavor; the process used by Moore Brothers eliminates this detriment. And the result is a perfect tasting glass of wine just as you would enjoy at the vineyard itself.

They sell wines from vineyards in France, Italy and Germany with whom they have direct relationships and have personally selected. The friendly, informative employees are also enthusiasts who visit the vineyards and many are chefs and taste the selections with perfectly paired meals prepared themselves. Their process adds marginally to the price of a case and therefore is next to nothing per bottle and they have quite a number of wines for under $20. The Cote de Rhone which my friend turned me onto is quite excellent and highly recommended.

As Greg says, if a wine store is warm when you walk in, turn around and walk out. They keep theirs at 56 which may not appeal to everyone but the wine will, so it’s worth it and they have parkas in different sizes to keep customers warm.

If you can, go for a wine tasting. In addition to the store at 33 E 20th Street, NYC they have stores in New Jersey and Delaware. Or go to their site to learn more, they also ship from New York.

flickr: jessicamelling, roblisameehan