2120 Broadway (at 74th Street) 10023 (1/2/3 to 72nd Street)

(212) 877-0028 http://www.beaconwine.com

Beacon is probably the wine store I've spent the most of my own money in since moving to New York City in 2007. The reason isn't just because I, like many, find life easier when I can satisfy my consumer needs by walking no more than ten minutes from my apartment. After all, there are at least five others I can think of off the top of my head that satisfy that loca-consumer criterion. The staff is friendly (as are staffs in just about every wine store I've been to in the city), the prices are just about as good any other place nearby, there's a nice selection at every price point, etc. Honestly, though, none of this would be enough for me.

High up on my list, however, is that Beacon had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of my favorite bubbly, Vilmart's NV Brut (technically, my second favorite behind Krug's, but given that Vilmart's is roughly half the price of Krug's Grande Cuvée, that technicality is easily ignored). That is until, over the course of one season, I ended up exhausting it. It is also part of the structure that houses the Beacon Theater, a place where we Upper West Siders (among others) go to see acts as disparate as the Wiggles and Tom Jones. Only in New York can one pop into a well-appointed wine store while waiting to get into an Allman Brothers show during their annual week-long residency.

WHAT BEACON CURRENTLY HAS                 

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot for $24.99/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Pierre for $24.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon for $38.99/bottle

Beacon took every bottle of the Cab—less one I had opened for sampling wine buyers and one I kept for posterity—meaning all 34 remaining bottles.

15 Bridge Street (between Whitehall and Broad Streets) 10004 (1 to South Ferry; R to Whitehall; 4/5 to Bowling Green)

(212) 785-7285 • www.cawinemerchants.com • California Wine Merchants on Facebook • California Wine Merchants on Twitter

Jennifer Frank nearly broke my heart. I had secured an early September (2010) appointment at this very smart, California-centric shop in the Financial District after introducing myself to her a few weeks earlier. Our initial meeting is seared into my memory because it took place in the early afternoon on what must have been the hottest day of our long summer of hot days. She expressed some interest in my little portfolio of little producers, and gave me what I had hoped for: an appointment to taste a few of my wines with her and her partner, Taylor Senatore, who wasn't in the shop the afternoon I came by initially.

I was smitten because in a town replete with brilliant boutique wine stores, California Wine Merchants had established quite a reputation in quite a short amount of time. The near-total emphasis on California was an interesting contrarian move on their part. What these two essentially did was take the best part of what other boutiquers were doing, i.e., focus on artisanal producers from well-known and not-so-well-known appellations who were largely being ignored by mainstream media and distribution channels, and apply that to the well-worn terroir of the Golden State. Smart, because for all of our NYC sophistication and willingness to go where those from Peoria perhaps might not, at the end of the day, California will always matter.

As the appointed day approached, I became more and more excited. And convinced that I would do well there because pretty much no one is selling wines that are as unknown as mine. The store philosophy to champion exactly these types of wines made me think that we were truly a match.

And then the "Dear Todd" e-mail came. Jennifer was very polite, but also very firm that in retrospect, it wasn't going to be my time after all. And that I should check in with her again down the road. I was beyond disappointed. How could what seemed so right go so wrong? That's sales.

But the story has a very happy ending. I contacted her many months later, talked up a few new wines, and this time the appointment took place. The results of our rekindled relationship are below.

WHAT CALIFORNIA WINE MERCHANTS CURRENTLY HAS

Praxis 2010 Viognier for $20.99/bottle

Toquade 2009 Sauvignon Blanc for $25.99/bottle

Praxis 2007 Lagrein for $22.99/bottle

Anatomy No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon for $29.99/bottle

222 Amsterdam Avenue (at 70th Street) 10023 (1/2/3 to 72nd Street)

(212) 877-6090

WHAT EHRLICH'S CURRENTLY HAS

Praxis 2007 Viognier $21.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot $21.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

796 Lexington Avenue (between 61st & 62nd Streets) 10065 (F to Lexington-63rd Street)

(212) 838-6551 http://www.embassywinesandspirits.com • Embassy on Facebook

New York is a big city, and it's crammed with wine stores great and small that offer something that the next one down the block doesn't. I hadn't made it to this very well-traveled section of Lexington after the first few months in business. Luckily for me, Embassy, in a sense, came to me instead.

Philippe Langner, the owner/winemaker of Hesperian, was in the city for a family event in mid-January. He set up a casual tasting for the trade at his hotel, and several of the Embassy people came by, tasted the wines, and naturally loved them. An in-store tasting later, and Embassy not only became Ice Bucket Selections first East Side retail venue, but also the first home for Langner's charming Anatomy No. 1 (an approachable blend of cab and merlot) east of, well, Napa.

They pack a lot of nice wines into this smallish storefront, including a better-than-average selection of half-bottles, and a "bargain basement" that's really just a step or two down the stairs in the very back of the store. There are dozens and dozens of deals down there. After all, as much as I'd like, one can't drink Hesperian single-vineyard cabs every night.

WHAT EMBASSY CURRENTLY HAS

Hesperian 2007 Anatomy No. 1 for $37.99/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon for $47.99/bottle

1103 1st Avenue (between 60th & 61st Streets) 10065 (4/5/6/N/Q/R to 59th Street-Lexington Avenue)

(212) 308-1650 • www.firstandvinenyc.com • First & Vine on Facebook • First & Vine on Twitter

WHAT FIRST & VINE CURRENTLY HAS

Toquade 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $29.99/bottle

Domaine Pouillon NV Black Dot for $29.99/bottle

Hesperian 2007 Anatomy No. 1 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $32.99/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Tony's Vineyard Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon for $55.99/bottle Sold Out!!!

Hesperian 2006 Heritage Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon for $55.99/bottle

Valerie's Vineyard 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir for $49.99/bottle

66 West Broadway (between Warren & Murray) 10007 (1/2/3/A/C to Chambers Street)

(212) 346-9544 http://www.franklywines.com • Frankly Wines on Twitter

Many pundits scoff at the value of social media. With reason. After all, do any of us really have 500 "friends"? Or are any of our businesses really "liked" by hundreds, if not thousands? Can anything meaningful really evolve out of 140 characters?

Don’t know, but I do know that after being badgered by three important women in my life, I jumped into the nonsense. And I went hard. In late December 2009, I became part of the Twitterati, the Facebook frenzied and the blogosphere. Simultaneously, too.

I posted. I blogged. I friended and was friended. I commented. I liked. I RT’ed. I followed. I tried to fast forward my marketing efforts to the current age (soon, no doubt, to be eclipsed by the next next big thing).

And I doubted the value of it. But WTF (the "WTF" is my very favorite thing I’ve learned since tuning in and turning on). It’s not like it costs anything other than time.

So, here I am five paragraphs later, and if you’ve managed to stay with me, you’re probably wondering WTF does any of this have to do with Frankly Wines. Much actually.

At some point early on in my Twitter following/hoping-to-be-followed career, I stumbled across this person who seemed to be pretty popular among the NYC-based wine Twitterati. I clicked on @Franklywines and there she was, Christy Frank, the proprietor of a small but important TriBeCa wine shop. I read a blog post or two. Went on the Frankly Wines website, and aside from the obsession with Lebanon’s Château Musar (no offense intended), was quite impressed with the absence of the usual suspects from the shelf roster. I clicked “Follow.”

And, to my credit, I was impressed before the New York Times piece came out about the trend toward low-key, hipster wine stores proliferating in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens (yes, Queens!). Frankly Wines (or I should say, Christy Frank) was prominently featured in the article. So, I set my sites on her and a few of the others (they know who they are).

I went down to her store to do the two-minute intro, but she wasn’t there. I left my folder with information about me, the wines, blah, blah, blah with the intention of following up with an e-mail. Literally that very same day, I got the e-mail from Twitter Central informing me that @Franklywines was now following me! OK, perhaps it’s not quite like having the one you’ve pursued since junior high accept your offer of a prom date, but it did put me in a pretty good mood.

We exchanged some e-mails and I got my appointment. The fact that we had this “connection” via Twitter didn’t make the sale. But the fellow-traveler nature of these connections does seem to soften the usual who-the-fuck-are-you posturing that can often take place in what is, at the end of the day, a "Glengarry Glen Ross" sort of setting. It is sales, after all.

On many, many levels, I remain a dinosaur. I’m OK still with corks being made out of cork. Everything I pour down my throat needn’t be organic/biodynamic/natural — not that there’s anything wrong with that/those. Label graphics will always be meaningless to me. And on and on.

But I have to admit that doing business with people you respect (and respect you back) and can share a laugh with and maybe a group dinner attended by others you follow and are followed by is a very modern concept I can get behind.

I ♥ @Franklywines.

WHAT FRANKLY WINES CURRENTLY HAS

Château de Béru 2007 Chablis for $24.99/bottle Sold Out!!!

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin for $21/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon for $49.99/bottle

2781 Broadway (at 107th Street) 10025 (1 to 103rd Street or 110th Street)

(212) 222-8218 http://www.mbvin.com

They say you never forget your first. Mike Martin, the sometimes gruff, always interesting, proprietor of Martin Brothers, was the first one to buy wine from me.

The tasting/sales process differs very much from place to place, and Martin's style (at least with me) was a bit taciturn, to say the least. He simply and very quietly swirled, sniffed and then tasted. Once he tasted, however, he went immediately from gruff to friendly. I suppose that given how many times a day he is pestered by people like me, a little reserve should be expected.

Martin clearly loves wine, a statement that might seem odd given that he's in the business of selling it. What I found most refreshing about him is that he doesn't treat bottles as units. In fact, when I was able to get an appointment with him, I asked what he was interested in trying. His response, or the less-earthy version, anyway, was that I should bring whatever I wanted, and that he'd know whether I was trying to dump crap on him or sell him something worth drinking.

I'm not suggesting that Martin Brothers doesn't concern itself with price points, margins, etc., because of course it, like any business, must. But in addition to that, Mike Martin is the gatekeeper so his customers don't need to be wine experts. They only need to believe that he isn't trying to dump crap on them. Judging from the brisk business done at this open and airy uptown store, trust him, they do indeed.

Two other points of interest: 1. When in a Yankee hat, as he always seems to be, Martin bears an uncanny resemblance to Andy Pettitte. 2. Of slightly more interest is the fact that that Martin is a Champagne fanatic and as such, has the best selection of growers available (the segment of the Champagne market that is the most intriguing) that I've come across in the city. So far, anyway.

JUNE 1, 2010 UPDATE

Mike Martin has moved on from the family business. He is now my direct competition (technically, anyway) having taken up with Becky Wasserman, an importer with sublime taste. So, if you happen across a back label that says "Pal Mal" on it (her company name), you can be sure that it is, indeed, pas mal. And the best part is that if you come across it in New York City, it may have been sold by Martin. But please set aside a little in the budget for Ice Bucket Selections!

WHAT MARTIN BROTHERS CURRENTLY HAS

Martin Brothers offers a 15% discount for any 12-bottle (mixed or otherwise) purchase.

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin $17.99/bottle

Domaine Pouillon NV Black Dot $18.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Hesperian 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon $43.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!! The only place in the city that still has this wine is Embassy.

Hesperian 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $35.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

21 Warren Street (between Broadway and Church Street) 10007 (1/2/3/A/C to Chambers Street; N/R to City Hall)

(212) 812-3999 http://www.newyorkvintners.com • New York Vintners on Facebook • New York Vintners on Twitter

It's very true that I spend far too much time complaining about the sales game. But then again, complaining about the sales game is very much a part of the sales game. At the same time, I'd like to think that the places where my wines end up being sold are not typical participants in the game. For the most part, anyway. In other words, the process of buying and selling between us is far more pleasant than predatory.

Even so, sales is very much about relationships. Sure, the product needs to be what the buyer wants. But just as important (or maybe more so) is the rapport between the decision maker and me. With few exceptions that I've heard of, no one wants to deal with someone who's an asshole regardless of how good the product is or how prime the placement would be.

New York Vintners, while a very nice placement for me and a place peopled by very nice people, has got to be the least relationship-driven wine retailer I've come across. There is no selling involved in the selling. Instead, what the team at New York Vintners does is invite you ("you" as in me, and others who do what I do) to submit any bottle for them to try. The only requirement is that it be brown bagged.

Once a week, they line up the submissions and taste them blind. With no context at all. No propaganda materials. No being charmed by labels or producer names. Or by distributors. They go only by what ends up in their glasses.

Then they discuss each. Then they decide what to buy. Then they call you and let you know if yours is one of the chosen ones. That's it. Egalitarianism at its most basic. 

There's a lot of action at New York Vintners. Classes, wine tasting cruises, food/wine events, etc. befitting of a store with an education bent. And I know they have a collection of mighty nice wines or they wouldn't have been on my radar to begin with. But honestly, I haven't spent much time there because I haven't needed to. I need to make a point of working on my relationship with the staff there!

WHAT NEW YORK VINTNERS CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Katydid for $31/bottle

Penn Station, L.I.R.R. Level (1/2/3/A/C/E to Penn Station/34th Street) 10001

(212) 630-0219 http://www.pennwineandspirits.com • Penn on Facebook • Penn on Twitter

One might assume that any wine store buried in the bowels of Penn Station perhaps caters to a less-than-discriminating sort of consumer. One who is either in too much of a rush to care about anything other than price and color, or one who is only in the station to stay warm. Penn Wine certainly does a lot of rush-order fulfillment, but the latter category of "shopper" is out of luck because it's against the law to drink in the station!

The first time I visited, I made the assumption that there would be big bottles of Yellow Tail or other similar low cost "party" wines available. Nope. No Yellow Tail in sight. Instead, there is a thoughtful selection of wines from just about every important wine-producing country, including a number of half bottles (and a few really big ones, too). There are grower Champagnes, interesting and seldom-seen Northwest wines, well-chosen French and Italians, and even a couple of Madeiras. My kind of place.

WHAT PENN WINE CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot Rouge for $45.99/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Pierre $25/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $37/bottle

Château de Béru 2007 Chablis $29/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Toquade 2008 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc $24/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Toquade 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc $24/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Blanc du Moulin $19/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Hesperian 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon $46/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

321 Amsterdam Avenue (at 75th Street) 10023 (1/2/3 to 72nd Street)

(212) 501-POUR • www.pourwines.com

WHAT POUR CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Santenay Saint-Jean for $45/bottle Sold Out!!

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Ladoix for $39/bottle Sold Out!!

Hesperian 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $54/bottle Sold Out!!

13 South William Street (between Broad & William Streets) 10004

(212) 689-4855 • www.royalwinemerchants.com

WHAT ROYAL WINE MERCHANTS CURRENTLY HAS

Château de Béru 2006 Clos Béru for $35/bottle

Toquade 2009 Sauvignon Blanc for $24/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Pierre for $28/bottle

Praxis 2007 Lagrein for $21/bottle

379 Downing Drive, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

(914) 962-3100 http://www.suburbanwines.com • Suburban on Facebook • Suburban on Twitter

Don't let the shopping mall location (or the drop ceiling, for that matter) fool you. Suburban may well be, well, in suburbia, but it is second to none of the Naked City's fine wine emporia.

It also happens to be (as of this writing, anyway) the northernmost outpost to find Ice Bucket selections wines in the Empire State. My plan has always been to work only in New York City. There are many reasons for this, first among them that there is simply an unrivaled critical mass of retailers, wine barkeepers and restaurateurs here that pride themselves on having interesting wine lists crammed with small-production bottles from virtual unknowns. That's Ice Bucket Selections in a nutshell.

However, one day late last fall, I got a call out of the blue from George Feaver, Suburban's general manager, inquiring about Domaine Pouillon. He had met the Pouillons at a Washington trade event previously and was looking to add to his store's already healthy Washington section. A trip or two to Yorktown Heights via a Zipcar later and Domaine Pouillon is doing quite nicely in Westchester County, thank you.

And as for the rest of the store, there is not a single important wine region left out. From grower Champagnes to sweet wines (a bunch in very conveniently formatted half-bottles) to Classified Bordeaux, Spain, Oregon and on and on, this place is very much worth a trip. The good news is that it's a quick 40 minutes or so from the city. If you happen to be out picking apples or taking in some fresh air, by all means, stop by and fill up your trunk with well-priced and well-chosen selections.

WHAT SUBURBAN CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Blanc du Moulin for $19.99/bottle Sold out!!!

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin for $19.99/bottle

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot for $19.99/bottle

55 Liberty Street (between Broadway and Broad Street) 10005 (2/3/4/5/J/M/Z to Fulton Street)

(212) 406-9463 http://www.greenegrape.com • Greene Grape on Twitter

Belying its location in the heart of the Financial District, The Greene Grape Downtown falls squarely within the hipster school of wine retailing. In other words, no attitude, not the same bottles that you might find at bigger, more traditional wine stores and a learn-without-pretension philosophy. Which makes sense given that the mother ship is found in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, a place quite familiar to those who demand a little pretension-less substance in their retail experience.

The second time I popped into the store, I noticed, to my surprise, a bottle of Chartogne-Taillet's rosé. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to wine, particularly Champagne, and I'd never before seen this grower's pink wine. Anywhere. Seth Datz, the general manager of this location, didn't seem impressed. With the wine, I'm sure he was, just not so much because he carries it. That's the vibe you get from the place. None of that elitist allocation ethic that permeates many stores where consumers are made to feel fortunate that they're permitted to part with their cash. (Greene Grape does pride itself a bit on it's artisanal spirits selections.)

Bottles are always open for impromptu tastings . They have a great blog (http://blog.greenegrape.com/) that focuses on, well, I'm not quite sure—as I'm typing this, the current post is titled "Jay McInerney's Value Chablis" and the one immediately prior, "Cayuga Pure Organics Black Beans."

These guys are earnest as proven by their seven-point statement of the "Greene Grape Core Values." But you just don't get the sense that they're too earnest. They haven't lost sight of the fact that they're selling grape juice.

WHAT GREENE GRAPE DOWNTOWN CURRENTLY HAS

Praxis 2007 Viognier $20.75/bottle

Praxis 2007 Dry Syrah Rosé $17.75/bottle

65 Vestry Street (between Washington Street and the West Side Highway) 10013 (1 to Canal Street)

(212) 810-2899 • www.vestrywines.com • Vestry Wines on Facebook • Vestry Wines on Twitter

Every once in a while, the stars align. The wine that you're trying to sell is exactly the wine the buyer you're showing it to wants to buy. Without qualification, pretense, asides about price or the state of the economy.

I had just such an experience at Vestry Wines courtesy of the store manager and buyer, Cynthia Sexton. One rainy, blustery day (Vestry's far west TriBeCa corner location pretty much guarantees blustery conditions any day), I popped open a new wine for her and her assistant manager, Tanya Raisz. I had just gotten in Domaine Pouillon's single-vineyard gewürztraminer.

Tanya, as seems to be her tasting style, didn't let on much about what she thought. No problem there, as that's usually the way the professional tasters taste. Cynthia simply exclaimed that she loved it. No ifs, ands, or buts. She's a bit more exuberant as a taster than most, but her reaction was perhaps the most enthusiastic anyone, civilian or pro, had ever uttered about one of my offerings. So much so, that when I told her what my allocation was, she wanted to buy them all.

And with that, Vestry has cornered the market. 

WHAT VESTRY WINES CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2010 Gewürztraminer for $23/bottle THIS IS A VESTRY WINES EXCLUSIVE

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Pierre for $25/bottle

23 Jones Street (between Bleecker & West 4th) 10014 (1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square; A/B/C/D/E/F/V to West 4th Street)

(212) 242-5144 http://www.winesby.com

Jeff Hock, the owner of the somewhat oddly named Winesby.com, turns the traditional concept of buying wine on its head. Actually, it's more like turning the concept on both its heads.

Before a retailer can sell wine, he/she obviously has to buy it from someone like me. For any of you who have bothered to read any of the descriptions of that process on this site or my blog, you know that there are lots of ways of running that railroad. But essentially, they all initially come down to someone like me introducing myself to someone like Jeff via a "cold call." In the wine business, those calls are typically done in person as opposed to from a phone located in a boiler room somewhere.

In the best case scenario, that brief intro secures an appointment in the future to pour a few samples for the person, like Jeff, who makes the buying decisions. Often, the cold call has the same result as it does in other business situations. The "don't call us, we'll call you" response represents more than half of these interactions. So, when I walked into Jeff's compact storefront on very quiet Jones Street, I hoped for the best and was girded for the worst as is always the case.

I peeked in and saw that there were a few other people there sitting at a round table in the middle of the cramped space. Walking in, I was cognizant of not wanting to step on some other distributor's appointment, so I quickly told Jeff that I just wanted to introduce myself and when might be a good time to follow up with him about an appointment. He looked at me and said, "Great. What have you got with you." As in, bring it on right now. Funnily enough, I had just come from an appointment at a restaurant around the corner and had some bottles with me, but was so taken off guard by the offer that I sort of stuttered something about, now's not a good time, I'll come back.

His response? Just come back anytime. No appointment necessary. Huh? I thought how could that be? Usually, the buyers spend most of their time trying to dodge guys like me. There simply isn't time for them to sit down with even a tiny fraction of the number of distributors looking for an opening.

I took him at his word, and exactly one week later, I opened his door and asked if this was a good time to try a few. He didn't seem to remember meeting me (why would he? I was only before him for something approaching 30 seconds the week before). He just said, "What do you got?" and remained standing as I pulled out a few wines. I gave him a quick spiel as I poured them in boom-boom-boom fashion. No poker face is his. He seemed to really like all three and settled on the Blanc du Moulin.

Done. Just like that.

The second head that he turns on itself is the retail experience for the consumer. He doesn't get a lot of foot traffic (hence his dismissal of my offer to come pour for his customers one evening, something that every retailer loves because it gets wines off the shelf and doesn't require them to do the selling; we love it, too, because it usually results in reorders). Mostly his customers (he must have lots because he's been in business since 2000) just call him.

And that's that. Pretty much no frills. No bells and no whistles, just an eclectic selection of bottles from all over, most of which are under $25. And many, much less than that.

I noted at the outset the name of the store is a bit odd. Not because it ends in .com (no need to Google the store to find out the web address). But he told me he doesn't do that much website business. It's more informational, I suppose.

In some ways, Jeff Hock does things the old-fashioned way. He takes on all comers (as he said to me when I dropped by the first time, "I do business with everyone."). His only criteria? "Whatever you bring needs to be better than what I have," he said.

A true meritocracy. I could get used to that.

WHAT WINESBY.COM CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin for $20/bottle Sold Out!!!

Feel free to make a recommendation or two.

13 Barrow Street (between West 4th & Bleecker) 10014 (1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square; A/B/C/D/E/F/V to West 4th Street)

(212) 741-6699 http://www.annisarestaurant.com • Annisa on Facebook

WHAT ANNISA CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin for $45/bottle

Yves & Denis Breussin 2005 Réserve Vouvray for $60/bottle; $16/glass

1900 Broadway (between 63rd & 64th) 10023 (1 to 66th Street/Lincoln Center)

(212) 595-1313 http://www.danielnyc.com • Bar Boulud on Twitter

WHAT BAR BOULUD CURRENTLY HAS

Valerie's Vineyard 2006 Carneros Pinot Noir for $69/bottle

75 Washington Place (between 6th Avenue & Washington Square) 10011 (A/C/E/B/D/F/V to West 4th Street)

(212) 539-1776 http://www.bluehillnyc.com

WHAT BLUE HILL CURRENTLY HAS

Château de Béru 2006 Clos Béru for $75/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Deux for $60/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot (price is pending)

Hesperian 2006 Harry's Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $110/bottle

Valerie's Vineyard 2006 Carneros Pinot Noir for $69/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Valerie's Vineyard 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir for $90/bottle

30 Hudson Street (at Duane Street) 10013 (1/2/3 to Chambers Street)

(212) 791-3771 www.davidbouley.com

WHAT BRUSHSTROKE CURRENTLY HAS

Praxis 2010 Viognier for $42/bottle

Toquade 2009 Sauvignon Blanc for $56/bottle

Château de Béru 2006 Clos Béru for $68/bottle

Brimstone Hill Vineyard 2009 Seyval Blanc for $42/bottle

Brimstone Hill Vineyard 2008 Foch for $42/bottle

356 E. 51st Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues, closer to 1st) 10022

(212) 230-1117

I was clued into this lovely neighborhood standby by Philippe Langner of Hesperian. Langner was in the city last year looking to find representation for his lovely single-vineyard Napa Cabs and happened into dinner there one evening. The owner is French and they hit it off, ironically, over a few bottles of the 2006 Hesperian Napa. He insisted that once Langner's wines made it to the big city, he would add at least one to his list.

And indeed he has.

WHAT DEUX AMIS CURRENTLY HAS

Hesperian 2006 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for $120/bottle Sold Out!!!

103 W. 77th Street (just off of Columbus Avenue) 10024 (1 to 79th Street)

(212) 362-3800 http://www.dovetailnyc.com

Dovetail has many charms. The space is lovely and cozy. The people who work there come across as among the nicest (and best adjusted) that I've seen at a high-end restaurant. The food is interesting without seeming to try too hard to be, perfectly executed and fairly priced. And on and on. If I were rich, I would dine there at least weekly.

But for me, what is most charming about Dovetail is the wine list. It's true that at a place of Dovetail's caliber, you expect there to be a deep and well-chosen selection of wines. So, no points there. And yes, Amanda Reade Sturgeon, Dovetail's beverage director and the assembler of the list, has made sure that you can drink at any price range that suits you on any given night. And you can do so from the bubbly at the start to the sticky at the conclusion (I've not seen a better collection of by-the-glass sweet wines in the city). So, maybe a point or two there.

Where Dovetail's wine program truly gains some separation is in its quirkiness. It's not so much that the offerings on it are nutty—though there are a few of those, such as the '05 Vitovska by Vodopivec, a white, according to the list, that is brought out at room temperature; what's more, that wine is Italian, something that suggests that Dovetail embraces the difficulty of selling Italian bianco, rather than take the easy way out by offering Santa Margherita.

It's really that the wine list is an invitation to sit back and take your time before you buy.You won't be rushed. And that's a good thing, because there are all sorts of little essays written by Sturgeon scattered about it. What's neat about the way those entries are scattered is that there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the scattering.

For example, Dovetail is crazy for Sherry, so if you're so inclined to learn, order a crisp fino and proceed to read the couple-hundred-word primer on the subject. It's thoughtful and useful. There are about 150 words on Channing Daughters, an under-appreciated North Fork producer, and about the same on the whites from a producer in Lazio. Lazio, for goodness sake! Well, that one, at least, makes some sense, because before arriving at Dovetail, Sturgeon worked at Babbo, a place that for my money has the best Italian list I've seen this side of the boot.

Yes, you can splurge on the DRC if you must (can?), but there won't be 100 words to convince you to do so. Thanks for that. The world really doesn't need to read more breathless praise of this Burgundy royal. That's Dovetail in a nutshell. Your attention is often directed to unexpected places, but you'll always be glad it was.

WHAT DOVETAIL CURRENTLY HAS

Château de Béru 2007 Chablis for $68/bottle Sold out!!!

Praxis 2007 Viognier for $62/bottle Sold out!!!

Praxis 2010 Viognier for $62/bottle

Praxis 2007 Lagrein for $65/bottle

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot for $52/bottle

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Santenay Saint-Jean for $77/bottle

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Ladoix Les Vris for $68/bottle

Denis Breussin 2005 Vouvray Réserve for $67/bottle

Hesperian 2007 Anatomy No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon for $71/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $92/bottle

Toquade 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $50/bottle

Brimstone Hill Vineyard 2009 Seyval Blanc for $50/bottle

Brimstone Hill Vineyard 2008 Foch for $50/bottle

24 W. 55th Street (between Avenue of the Americas & Fifth Avenue) 10019 (E/M to 5th Avenue-53rd Street; F to 57th Street)

(212) 767-0555 www.michaelsnewyork.com • Michael's on Facebook • Michael's on Twitter

WHAT MICHAEL'S CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Katydid for $75/bottle

250 W. 72nd Street (between West End Avenue and Broadway, much closer to West End) 10023 (1/2/3 to 72nd Street)

(212) 712-9822 http://www.pdohurleyswestend.com

We all want to be able to go to a place where everyone knows our name. And if we can find such a place within eyesight of our home, well, that's about as good as it gets. I have to admit that when the construction barriers were torn down from what had been the old All State Cafe to reveal this latest in the P.D. O'Hurley's empire, I resolved to get at least one wine in the dining room so I could have an excuse to service the account by tipping back a crisp pils or malty stout on a regular basis.

Putting aside my personal happiness for a moment, this particular PDOs is interesting on a couple of levels. First of all, as some might already realize, the flagship of this smart brand is located just up the street at 72nd and Amsterdam. Is this some sort of Starbucks-for-the-pub-business strategy? A PDO on every block? Not likely.

Rather, the brains behind the decision to go just a bit more west knows that the two locations have little, if anything, to do with each other. Seventy-second and Broadway/Amsterdam is the crossroads of the Upper West Side. I can't prove this, but I would bet that there is no place more visited than this point on the UWS. The clientele of the PDO just across the street from my subway station no doubt reflects this; many transients looking for a quick one before going east, west, north or south.

But there's a very different world just a block west on 72nd. It may not quite be quiet, but compared to the hustle and bustle of Broadway and all that entails, it can seem downright tranquil. As of this writing, there are five in the group. All are the same and all are different. Each tends toward its expected visitor. PDO @ West End (a great touch) veers toward the gastro. That doesn't mean you can't get fish and chips. But it does mean that in addition to bangers and mash (listed under "Traditional Dishes"), you can venture further afield with a shredded pork shoulder sandwich, beer can roasted chicken and bourbon-infused chicken liver pâté, too.

As befits its location, this PDO is very family friendly. There's brunch, of course. And at the same time, it's perfectly appropriate for non-family men (and women). There are the requisite TVs (be warned: If there is ANYTHING Irish-centric on, that's what you'll be watching) and a very friendly staff.

You can be sure that if you show up more than once, they'll know your name, too.

WHAT P.D. O'HURLEY'S CURRENTLY HAS

Toquade 2008 Sauvignon Blanc for $13/glass; $42/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Toquade 2009 Sauvignon Blanc for $13/glass; $42/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2009 Deux for $13/glass; $33/bottle

Praxis 2007 Dry Syrah Rosé for $13/glass; $32/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Domaine Pouillon Black Dot for $13/glass; $33/bottle

Hesperian 2007 Anatomy No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon for $14/glass; $44/bottle

Valerie's Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir for $15/glass; $55/bottle SOLD OUT!!!

Ink 48 Hotel

653 11th Avenue (at 48th Street) (C/E to 50th Street)

(212) 757-2224 http://www.printrestaurant.com • Print on Facebook • Print on Twitter

To the somewhat more cynical among us, the seasonal, farm-to-table movement in New York City's restaurant world is verging on cliche. Remember when short ribs were on every menu in the city? As for me, I'm also a bit slider fatigued. It's not like they're not tasty, but really, do we need dessert sliders? I suspect that the mind behind White Castle would be appalled at what his humble creation has wrought.

OK. Enough of that. I went to Print. (yes, the full stop is part of the name; more on that later) with an open mind, despite it being one more farm-to-tabler trumpeted in press releases, simply because the menu on the website looked so, well, fresh. Not so much because it was riddled with "new ideas" (whatever they are; is there really anything that hasn't been done before somewhere anyway?). Instead it was because it looked crisp, clean and tasty, with just enough tweaks to make me think that there was some real there here. And there is.

The room (there's also a recently opened rooftop space that given the hotel's way Far West Side location assures the views that you usually need to go to the Meatpacking District for) is clean and crisp, too. And it, like the menu, was designed with enough tweaks that it's much, much more inviting than what is, at the end of the day, a hotel restaurant that needs to serve three squares a day. 

Back to the full stop at the end of the name. The Ink 48 Hotel is housed in what is a former print shop. Thus Print.. (double stop?) This place is fairly far afield from the rest of its more mainstream Hell's Kitchen neighbors. The nearest subway stop is three long blocks east and two up away. The young, pretty things you're apt to bump into there may get blisters from their heels on the walk over, but at least the walk will be worth it.

WHAT PRINT. CURRENTLY HAS

Château de Béru 2007 Chablis for $54/bottle Sold out!!!

Domaine Chapelle 2007 Santenay Saint-Jean for $68/bottle

Toquade 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $51/bottle

Valerie's Vineyard 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir for $79/bottle Sold Out!!!

Valerie's Vineyard 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir for $79/bottle

Praxis 2007 Lodi Viognier for $40/bottle Sold Out!!!

Toquade 2008 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $44/bottle Sold Out!!!

Valerie's Vineyard 2006 Carneros Pinot Noir for $66/bottle Sold Out!!!

72 W. 69th Street (between Amsterdam & Columbus Avenues, just off of Amsterdam) 10023 (1 to 66th Street/Lincoln Center or 1/2/3 to 72nd Street)

(212) 580-4300 http://www.telepan-nyc.com

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly five years since Bill Telepan opened his place on the Upper West Side in the former Santa Fe space. And that changeover just about epitomizes what has happened to the dining scene on the UWS during the intervening years. Locals have stayed nearby more and more. They (we; I live on West 72nd) have more reason to do so because of restaurants such as Telepan. Like others involved in the uptown dining revolution, Telepan emphasizes all that is fresh and local (preferably). Telepan's style is clean and classic; the plates are thoughtfully adorned with his handiwork. And you won't be confused by crazy juxtapositions of textures, flavors or foams. That's not his style. He just brings it. And what he brings is superb in all respects.

I particularly like that the menu offers three-, four- and five-course options. À la carte is so yesterday, after all. An added health benefit to this European carte is that the portions are smaller. Because you'll have, on average, a plate or two more than you would usually, the chef doesn't need to bulk up each dish. I like walking away from a great meal rather than waddling.

The wine list, however, might just inspire you to indulge to the point of wobbliness. It's terrific. While the emphasis is on heavy-hitter appellations like Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, California Cabs, Pinot Noirs and Chards, Barolo, Amarone and Brunello, there are dozens and dozens of lesser-knowns, as well. And more importantly, to me anyway, many the heavy-hitting wines are made by small producers. After all, anyone can buy Château Latour, but not anyone can be smart enough to stock Philipponnat's marvelous rosé rather than Laurent-Perrier's or Billecart-Salmon's far-better-known versions.

To say that the wine staff likes its wine would be an understatement. Long before Aaron von Rock (cool name), Telepan's wine director, bought wine from me (not to mention long before I was even in the business of selling wine), I chatted with him about a collection of Madeiras he had recently got in. I love Madeira. So does von Rock, but in a more protective way. I asked when we would see some of these ancient beauties offered on the list; he shrugged, and said that he wasn't really ready to open them yet. It's as though he had gotten his hands on something special, and he didn't want to share! I get it.

November 2010 update

Aaron von Rock has taken his considerable talents to the new restaurant at Lincoln Center, Lincoln. Telepan's new wine guy is Sam Clifton.

WHAT TELEPAN CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Blanc du Moulin for $54/bottle Sold out!!!!

The Mark Hotel

25 E. 77th Street (between Madison & Park) 10075 (6 to 77th Street)

(212) 606-3030 www.the markrestaurantnyc.com • The Mark on Facebook 

WHAT THE MARK CURRENTLY HAS

Praxis 2007 Dry Syrah Rosé for $12/glass; $48/bottle

597 10th Avenue (between 43rd & 44th Streets) (10036) (A/C/E to 42nd Street/Port Authority)

(212) 564-4803 http://www.westsidesteakhousenyc.com • West Side Steakhouse on Facebook

Who doesn't love a love story? Here's one that starts like a classic fairy tale and ends up where it is right now: a classic steakhouse.

Once upon a time, Nick, a gravelly voiced, no-nonsense, scruffy (in the best way) guy with the soul of a romantic, met a lovely woman of Polish heritage named Ilona. Fortunately for Nick, this meeting took place at the restaurant where they were both working so there was ample time for Ilona to be won over by Nick. And so she was. They married, and then decided that there was no sense in not being together 24 hours a day, so they opened their own restaurant. That's love. The End.

Truncated or otherwise, it's a nice story. I came to learn about Nick and Ilona Zippilli and their West Side Steakhouse purely by happenstance. One rainy afternoon during this past summer of never-ending heat and humidity that was more Miami-like than NYC appropriate, I was walking up 10th Avenue on my way to visit an account. I had to stop because the heavens opened. It was my right-place-at-the-right-time moment. The awning that gave me shelter belonged to West Side Steakhouse. I took a moment to peek inside and what I saw piqued my interest.

Here was a very clean, very well-lighted place. White tablecloths, but not stuffy looking. More blond wood and stainless steel than the stuffed chairs and mood lighting that steakhouses are typically dressed in. When I had my propaganda kit with me, I'd go back and introduce myself.

Which I did the following week. There was Nick, looking very no-nonsense sitting at the bar hunched over his laptop. I think he looked up at me as I did my quick introduction, blah, blah, blah. But he may not have. He did inform me that he didn't have his liquor license yet, and that I should come back in a few weeks when he did.

Nick then gave me an opening, though he couldn't have known it then. He mentioned that it was taking a long time for that precious license to be bestowed on him, and that the delay wasn't good for business. I gave him my two cents on the SLA (that's New York State Liquor Authority) experience. It's not that we bonded, but being fellow travelers of sorts never hurts; in fact, I bet I'm the only wine salesman who has called on him who did the licensing process myself, as opposed to having the giant wine/spirits companies the other business-beggars work for taking care of all the paperwork and compliance.

I came back a few weeks later. Nick remembered me. We chatted and comisterated over his still-absent license. What struck me most about what he was going through as we approached the fall was that there were signs in the windows announcing that BYOB was not permitted while the license was still pending. And that's legally correct, but Nick's place is the only one I can recall seeing where this was actually obeyed. Usually, diners are encourgaed to bring their own until the place can legally pour its own. Poor Nick and Ilona. Their fairytale was souring because the absence of wine and booze equals the absence of an operating profit. And worse.

But they stuck it out. And I can proudly say that I was there at the moment that the license came through. A few weeks later I stopped in again. Still no license, but they were assured they were close. I was saying good-bye to Nick outside when Ilona burst out of the restaurant with the news that the license was granted. I also got the first official wine order!

OK, so what about the restaurant? Right. So, here's the concept: Classic steakhouse fare at less-than-classic-steakhouse prices. That's it.

Sixteen-ounce rib-eye $25. Twelve-ounce fillet mignon $24. Oversize shrimp cocktail $10. Caesar $7. Three sides $14. And on and on.

In a town where it's rare to find a medium-rare slab of serious beef for less than mid-30s money, it seems like a pretty good formula. It doesn't hurt that it's also the only steakhouse in this part of Hell's Kitchen (at least that I've seen).

I believe in fairy tales.

WHAT WEST SIDE STEAKHOUSE CURRENTLY HAS

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Blanc du Moulin for $38/bottle

Domaine Pouillon 2007 Pierre for $13/glass; $42/bottle SOLD OUT!!

Domaine Pouillon 2008 Pierre for $14/glass; $45/bottle

Hesperian 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $65/bottle

Hesperian 2007 Anatomy No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon for $55/bottle

Valerie's Vineyard 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir for $75/bottle