Monday, November 5, 2007

Thirst Wine Merchants


For the first real post to the blog I figured I should spend a little time talking about what has quickly become our favorite wine shop. Both Mickey and I are unabashed winos, and we love trying new and interesting wines whenever we can. We have a couple of good stores up in Queens and in the city that we'll frequent, and we'll also stock up at Costco and buy online from time to time.

Thirst opened up a little while back and quickly became our number one source for wine, local or otherwise. The shop is small, especially compared to the bigger merchants in the city, but it's a gorgeous and inviting space. Because of the small space there isn't a gigantic selection of wines, but what is there is almost uniformly excellent. The owners Michael and Emilia really know their stuff, and we always tell everyone that you can basically go in to their store and throw a dart and you'll walk out with a bottle you'll enjoy. They've got plenty of amazing wines in all price ranges, too, so you don't need to spend a lot to get a great bottle. There's absolutely zero pretension in the store and no pressure to act like a wine snob (although we all are).

Over the last few months I've been making a point of trying something new every time I go in, and over the three dozen or so different wines I've bought I can only think of one or two that I didn't love, and it's not like I actively disliked either of those. Thirst will keep track of everything you've ever bought there, too, so if you can't remember that great rosé you had a few months back, they will - if you want them to, of course. They won't track your purchases unless you agree to it.

They have weekly wine tastings that they post up on their website. If you're in the 'nabe and like wine, do yourself a favor and stop by since I guarantee you'll find something that will make you want to go back.

By the way, this picture was shamelessly stolen from a great write-up on Cool Hunting.com.

Information:

Thirst Wine Merchants
187 DeKalb Avenue
718.596.7643

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG! I'm done with your Blog!! These guys are just buying Kermit Lynch wine and selling it for more than it's worth. Please go to Olivino on Fulton Ave, you will get the same wine for $3 cheaper.

Anonymous said...

I'll stop in at Thirst again, but the first time I went there, they didn't have any wine in my normal price range. I'm not saying it's overpriced--I haven't compared anything--but I didn't find anything under $10 or $12, which I just can't afford 3x/week.

Brian said...

They have a lot of bottles I like at $13 and $14, but you're right that they don't seem to have much if anything below that. I'm willing to pay the dollar or two more to try new stuff there because I'm almost guaranteed to like it. Stuff we end up really liking we can get cheaper elsewhere, but Thirst is great for finding new bottles I wouldn't otherwise try.

Anonymous said...

Hello, this is Michael from Thirst. Contrary to some of the comments, we have lots of options at $10 and under. Our wines, and spirits, across the board, are very fairly priced. Not only that, we offer 15% off cases.

. said...

This is a wonderful shop, the best in the neighborhood by a long shot. "Just carry Kermit Lynch" give me a break, its perhaps 10% of their stock. Three cheers for accuracy, three cheers for THIRST.

Anonymous said...

It's an alright place at best and that is all it will ever be. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

The staff at Olivino and Greene Grape are way more friendly and approachable.

Brian said...

I'll have to respectfully disagree. I've always found the staff at Thirst to be extremely helpful and friendly.