Astor Wines & Spirits has been a Greenwich Village fixture since 1946. When we decided to move to bigger digs recently, we thought it was only fitting that we’d end up in a New York City Landmark, the De Vinne Press Building. A charming and formidable structure, it has stood on the corner of Fourth and Lafayette Streets in Manhattan since 1885. Its façade has been carefully maintained, leaving its charming period-specific features intact. We aren’t just interested in preserving great wines; we want to keep the rich history of our neighborhood alive as well, so the building is a perfect home for our new space. Whether you’re a longtime Village denizen or just a passer-by, you’ll appreciate the 50% larger sales floor and incredible new amenities at our new location, which is just a two-minute walk south of our old one.
After we built our Cool Room, saké chillers, and controlled environment for basement storage, we had more wines and sakés on site in temperature-controlled areas than any other retailer. We’d also begun consuming an impressive amount of electricity, which didn’t sit so well with us. For a time it seemed that our commitment to proper wine storage was at odds with our green environmental policies. But then it occurred to us: why not just make and recycle our own electricity? Now, deep in our cellars, two natural gas-powered Micro-Turbines (some of the cleanest-burning engines on earth) quietly keep our wines and sakés at the perfect temperature for you. Any heat the generators produce is recycled into even more energy, so that nothing is wasted. We are proud to be the greenest wine store in the world, proving that taking care of our wines doesn't have to mean forgetting about our planet.
Organic, Biodynamic, and Natural winemakers are on a mission. It’s something that’s close to our hearts, so we're thrilled to see that they're only getting more popular. They strive to bring you wines that represent the purest possible expressions of grapes, vintage, and soil, and to do so with a minimal impact on the environment. Since this, in a nutshell, is our philosophy, these fanatical grape farmers are some of our favorites. As you know, we too tend to go a little overboard in ensuring the quality of our wines, so those deemed the most delicate by our buyers won't be found in the Organic section: they're kept safe and sound at a constant 57º in our Cool Room.
If you’ve got no more patience than the average New Yorker, you probably shouldn’t try making saké. In case you don’t believe us: the first step in the process is "rice polishing" (just as time-consuming as it sounds). Luckily for you, we’ve got nearly 200 of the world’s finest artisanal sakés right here, resting comfortably in temperature-controlled units. In fact, we’re the only store that preserves these delicate brews at 40 degrees at all times, both in our display chillers and in our cellars. We know you’re busy. But trust us: you’ll want to make a little time to explore our truly stellar selection.
We adore our wine buyers. They’re really good at what they do, and we’d like to keep them around. But we know (because they told us) that they would leave in a heartbeat if we ever ruined their delicious selections by storing them improperly. So whenever they decide that a wine is especially delicate, we take it straight to our Cool Room. Unlike other stores, at Astor this decision is based solely on the wine’s sensitivity to large swings in temperature – not its price. From inexpensive biodynamic wines to delicious bottles of Moscato d’Asti to 1982 Bordeaux, anything requiring gentler handling is stored at 57º in the Cool Room. Our buyers stay happy, and you end up with better-tasting wines.
Curious about Bavarian plum wines? So are we, actually. And if we ever come across a great one, we’ll make sure you get a chance to try it at one of our free tastings. Each week, we pour some of our favorite wines, spirits and sakés so you can taste and learn in a casual, relaxed, and – did we mention free? – environment. If you happen to like a particular wine or saké that’s poured, purchase it the day of the tasting and we’ll take 15% off the price. Tastings are held most weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m. Sync up your busy schedule with ours by signing up for our weekly email alerts, or check out the calendar to find out what we’re pouring next.
Astor Wines & Spirits 399 Lafayette St. New York, NY 10003
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