Bernie’s Wine Stop in Murray Hill: Wine with Guidance, Not Pretense

Wine is more popular with Americans than ever, but the recent trends in wine retail have been big box retailers and online ordering. Neither of these provide the personal experience available at Bernie’s Wine Stop.

After serving the neighborhood’s wine needs for almost twenty years, Bernie Zitomer could be considered a Murray Hill institution. You would remember Bernie if you ever visited the Wine Warehouse on Edgewood. Bernie operates his new wine shop a block away from the old store location in a new strip of shops that includes Swimming Yesterday Seafood and The Growing Tree children’s boutique.

There are two variations of the Bernie experience that I would recommend for the uninitiated:

1) Drop in during his Friday wine tastings (5-7pm; $5) that draw a steady crowd of loyal regulars mixed with newbies. Each tasting includes a handful of wines and a sampling of cheeses. You can feel free to discuss the wines or just hang out and enjoy this weekly neighborhood gathering that might be your stop on the way home from work or the start of your Friday night out.

2) The tastings are a blast, but for a one-on-one Bernie experience, just go there any time he’s open during the week (Tue-Sat 10:30am-7pm). In under a minute you’ll tell Bernie what you think you’re looking for and what you’re willing to spend, and he’ll produce a recommendation that you are bound to be happy with. It happens every day, over and over. You do not need to remember what wines to buy when you have Bernie. And, to make the process even more effortless, the computer can record your purchases for future reference. It’s that easy to select a great bottle of wine in Murray Hill! Aren’t we lucky?

Bernie’s Wine Stop is at 1080 Edgewood Avenue, next to BBVA Compass Bank. You can reach them at 647-6658.