I know there is plenty of praise for Chamber’s Street out there, but I just wanted to add a little extra.
I contacted them about shipping a couple of the wines I have with them soon hoping to catch a streak of rainy cloudy days in the forecast, and when the forecast didn’t pan out to be very good shipping weather they immediately rectified the situation even though the shipping process had already been started. They were pleasant to deal with and immediately presented a better solution for shipping. I have always been impressed dealing with them through email and phone conversations.
They are a must-visit in NYC. Just the right mix of organization, clutter, intrigue, and friendliness. My favorite among the staff is Eben. He is as down to earth, as keen to please, and as knowledgeable as they come. Picture this-I rode a Go-Bike from mid-town to the bordering on the Financial District where Chambers is located. I bought about ten cases of wine. I called a cab to get me back. Eben personally insisted on loading up three of my boxes into the cab and personally made sure the remaining seven got to my hotel the next day.
Have loved the place for a decade and found some really intriguing wines. They often source older wines from interesting places, and they seem to have a brilliant source for Piedmont wines from the sixties and seventies.
Certain high ranking members of the team go over to Italy and personally select many of them. A couple of NYC trips ago, I happened to be in the shop just after they had put out a huge selection going back to the 50s and it was incredible.
Since I started travelling to NYC regularly for work almost 10 years ago, I cannot recall there having ever been a trip where I did NOT drop by Chamber’s to see what they had in stock.
I grabbed some really interesting ones from Alto-Piemonte from one of these latest releases they posted about. really excited to get them, which may have been the reason this whole thing started.
I think the thing that makes Chamber Street so special is that the two owners have a real passion for authentic wine and pursued wines outside the mainstream to share with the customers which weren’t always fashionable or got a lot of Parker points. Now of course they are cutting edge, but a decade ago, they were often at odds with a large section of wine buyers. Never seemed to bother them though.