ABOUT US

OUR FIVE TENETS

1. WE TASTE EVERY WINE sold at California Wine Merchants, with only the exception of some vintage and extremely rare wines, so that we can offer our customers the highest quality California wines at every price point to satisfy a diversity of palates.


2. WE SEARCH FOR UNDISCOVERED CALIFORNIA WINES that we can bring to our customers first. We look to be the first retail point of presence for these California wines actively engage our distributors to carry these brands.


3. WE STRIVE TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE either when visiting our shop in Manhattan, over the phone, or when shopping online. We take pride in our store and in our merchandise and it important that we maintain a clean, appropriately temperate space, with an inviting, well organized atmosphere.


4. WE LOOK TO EMPLOY A STAFF THAT IS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND APPROACHABLE AND ABOVE ALL HAS A PASSION FOR WINE, particularly California wine. We strive to provide tasting notes on every wine so that customers can shop in peace, however, a member of our team will always be available to offer prompt service and thoughtful recommendations.


5. WE WILL NEVER OFFER INCENTIVES TO OUR SALES STAFF TO PUSH A PARTICULAR WINE. Many wine retailers employ this strategy and we feel it short changes the customer and jeopardizes the trust he or she has offered the merchant. We believe in all of our wines and have worked hard to personally select the best options to suit our customers' varied tastes. At California Wine Merchants, you can be sure that you are getting our honest and best advice.

About The Shop

California Wine Merchants is the only wine store in New York that specializes in wines from California. The shop represents the best California has to offer; from outstanding inexpensive wines to limited production family wineries to famous names and the latest cult producers. Offering dedicated service to enthusiasts and collectors, California Wine Merchants introduces lesser distributed and difficult to find wines to the New York market at the retail level. After hours the shop hosts numerous tastings and events devoted to the appreciation of California wines.

About The Proprietors

Taylor Senatore has a deep understanding of wine both from studying the essentials at the French Culinary Institute and from his varied experiences writing about wine, and buying and selling wine at the retail and restaurant level. When he's not at the store waxing poetic about California wines, Taylor can be seen as a cast member of the new PBS television series, "The Wine Makers."

Jennifer Frank is the author of Wine At Your Fingertips, part of the new "At Your Fingertips" series by "Complete Idiot's Guide" publishers Alpha Books. She has accumulated vast wine knowledge as a writer, educator, and sommelier and holds an Advanced Certificate with Merit from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Jennifer can be found at the shop sharing her insights and enthusiasm with California Wine Merchants' customers.

Taylor and Jennifer have traveled extensively to all of California's wine regions, discovering great juice and meeting with producers and winemakers, to make the dream of California Wine Merchants a reality.