By Saul Dennis
How a region’s soil, climate, atmosphere, and traditions affect a wine’s taste is something wine cognoscenti call terroir. For the past 80 years, a similar concept has been at work on the Upper West Side.
The result isn’t a wine; rather, it’s a wine shop – one that has grown successful by embracing the terroir of the neighborhood.
67Wine is located at West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue (more on the 68-67 name mismatch later). “From the start, in 1941, my great grandparents wanted to reflect the diverse nature of the community,” says David Weiser, the fourth generation of the family to run the business, along with his father, Bernie.
For example, the store’s broad inventory reflects the neighborhood’s kaleidoscope of taste, culture, and cuisine. The shop boasts thousands of wines and hundreds of liquors. Vintages from France, Spain, and other familiar regions are well-represented, of course, but so are unexpected wine regions, including Morocco, Lebanon, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Next up: a planned exploration of wines from Ecuador will expand the offerings from less-obvious sources.
“It’s unique, a neighborhood store big enough to cater to many different tastes,” says Rand Sieger, a 67Wine salesperson. “Younger people looking for natural wines, organic wines, orange wines, along with an older group who want traditional varieties.”
Still, the heart of the relationship between store and community is something more than an impressive inventory.
“Upper West Side people like a broad range of prices, items, and they like a lot of customer attention,” said Patricia, a local writing instructor and long-time 67Wine patron. “The shop is very Upper West Side.”
Paula, another customer, echoed the sentiment. Happily buying a bottle of Dom Perignon for a birthday celebration — her own — she let the Rag know, “My friends and I, this neighborhood, demand good service, and this store has very good service.” (Happy birthday, Paula.)
Will, originally from Brazil, has frequented 67Wine for three years. Gently rocking a baby carriage while scanning the shelves, he added (quietly, lest he disturb the baby), “The store reflects the neighborhood vibe. It’s inviting.”
There’s a reason for that. Several, really. The staff, like the community they serve, is quite diverse. The shop proudly had female and minority managers long before that was common. Today, 67Wine employees hail from close to home and around the world, including Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Trinidad.
And once they come to 67Wine, employees tend to stay. Debra, a salesperson who prefers her last name not be used, has been with the shop a decade. Her colleague Rand Sieger has worked there 13 years.
The camaraderie born of these long tenures is something the neighborhood appears to value. “The store is different from other wine shops,” says customer Matt. “Like the neighborhood, it’s friendly. People seem to like each other.” A regular, Matt calls the staff by their first names and says his trust in the shop is so strong that he doesn’t bother comparing prices with other wine stores.
Bart Hopkins, who’s worked at 67Wine for 27 years, notes that “The Upper West Side has a very sophisticated palate, yet there are still echoes of the bohemian.”
The neighborhood’s collective, eclectic palate drives another practice central to the 67Wine experience: The salespeople are also the shop’s buyers.
“We have a vested interest in selling wines we feel people would like to drink,” says Hopkins. (Notice that word feel, not simply think.) “I feel connected to the wines…look at them as my children.”
Jeremiah Charles, who started in the basement stockroom 10 years ago and is now a salesperson/buyer, describes the connection this way: “When I recommend something to someone, and they come back and say ‘thanks,’ that makes my day, reassures me that all the education and courses are worth it.”
Meeting the needs of a community that co-owner David Weiser describes as “full of artists, highly educated people, life-long learners” is also why 67Wine salespeople are credentialed from organizations like the Wine & Spirits Trust and the Institute of Culinary Education.
“We specifically want to engage the curiosity of our customers and deconstruct the snobbery of wine,” says Oscar Garcia Monacada, who leads the shop’s Behind the Label: Somm Series. The program features talks and tastings of wines chosen for their distinct craftsmanship, quality, and value. As he puts it, “Sharing interests makes customers friends of 67Wine.”
An ongoing dialogue between shop and community? That’s terroir in action.
Christine, a regular who’s lived just a few blocks from 67Wine for 42 years, says the shop is “a staple…one of the few places that has remained.”
A place that has remained. A store whose offerings, staff, and way of doing business mirror the diversity and sense of history that define the UWS. This explains a lot about 67Wine’s staying power.
Still, terroir doesn’t explain the mismatched name (67Wine) and address (West 68th Street). We had to ask. “Oh, my great grandfather, Sam, just thought 67 sounded better than 68,” said Wesier, with a grin.
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In terms of breadth, depth, and knowledge of all appellations and producers both big and small, this the best wine store in the UWS, and one of the best in the city. We are extremely lucky to have them. If you’re looking for $8 chards then go to New Jersey.
Wesier or Weiser?
That’s quite a photo! Especially as if it looks like the whole UWS has lined up to buy GALLONS of wine.
I believe they own the building. Perhaps one reason that Thomas drug has survived. They are the last survivors from the 70s. Maloney Grocery, Climax Hardware, The Red Baron, Emerald Inn, Goidrich, Lenge, Rikyu and so many more all gone