Downtown and Close to Earth

The Friendly, Courteous Connoisseur Just Around the Corner

Sure, Downtown Cellars (formerly The Greene Grape Downtown) has about 240 different bottles of wine from all over Europe, South America, Australia, South Africa and other far-flung and close-to-home wine-growing regions. They stock a wide variety for any occasion or mood, but it’s the staff that really sets this boutique wine shop apart. We agree wholeheartedly with this comment from Chris W. on Yelp: “The service is unparalleled – knowledgeable, friendly, and always ready with a great new suggestion.” Now that’s customer satisfaction.

We spoke recently with current owner and wine connoisseur, Seth Datz, to find out more about one of favorite neighborhood spots. According to Datz, Downtown Cellars specializes in hard to find wines, wines from small vineyards and organic and sustainable wines that retail for $20 and under. “I like the wines that are still owned by the growers, some of my favorites are red Burgundies and German Rieslings,” he said.

And if you’re thirsty for a better understanding of wines, Downtown Cellars runs a fantastic free tasting every Friday from 5-7 p.m. Be sure to join their email list to get updates and find out about each week’s theme. “Our emails go out to about 6,000 customers. A lot of people meet after work and, depending on the tasting and the night, our store can be so crowded you can’t move,” Datz said. “We sometimes have an ‘Old World versus New World’ theme where our customers can compare Chardonnay from France to Chardonnay from California.” Sounds fun!

So what’s their most popular wine? You may be surprised. According to Datz, “Italian reds are very common, but the wine sold most is a Savigny Blanc from Chile. It’s inexpensive and great!” Other bestsellers include a California Pinot Noir and Prosecco, the dry Italian sparkling wine.

With fine spirits, constant promotions and frequent tastings, Datz makes finding your own favorite wine easy and comfortable. Even better, a rewards program allows customers five percent back on each purchase. And when you have $20 worth of rebates, you’ll receive a $20 voucher at the store. Cheers!

Downtown Cellars

55 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10005