It seems everyone and their brother is opening up a new wine store these days, but I have to say, the new Astor just raised the bar so far above everyone elses heads it's not even funny. Not only do they continue to stock their massive store with wines that are interesting and unique (as opposed to the usual Parker rated selections that every other store tends to carry), but their treatment of the wines themselves is just remarkable. Their cool room (a feature many other stores have) is not just for the high end wines (as is the case with the others), but rather houses all their natural and biodynamic wines that are sensitive to temperature changes. The store itself is gorgeous, and the sales staff is always ready to help you pick out a good bottle. Anyway, if you're shopping anywhere else, you're undoubtedly over paying and cutting yourself short in terms of selection.
Pros: selection, prices, general ambiance
Cons: further from the 6 train, so I actually have to walk the whole block to get there.
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