Appellation

Upon first impression I would say that this store is absolutely a five star establishment. But after going there repeatedly, I can’t help but come here with some constructive criticism — mostly as a word of warning to the shop itself.
First of all, some of your prices are just ridiculous. I have found the exact same bottles of liquor one block away at regular Manhattan liquor stores for at least 20% less. I understand that you have many rare, local and small batch items, however you really need to rein yourselves in a little bit and you can’t apply that pricing logic to everything in the store!
Second and most importantly, I have just stopped going because everyone who works there is nice (SO NICE!) but obnoxiously overbearing (SO OVERBEARING!). It’s great when you go into a store and someone asks you if you need help. But it’s NOT GREAT when that same person asks you 3 or 4 times in one visit, along with every single other person that works there. And to make matters worse, I find that store employees will literally argue with me about not needing help! Seriously, WTF? This happens all the time. Someone asks if I need help and I say no, and then they keep coming back to argue with me about why I really should take some help. And then when I insist that I don’t want any help and I’m just looking around, they finally sulk away with this hurt and confused expression. But then 3 minutes later someone else bombards me anyway and we start this disgusting dance all over again.
It’s so f&*#king annoying. And it’s not just me — It’s actually a running joke between several other people in the neighborhood. You guys need to understand that not everyone wants a goddamn lecture on how the hops were feeling during fermentation and what the spirit maker ate for breakfast the day he/​she bottled the booze. I’ve tried to come in and approach this issue in so many different ways — from asking very specific questions, to flat out saying that I absolutely did not want any help. But every time it’s the same relentless, overbearing experience.
I just can’t take it anymore.

Love this place! I just moved to the neighborhood, but I can already feel myself becoming a regular. I’m lucky that I live so close but even if I didn’t, I’d go out of my way to return based not only on the shop’s variety, but especially their incredibly kind and knowledgeable staff.

Hands down the best wine store in Manhattan. Not only is every single person who works there lovely, but every single one knows his /​her stuff. Competitive prices for the neighborhood, tastings every weekend, and the kind of store I’m proud to support.

My favorite wine shop in the city. Super helpful and accessible staff, outstanding and varied selections at all price points.

I called up to order some wine for my father as a gift for Father’s Day. They were super friendly and put together an assortment that fit my budget and preferences perfectly! They even delivered for free, though my parents only live 3 blocks away. The wine was beautifully wrapped and the gift card was adorable. My dad was thrilled! Thanks, appellation!

I live in LA and needed to have a gift (the gift of alcohol never goes out of style) delivered to my company’s HQ in Chelsea. Called Chelsea Wine Vault. They couldn’t deliver same day. (What? The office is 3 blocks away. Mmk.) Called Appellation. Not only did Scott recommend something fantastic and unique in my price range, he had the bottle I chose — with a personalized note — delivered to the recipient immediately, then sent me the receipt and a handwritten note thanking me for my business. That’s what I’m talking about. Highly knowledgable, not the most expensive place on the block, and great customer service. A+. Thanks, Scott.

I suddenly discovered this great place! the guy Mark really gave me expression that he knew what he was talking about. I bought an organic wine and stil havnt opened up cause it’s so precious for me haha but i just gave myself a nice thing to do after work:)

Love this place. Was walking my dog when I happened upon it, and was about to be disappointed as most places don’t allow dogs inside no matter how well behaved. The staffer not only welcomed my dog in, but had a bowl of water for him too! This is a great shop with a selection that true wine geeks can appreciate. No Yellow Tail here. I needed to bring a bottle of wine to a tasting party and being in the wine business myself, dislike hovering salespeople. I decided to play ball though, when they asked what I was looking for. They pinpointed a small production Grenache Blanc at under $ 25, which I appreciated. In addition they gave me 10% off for signing up for their newsletter on the spot. I also appreciate that! There’s also a groovy overstuffed bookshelf of wine books at the entrance, many of which I own, but are free for customers to browse through. Love it. I raise my glass to you, Appellation Wine & Spirits!

I’d give Appellation 6 stars if I could! In each new neighborhood (and city) I move to, I look for a cute local wine store where I spend lots of time browsing and not feel cramped or judged by overly pretentious staff. After being unsuccessful with several stores on 7^th, 8^th and 9^th Ave, I fell in love with Appellation from the first visit. The store is well organized & not too crowded, and employees are casual yet professional. They’re also super helpful and friendly — they don’t talk down to customers nor assume we know too much. Wines are available in any price range, there is a note/​description about each one, and I like the focus on small producers.
I also appreciate how Appellation keeps track of all my purchases so I can reference back to «that unusual wine from Argentina I bought around the 4^th of July… it’s not a Malbec but some other S American grape???» and they know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve only used their delivery service once but was also impressed.

I don’t think I can say enough about Appellation. When I first moved to New York City, I was trying to fine a good wine shop that went a bit against the grain of too-​corporate wine. I’m not too knowledged in the world of wine, but its a growing hobby and Appellation as definitely helped faciltate that desire. I found Appellation through some through web searching and was enthusiastic that they specialized in organic, bio-​dynamic, bio-​sustainable, smaller producers, etc. They did not disappoint.
The pricing is very, very competitive and in my opinion fantastic for the quality of wine offered. If your selection is either out of stock or not at room temperature/​refrigerated, they won’t try to up-​sell you drastically to an alternative. The recommendations are always well thought of and quite often open your palette to some excellent wines that you would have never thought of trying and thankful that you did. I’ve purchased cheaper wines in quantities for parties and always get comments on how delicious the wine is and have also purchases more expensive wines as gifts or for more formal occasions. My wife is a French national and during one of my first trips to France to visit friends and family, I turned to Scott, one of the owners, in dire need of a recommendation that would help represent the United States on a French table. The wine was so impressive that my wife’s godfather could not stop talking about how fantastic the wine was and that it totally reminded him of some great wine from a very old bottle. I have to admit that I did feel a swell of patriotic pride when I kept hearing, «C’est exceptionnel et extraordinaire!», from him at the table along with a lot of nodding and satisfied comments.
Although, I have to say there is a downside of finding a place like Appellation. It turns out they’re one avenue away from my office which increases that temptation even more so of trying out the weekly wine recommendation on their e-​mail newsletter. The delivery is practically a steal and as a no-​tipping policy if I remember correctly. Definitely, a great place to buy wine and spirits and Appellation is my go-​to wine shop even though I live in Inwood. You’ll never even get a hit of arrogance or judgmental attitude while you shop and will definitely feel rewarded as soon as you pop that cork!

Reasonably priced wines with good variety.
I walked with a vague description of wine for a gift. I was greeted immediately at the door as the guy working described to me 4 to 5 choices that fit my friend’s palate. The best thing he did was compare the wine to other fruit. I do not understand wine lingo and concepts. His explanations made absolute sense. Turns out his recommendation was on point. Bought a white wine that tasted amazing even not fully chilled.
Definitely would return to try new recommendations!

Ordered a Beaujolais by recommendation of their knowledgeable staff.
Very nice selection of wines. Environs are somewhat sparse, though spacious & not over crowded.
Young male staffer knew his stuff and able to recommend a phenomenal French Beaujolais that totally surprised us with it’s fruit forward sophistication & went excellently with our French dinner.
Took a picture of this amazing wine, however must of been after the bottle was consumed, because it was a blur. Guess it’ll forever remain a tasty memory.

I don’t know anything about wine. Seriously. Nothing. But this wine shop carries an eclectic selection of biodynamic ones. I’m not sure what biodynamic means, but judging by the bottle I got there, it might mean incredibly tasty.
Beautiful bottles, helpful staff, and wide price range.
I said I was looking for something annoyingly vague — like white, affordable, and pre-​champagne — and still got an excellent recommendation from one of the staffers.

I really love this little wine shop.
The staff is very knowledgable and unpretentious, they have wines to fit all budgets and needs, plus they have a fantastic selection of organic/​sustainable/​biodynamic wines.

A great, focused little store, with organic/​biodynamic wines. There will be lots here that you haven’t seen before or don’t recognize, as well as some you may be familiar with. At least that was the case with me, and I’m a frequent wine drinker, er, browser. The staff was friendly and helpful, with an obvious passion for what they sell. It’s in a wonderful area of Chelsea, and while the prices don’t seem to be a bargain, I would happily stop by to pick up a bottle now and then to take home. (I might get 2 bottles if I didn’t live so far…)
There is a nice wine library — literally a library of books — for you to browse, or get ideas, or just get pleasure from the books. That’s a very nice touch. There are some very nice wine books out there, some long out of print, and I thought that was super-​cool.
Looking forward to going back and trying something new. I saw an Italian Petite Arvine, a grape I’ve only seen in Swiss Wines. Props to Appellation.

These guys are great! They have a great selection and a nice open space to walk around and peruse it. Every time I go in, they are eager to help me find the right wine for my occasion (or just to stock for later). They can make recommendations based on other wines, on specific flavors – pretty much anything you can think of.
They keep everything on file and make suggestions based on other wines you have tried and liked before. Love it!

This is the closest wine store to my apartment and by far the best that I’ve been to in Chelsea. Great selection of wines, great people. That’s a combination for success.
Make sure you sign into their system as they help track wines purchased.

Scott, the owner, is a very nice person and is very knowledgeable about wine. I always enjoyed going there and say «I liked that one, give me something similar, or give me something different, or surprise me!!». He’s great, store is great, and yes — wine delivery!
Too bad I moved to Brooklyn …

Cool looking store. Nice and clean, not overly cluttered. And I guess organic is OK, though when it comes to wine I don’t seek out organic.
But my biggest problem with this place is what others seem to like. the help. Sure they may be knowledgeable (although I suspect they think they know more than they know) — but I found them to be a bunch of pretentious wine people. I thought pretension & wine were out. What gives?
Maybe it was just a bad day for them (both the guy & the girl there) but it will be a while before I give snobbish winos my business again…

Further proof that 10^th Avenue is the real center of Chelsea. This clean, white oasis of organic wine is the perfect little spot to discover your next favorite bottle. They specialize in organic, biodynamic, and other green friendly wines, so you feel like you’re doing something sort of good for the environment by drinking a lot of wine.
Usually such earthy shopping carries a high price tag, but not here. I found a delicious new wine called Carmenere (apparently it’s what you call Bordeaux grapes when they’re grown elsewhere — in this case Chile), and a wonderful New Zealand Chardonnay, both under $ 15. I bought a half-​case of each for a party I was throwing. The staff (particularly Scott, one of the owners) was gracious, knowledgeable and helpful. And they deliver anywhere in Manhattan. I am sold.