Greetings!
So, I’m moving to New Haven this fall, and mostly curious about wine shops. Looking for all the info on where to buy interesting wines, well priced wines, and/ or specialty shops. Really curious if there’s anything like Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Oakland?
If there’s nothing in the immediate area, where to people get their wine shipped from? NYC?
Thanks for the info!
Howard
I grew up in New Haven. When I visit family, I remember this place was okay. Can’t remember pricing. http://www.mtcarmelwine.com/
You can just get Kermit Lynch, KL Wines, etc… to ship to you in CT. Good luck.
I have been to Mt. Carmel Wine Co. a few times and it is one of the best I have seen in CT, especially for Bordeaux. It was always a quite friendly and helpful shop.
Hi Howard!
I re-located to CT (Fairfield) from SF in the last year so can share a few things.
First there is no KLWM 
Kermit is fairly unique as an importer/retailer with the added benefit of tenure and their relationship with many benchmark winemakers.
One ship to check out in New Haven is WineThief- been a few years since i have visited but they had some good selections. I just went to Mt Carmel for the first time last week. Fun shop to explore, was a little nervous about all the old vintages on the shelf in a moderate AC environment. Went conservative and picked up a 2015 Drouhin Clos Corbe MSD, will return to try more as bottle was sound.
In Fairfield/Westport the shops are small to mid sized and tend to cover all bases so selection in any one region is limited. That said, I have found plenty of good bottles and some surprises. More Oregon wine than expected (multiple shops with Kelly Fox, Belle Pointe etc), and it is a less competitive market than CA so you can still find things like Produttori Barbaresco 2016 crus at release pricing. If you want to venture this far south, PM me and happy to share the shops I have found.
For cellar stocking, I have started the transition process to more east coast sourcing. I am working on my first orders with Berserker’s Down to Earth and Ansonia. I’m close enough to Zachy’s to drive and pick up, and have stockpiled a little champagne from one of their recent sales.
Good luck and don’t forget to prioritize forming your opinion on Pepe’s/Modern/Sally’s!
Thank you for the information Nathan, Ansonia is new to me, and looks like a great “local” resource as well. Will definitely check out Mt Carmel when I get into town.
Howard
Also in the White Plains area, Grapes The Wine Company, not to be confused with another store with a similar name. Daniel Posner sends out regular emails on some high end wines, they can consolidate and ship.
Is Amity Wine still around? That used to be the big shop in the New Haven area. Glad to hear the Wine Thief is still a going concern.
BTW, Sally’s!!
Table & Vine in Springfield is only an hour or so from New Haven, and Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge isn’t much further.
Total Wine has 4 stores in CT and will ship some items in-state. Milford is probably closest to New Haven. Saratoga Wine Exchange in upstate NY ships to CT.
If you take vacations up the New England coastline, New Hampshire State Liquor stores have frequent mixed case discount sales.
Paging Noah C
Welcome to right coast Howard. There are many good choices within driving distance and I find they complement each other. In addition with a good number of stores within 1-2 day delivery time you will never run out of sources…just cash. Is there anything in particular you hunt ?
CT sucks for wine, do your purchasing in NY or MA.
I have lived in New Haven for 16 years. I’ve only been a big time wine nerd for 5 of those, but still feel like I can speak to the wine scene with some authority.
First, the recommendation for Mount Carmel Wine is spot on. It is by far my favorite wine shop in the area. Great selection, super knowledgeable staff, incredible deals sometimes if you poke around. Their selection of Bordeaux and Burgundy is particularly good, and while the storage conditions are not stellar, I know for a fact that many of their older bottles come from their basement. I’ve never been down there, but the conditions must be decent. I’ve taken a risk on a few older bottles back to the 80s and mostly had good luck.
Amity Wine is still around but no longer a great shop. It’s ok. Wine Thief is a nice place that I enjoy visiting. Their selection isn’t huge, but it is very well curated and they carry producers that can be hard to find. Prices are a bit on the high side, but you’re not paying for shipping, so it all evens out.
If you happen to be driving South on 95 towards NY, consider stopping by Rye Brook Wine & Spirit Shop. I’ve only been there a few times, but my impression has been that it’s a weird place. Very unassuming, mostly inexpensive mass produced stuff on the shelves, metal music blasting, and staff that know nothing about wine. But, they have an amazing online selection. None of that stuff is on the shelves though, so you have to order it ahead of time. I would suggest making an online order a week before, then call them and ask them to hold it at the counter for pick up. It’s just a few mins off the Merritt.
If you’re driving North on 95, I’d recommend taking a stop off at Coastal Wine and Spirits in Branford. It’s 99% a big box store, but has an incredible little corner in the back (on the left side) with some really fantastic stuff. I don’t really know what the deal is, but there is a really old dude who works there, who told me it was his “private selection”. I don’t really know what that means but I remember seeing Le Pergole Torte, Ferrando, Cote Rotie, nice Burgundies. I think he mentioned he is friends with Neil Rosenthal. Anyway, the store is right off the highway, so it’s worth a stop is you’re passing that way.
If you’re driving north up I-91, you can check out the selection in West Hartford. I’ve heard good things about Toast, though I haven’t been there myself. Titlted Bottles, which used to be West Side Wines, has a very nice selection. I’m rarely up in that direction though, so I have less info on that front.
Yes, there’s always NYC. But I disagree with this.
Anyone who prefers Pepe’s, Sally’s, or Modern is a noob. The best New Haven pizza is not in New Haven at all. The place to go is Zuppardi’s, which is in West Haven.
Finally, I’ll send you a PM. I’m always looking for wine friends in the area.
Welcome to the Elm City!
I have been mostly a CA person, but occasionally try red/white Burgundy, Austrian Reisling and Grüner, Hungarian dry whites, and grower Champagne. I figured some of this would be easier to find/source as it doesn’t have to get shipped all the way across the country.
Howard
No contest, Pepe’s all the way!
You can find most everything but some will be short deliveries and not walk-in stores. I’ve been buying a lot of grower champagnes over the past 6 months and have used ecommerce to purchase. If for some reason I purchase from the west coast I will do so in Fall and Spring. My local wine stores are really good sources for everyday wines but I do order unusually wines on occasion from them. When you finally come this way let us know. If it’s early enough we will invite you to help out with grape harvest but otherwise we can share a glass of wine and talk story. Cheers.
Could not eat Pepe’s. Way too much salt.
We did Pepe’s, Sally’s, Modern, and Zuppardi’s all in one day last fall. Pepe’s won the vote, but I think it’s more Neapolitan than New Haven. Sally’s is more classic New Haven IMO. I think they’re all good for different reasons, I find Modern and Zuppardi’s the closest in style. The best clam pie is at Zuppardi’s.
Zupps!, for the sausage pie, or stuffed breads… Thanks to all for the other tips, some good things to check out
Wise old dog in West Hartford has been my go to as of the last year and moreso now that they’ve opened an outpost in Morris which is a touch closer to me in Litchfield county. There was a time when Ancona’s in Ridgefield had interesting stuff when I first moved to CT in 2015 but that isn’t the case these days.
Toast wine is one of those stores that lists distributors inventory’s on winesearcher so no actual inventory, at least this was the case 4 years ago.
And the best apizza is in Derby at Roselands folks! Zuppardis is a close second.
Welcome to Connecticut.