Bottlerocket: Wines for All

 

If there were a Bottlerocket in every neighborhood, my bet is that wine consumption would, well, rocket.  The store is so appealing – and sooooooo user-friendly – that only a card-carrying member of a temperance society could walk out without buying something.

This is one of those shops, of which there are several these days, meant to de-fright, de-mystify and de-snob wine and it succeeds on all counts.  That it actually does this while offering a really interesting selection of wines makes it worth a visit.  (I found a bottle of not-so-easy-to-find Pleiades from Sean Thackrey – yum!)

Built on the idea that wine is meant to go with food, a concept the French have been trying to get us to understand for years, there are kiosks throughout the store displaying wines that go with our major food groups:  meat, seafood of all kinds, poultry, treats (that’s the sweet stuff) and the category beloved by so many New Yorkers, take-out.  In fact, at this kiosk, along with the wines and their informative and often funny tasting notes, you can also pick up take-out menus from local places.

If you like the idea of choosing your wine to go with your food but you haven’t a clue what you’re going to have for dinner, worry not – Bottlerocket’s got you covered.  At the back of the store you’ll find bunches of cookbooks and a nice comfy table where you can spread out and plan your upcoming feast.  The only thing that might distract you is the nearby kids’ corner, where, in addition to a shelf full of picture books, there’s a kid-sized table covered in chalkboard.  It’s a fun place for the little ones - and others - to hang.  Here's the proof:

Comments

[Dorie]

Mmm -- And he thought no one -- except moi, his mother -- would recognize him with the hat.

[Mmm]

I think I saw that same kid in another store's kids' corner playing with some Legos. He really gets around.

[Dorie]

Tom, it's nice to meet you here in cyberspace. Thank you for your message and yes, I do have a suggestion: Now that you've made Rona happy by opening in her neighborhood, maybe you'd like to come to mine, the Upper West Side.

[Tom Geniesse]

Dear Dorie,

Thank you very much for your kind words and thoughtful observations about Bottlerocket. We have a simple goal, and that is to make buying wine as great and satisfying an experience as drinking it!

If you ever have a suggestion about how we might improve our recipe, I hope you will pass it on. Clearly we are all kindred spirits (pun intended?)

Take care and thanks again,

Tom

[Rona]

I was just about to say YOU GUYS UPTOWN HAVE ALL THE GREAT PLACES, then I checked the link and YEA it's in my neighborhood. What a great concept.