Your personal Brooklyn wine shop sherpa, ChezJJP, has been studying in depth this small store which lies smack between the infamous Prospect Wine Shop (9th St.) and much lauded Slope Cellars (15th St.) on the wino-heaven-boardwalk we call 7th Avenue in Park Slope.
My initial observation led me to mistakenly believe that there was no way Big Nose could cater to my “cheap but elegant” tastes in wine with a selection that seemed rather limited and an interior decoration that seemed inclined towards a higher class clientèle. I was completely wrong on this account; Big Nose offers a plethora of reds and whites around my usual target price range of “dix dollars americains“.
I don’t know about you, but when I try a new wine store, the first thing I do is to gauge how honest the owners’ intentions are by making a mad dash for the lowest price bottle in sight. Call me cheap, but I don’t make six figures a year yet, so a bottle under 10 that I can safely get to know over many nights is the object of my affection, and it makes me comfortable knowing that the shopkeeps condone this behavior. So with respect to my sly little test, Big Nose passed with flying colors and more. Where Slope Cellars up the street has more choices for bottles circa the $10 mark, this place has two or three selections under 10$ that really stand out on their own. I had a bright and luscious Spanish tempranillo red that was a steal for 7 bucks. Another $7 Australian Cudgee Creek syrah hit Plainclothesman’s well worn G-spot as well. Also at the $7 mark there was an absolutely tasty Portuguese red from the Dao region called Grao Vasco; fabulous with a light dinner of leftover jerk barbeque, Goya black beans (man, I’m addicted to those) and a CSA tomato with a toasted chunk of bread. As far as I’m concerned, if a store carries perfectly decent wine under $10, it makes me want to try their $25 and 40$ really badly. (I mean let’s face it, $7 wine usually is nothing to write home about.)
Another upside is that the staff are really friendly guys, and they have a chiller in the back so any room temperature white wine can be made ready to drink within minutes. The final verdict is that Big Nose Full Body is up there with the quality wine stores such as Slope Cellars, LeNell’s and Red, White and Bubbly and I thoroughly recommend it.
Big Nose Full Body
382 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 369-4030
www.bignosefullbody.com
Mon-Thurs 12-9pm
Friday 12-10pm
Saturday 11-10pm
Sunday 12-9pm
Pros:
- Weekly Free Wine Tastings
- Excellent Picks
- Great Opening Hours
- Super Friendly Staff
- Animal Friendly
- Close to Subway
Cons
- Thinner Selection than you’d probably like
You can’t go wrong with: Olivares Jumilla, Spain, 2005. $10. This is a blend of 3 grapes and after being satisfied with the other cheaper wine, we were blown away at the complexity of this one for the price. Dispensing most of the jibber jabber you hear about hints of cherries, black forest berry love sessions and chocolate-river pipe dreams, I will just describe the Olivares as ” velvety smooth with a lone spice in the aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more”. It’s a perfectly elegant accompaniment to lamb or duck and suitable enough to drink by itself. Plus, your guests will think you’re a class act for pairing food with a Spanish wine.
Well worn G-Spot? Did you just call me a wine slut?