BROOKLYN WINERY

Co-owner John Stires did some extracurricular winemaking before he and Brian Leventhal, linked by their stints at ExpoTV, took it to the next level and founded the Brooklyn Winery. The 6000 sq. ft. winery, restaurant, and event space opened its doors in October 2010. The winery’s immediate predecessor in what, from the street, resembles a warehouse was a seedy nightclub called “Supreme Trading.” Only a disco ball remains of that iteration. The winery is a comfortable multi-level space with a courtyard that doubles as a dock for receiving and crushing climate-controlled truckloads of grapes.

The Disco Ball

We sampled the three house-made wines on tap, especially liking pleasantly dry “Untitled” Finger Lakes Riesling and a jammy Zinfandel from Lodi, CA fruit. Bartender Greg told us that there’ll be a new-release Merlot in about two months. The printed menu showcases an international selection of wines by the glass that offers very good value for price, plus thoughtfully chosen, high-quality food offerings. One can order a yummy snack or a satisfying meal.

In 2011 Brooklyn Winery’s Finger Lakes Riesling and Chardonnay won gold medals at the New York State Food and Wine Festival. Winemaker Conor McCormack brings a Northern California sensibility to what he does, specializing in boutique custom crush operations and micro-lot fermentations. He likes to experiment, e.g., by aging the same wine in steel plus two different wood barrels. McCormack aims not only to produce the best wine possible from the best fruit available, but also to demonstrate the different styles of wine that can be made from the same fruit.

Clients' Wines

Brooklyn Winery offers an array of winemaking packages tailored to clients’ budgets and the degree to which they want to participate in the process.

213 N. 8^th St., Brooklyn, NY 11211 (about a 10-minute subway ride from Union Square)  M-Th 5pm – 12 am, F 5pm – 1 am, Sa 1pm-1am, Su 1pm-12am. The kitchen closes an hour early. 347-763-1506