Cork Wine and Spirits
“I refuse to shop anywhere else anymore, and as for my friend John – he lives 18 blocks away and will only shop with Iggy.”
“good wine shop with a tons of options, they had a decent champagne section, they did have one of my favs, so points for that, and they delever.”
Cork Wine and Spirits
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
7 reviews
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Great new addition to the Gramercy area!!!! Welcome!
It did not take much persuasion to make my first visit to Cork Wine and Spirits- their floor to ceiling windows open into a huge and well-lit space with innumerable types of wine and hard liquor.
It's not your average run-of-the-mill liquor store, and even if you're not looking to make a purchase, it's definitely worth a look-around.
Iggy, the store owner, did a great job with the space.
The bottles are not stacked behind each other, as is the case at other liquor stores. I'm assuming they have a separate inventory in the back to prevent the bottles from collecting dust and to make the store look as presentable and clean as possible. They also have a walk-in refrigerator for their fine wines! How cool is that!
I will definitely be going to Cork Wine and Spirits now for my weekly purchases, instead of Morton.
PS- Although I'm not much of a photographer, I added photos of the space.
PPS- And if you purchase a bottle of wine, they pack your bottle in a brown paper wine bag so you won't need to spend extra money to buy one, in the case you are gifting the bottle. Awesome! Plus major brownie points.
Cork Wine and Spirits was the only place open at 9 pm on a friday night that was within a short distance. I decided to give it a try and ended up walking into a gorgeous wine store. Now, i'm no wine connoisseur but the design made it easy to get whatever I was looking for. They have a wide variety and selection of wines and champagne and the staff was very friendly and gave great recommendations. I would definitely recommend coming here to pick something up before a date or just for a night in! Reasonable prices + friendly staff, a rare combination in NYC = Happy customer.
So I lived right near Cork in 2008 and 2009 (it wasn't Cork back then, it was an unremarkable liquor store), and now I live here again. When I moved back, Cork was closed and called something else. I was sad, because it meant my extraordinarily lazy rump had to venture two blocks further (I know, the horror!!) to get my imbibe on.
When Cork finally reopened, I was shocked at how nice it was. It's 1st avenue, after all, right off 23rd street, it's not exactly a block with fancy storefronts.
But, Cork is different. It's very clean, very bright, spacious, and chock-full of so many different types of wine and liquor. They have the unusual, the cheap and the high-end. They have a wall of Sake. They have a wall of nips. Brands of liquor I didn't even know came in nip form, Cork has it. Limited edition Champagne, wines for $6 and wines for $600.
I have been in too many times to count. I always see the same manager there, always friendly and smiling and helping customers. I am a jerk and think I know best, so I always just grab what I know to be good and bee-line for the counter.
One day my friend John comes over with some really excellent red wines and explains he tried the new wine store across the street. I tell him I go there all the time and he exclaims "Oh! Then you must have met Iggy, isn't he great!?"
Iggy? Who is Iggy?
So the next time I went in, I asked the nice looking manager if he could help me find some wine. He introduced himself as Iggy and I told him my name and that I lived in the area. He made some killer recommendations, I told him his shop was great and went on with my day.
Now, every time I go in, Iggy is there, smiling and ready to help me with whatever I need. Sometimes I need cheap cooking wine, and he hands me the cheapest bottle in the place. "I'd love to up-sell you, but really, this is all you need." Another time I went in before Christmas and said I wanted something really special to bring to my mom's house for the holidays. "Get this red, it's well balanced and the price is fair." He also let's me know his prices are competitive and asked me to let him know if I see anything cheaper elsewhere so he can mark his down.
His honesty and thoughtfulness is refreshing, and his knowledge is so helpful and needed in this area. He takes pride in his work and his products, and I appreciate that so much. I refuse to shop anywhere else anymore, and as for my friend John – he lives 18 blocks away and will only shop with Iggy.
Cork for the win. Go ask for Iggy.
i walked into this place and asked the owner if i could move in. not because i am a total booze bag, but because the atmosphere is amazing. the prices are very reasonable and the selection is out of bounds. i cannot walk by without going in, not because i am a total booze bag, but because it's such an incredible presentation of alcohol.
Like a breath of fresh air.
Used to be a really good wine store here. Then it got sold. TO AN IDIOT. The idiot ruined it.
It went from having a huge selection of wines from different regions, a high-end temperature controlled room with super old and rare wines, and massive selection of spirits to a store with rows and rows of same few liquors lining the shelves. It was heartbreaking. And ghetto. It because the place that needs a security booth and the best place in the 'hood to buy White Lightning.
Enter the new owners, and while the decor is kind of on the austere side with box shaped shelves made from very light grained wood, the store seems new and fresh, and has lots of interesting variety. It appears they've set up some tasting areas, so hopefully there'll be some regular activities over there.
I passed by just by chance and was pleasantly surprised to see the changes. Apparently the former owner (clown) mismanaged the place and the license reverted back to the previous owner (not sure why that is exactly, but that's apparently the case), who sold it to the current owners.
Keep up the good work guys.
good wine shop with a tons of options, they had a decent champagne section, they did have one of my favs, so points for that, and they delever.
This may be the most beautifully designed wine shop in NYC. It is is incongruously located amidst undistinguished shops on First Avenue in Stuyvesant Town. Not is it only a treat for the eyes, but for the oenophile in you. They have a great selection and are reasonably priced. The staff is both knowledgeable about their inventory, but helpful as well.