The Brooklyn wino has many choices when it comes to “scoring juice” in the Carroll Gardens area. But of course, we know not all wine shops are created equal. Frankly, the area spanning Court/Atlantic to Smith/9th street is littered with average wine shops (Scotto’s, Carroll Gardens Wine & Liquor, Vintage Cellars, The-Bullet-Proof-Window-Liquor-Store, etc.) that just provide your standard Yellowtail Shiraz meets “I’m Francis Coppola and I’m Buying This Vineyard” selection. These places are fine if you just need a bottle of Jameson and want to shoot the shit with the owner. But hey, let’s get real. This is Brooklyn and I expect a perhaps smallish but exotic and carefully picked assortment of well priced, worldly wines.
And this is what you get at Smith & Vine, the only store in this whole area that has truly sent me out the door murmuring a Cartman-like “sweeeet” with a happy jaunt in my step. You can tell the quality selection here by the lovingly labeled descriptions placed on each bottle coupled with the fact that there isn’t overwhelming amounts of dusty inventory stacked to the ceilings. Plus, the friendly staff always seems to be drinking and that can only be good, right?
S&V’s single best feature is the “10$ and under” table, which is the store’s centerpiece. One side is dedicated to reds and the other side white, with about ten bottles on each side. It’s tough to go wrong here, and I made it my beeswax for a whole year to try out as many as I could. For me, it sealed S&V’s spot as “most kick-ass wine shop in Carroll Gardens.”
Another advantage of S&V is their sister cheese shop “Stinky” located across the street. These shops are totally in sync, and everyone knows what’s up. This really makes things easy when you’re shopping for Wine & Cheese night. Stinky’s got some great stuff, and also sells crackers, quince paste, cured meats (Christ, they have “guanciale”) and duck confit. Those close to me know I believe ducks to be a superior species.
Smith and Vine
268 Smith Street
(718) 243-2864
Pros:
- The 10$ and under table is a Brooklyn landmark.
- Wine selection is given a lot of care and well labeled
- Great opening hours
- Sister cheese store across the street
- Excellent website
Cons:
- The staff’s a bit jaded, but it might be ‘cause they’re drunk all the time.
You Can’t Go Wrong With: Domaine De La Batardière (white) – a crisp , dry and flavorful Muscadet from the Loire Valley (France, genius), this is the ultimate summer wine and perfect for that romantic picnic in Prospect Park or just a booze-soaked Sunday.
Was Scotto Wine Store the one near Raccuglia and Son? I liked that place.
I like the dude at the Carroll Garden store. He is the most friendly person in the world. There wine selection did kind of suck though.
Scotto’s is indeed the one on Court and Sackett and is probably the next best bet. I think its somewhat of a historical place on Court St.
And yes, the chap who runs CG Wine and Liquors at Court and 3rd Place is quite personable, even though their store is, well, “traditional”, shall we say.
I find the S&V salespeople quite personable. In fact, when my brother comes to Brooklyn, he spends more time at that store than with me. That’s love, my friends.
Eh,…Smith and Vine, while packing some punch in the selection, lacks in personality. Some selections are way over-priced as well.
The staff are wine snobs. OR, snobs period (RARELY friendly or helpful in this lil’ ghosts experience). There, I said it.
You give a TON of shit to the GYC, but you give glowing reviews to this place??? Help me here,..
Hey Spook,
Thanks for commenting!
I don’t know if I can agree with your statement observing that every staff member there is a wine snob when clearly the gem in that store is their 10$ and under table…granted, if one needed an hours assistance to pick an 8 dollar Malbec perhaps they might have made someone impatient!
Concerning your last comment, GYC got an initial glowing review by plainclothesman which was then followed up by a rant when other writers from this blog had a shitty experience that was deemed newsworthy….As far as GYC is concerned in my opinion, there are too many other options for good outdoor places in this city to have to tread lightly when one seems to be going downhill..granted we were a little harsh, and the writer admitted it.
And if I had a seriously bad experience at S&V, I sure as heck would write about it…because this blog is about things that happen in Brooklyn.
You are correct sir, and honestly, I’m not sure where this all goes. BUT,..
At least at GYC, you KNOW what you are walking into. Theres no pretension(sp?). Which is the way they like it,…well, they GET it. (5 pts if you get the refrence.)
S&V, on the other hand, is supposed to be a bastion of wine knowledge and, if they hope to have overlaping business, friendliness.
To be completely honest, after moving into this neighboorhood 4 months ago, I misss Greenpoints’ honesty. There at least you KNEW where someone didn’t like you.
In Carroll Gardens, it’s a feeling. And I feel it when I walk into S&V. Hey,..anyone know the secret handshake with these people??
Hey Spook,
Yep, got the Cool Hand Luke ref. (5pts)..
I can see how the whole Smith street thing is a major change from Greenpoint..and I’m sure even though you miss the honesty in GP, there are positive things about the CG area that made you move there and I guess the ambiance at a place like S&V might reflect a bit of that… (are there any good spots in GP for cheap and good wine there I should know about?)
I did say in the review the staff “were a bit jaded” so I probably do agree with you to a certain extent. I remember going there every day during a week last year and being annoyed that they didnt remember my face…I guess I quickly forgot about it when I found that wine I recommended in the review…for eight bucks a pop, the guy could call me a douchebag and I’d just throw him the money (well, ok, maybe not)