Press

The Wall Street Journal
Where the Champagne Flows

Champagne is the wine of the season—and it's one of the specialties of Astor Wines & Spirits, where head buyer and Champagnophile Lorena Ascencios stocks more than 150 different choices in addition to hundreds of sparkling wines from all over the world.

I'll Drink To That
I'll Drink To That Episode 36: Lorena Ascencios

Our Head Wine Buyer, Lorena Ascencios, on the I'll Drink To That podcast

VinePair
Andrew Fisher Is Furthering Astor Wines & Spirits’ Legacy by Transitioning to Employee Ownership

As a fixture in New York City’s East Village — and Greenwich Village, previously — Astor Wines & Spirits has served up premium bottles to customers since 1946. Current president Andy Fisher has led the business his late father bought in 1968 for some five decades. Along with chief operating officer and brother Rob Fisher, the siblings’ vision for Astor grew from a retail store into an online platform and highly successful New York icon. Astor enters a new era this year as ownership passes from the Fisher family. In a social media post last week, the store announced that the company had been sold through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Per the terms of the ESOP, the company’s 75 or so employees will receive ownership of the company and profits according to their salary level. Profits from those stocks will contribute to their retirement plan at no additional cost to the employee. In a recent interview with VinePair, Fisher shared insight into the September sale and loo

The Village Sun
Astor Wines & Spirits owners sell company to their employees

Oenophiles and labor supporters were shocked and dismayed when the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop suddenly was shuttered a month ago — allegedly in a union-busting move. Trader Joe’s, for its part, claimed it closed the Union Square outlet because it was searching for a better location to “optimize the potential” of its sole liquor license in New York State. But the stated reason rang hollow — given that employees were poised to file paperwork to organize the shop. Meanwhile, one of Downtown’s oldest and largest alcohol outlets is taking a very different approach. The owners of Astor Wines & Spirits are selling their store — to their employees. The Fisher family, which has owned and operated the store for more than 50 years, completed the sale on Aug. 16. The sale price is not being made public. The place currently has 75 employees. The sale was made to what’s known as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan a.k.a. ESOP. In an ESOP transaction, the current stockholders sell their share

Curbed / New York Magazine
Wine Collective The new worker-owners of Astor Wines & Spirits

The last time Astor Wines & Spirits appeared in the news came during the early weeks of the pandemic, when the beloved store tweeted images of a business transformed: boxes of wine piled on the floor, snaking shopping carts full of booze, all waiting to be shipped to customers who suddenly found themselves trapped in their apartments. Astor became a pillar of its Noho community, a rare vestige of the old world. Astor underwent another transformation this past summer, announcing on September 12 that its owners, brothers Andy and Rob Fisher, had completed a sale of the company — not to another set of owners but to their employees. “It was utter shock,” Lorena Ascencios, Astor’s wine buyer, said. The Fishers, whose father, Edwin, purchased the shop in 1968, said in a statement that “the best succession plan is to entrust Astor to the people who have been so instrumental in building our enterprise.” The sale was made through an ESOP (employee-stock-ownership plan), which allows emplo

The Wall Street Journal
In New York City, Some of the Most Exciting Wines Are Local

Tourists also number high among buyers of New York wines at Astor Wines & Spirits. According to the downtown shop’s wine buyer, Lorena Ascencios, “They want to buy a New York wine like they want to buy a Yankees hat.” She stocks 50 or so wines from all over the state. They have their own section, just as wines from other New World places such as California, Oregon and Chile do. But they’re in the far back of the store. I had to pass lots of cheaper, more famous wines from Europe to get to the New York shelves. Ms. Ascencios has found it challenging to find competitively priced New York wines—a problem with many American wines, she noted. When a New York wine costs considerably more than its European counterpart, it can be a tough sell. An Albariño from Spain costs $14; an Albariño from Long Island costs more than twice that. On the North Fork, Paumanok produces an affordable line called Festival. The wines sell for $20 a bottle. Ms. Ascencios wishes other New York wineries would do

TastingTable
16 Absolute Best Liquor Stores In NYC

Astor Wines is one of Manhattan's most prized edifices, with a spacious interior and even larger wine selection. If New Yorkers are not entirely sure what bottle they want at their next gathering, Astor Wines is the place to go. The Greenwich Village mainstay is now housed within the historic De Vinne Press Building, offering a bit of a vintage atmosphere to go with your browsing experience. This spot has the plentiful options and experienced staff you need to help you make a choice. The staff's passion for what they do is glaringly apparent, especially after Astor switched to being an employee-owned establishment in 2022. You'd think that with such an impressive inventory, the prices would be steep, but Astor Wines is surprisingly affordable. It just may be the largest selection at the best price in the city. As if the seemingly endless options weren't enough, the venue often hosts free evening tastings, and they don't skimp on the offerings, such as a lineup of Glenlivet 18, 21, a

Food & Wine
The 10 Best Online Wine Shops

Walking into one of New York City's biggest wine and spirit shops, Astor Wines, feels a lot like taking an espresso to the face as soon as you wake up — it can be both overwhelming and overstimulating, which is why its equally well-organized digital storefront can be an especially appealing option, even for locals. I'd recommend getting creative with the many filtering options the site allows, from organic wines to price range to sub-region. Staff picks are also a great place to start; you’ll often find hidden gems there.

TastingTable
13 Best Liquor Stores For Rare Spirits In The US

As NYC's largest wine and spirits shop, Astor Wines draws in quite the crowd. The shop has been around since 1946, making its way from Astor Place to the De Vinne Press Building on Lafayette. The huge Greenwich Village warehouse has the magic of being just as impressive to a connoisseur as a novice. There's plenty to explore within the 11,000-square-foot space, but the vintage section is especially noteworthy. Astor always manages to snag some limited edition releases, and even secure a few incredibly rare bottles that require a sign-up sheet. The shop is stocked with a massive selection of every type of alcohol, but its rarest seem to fall in the bourbon department. Astor Wines' rare list includes coveted bottles like Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23-year Bourbon and Sazerac 18-year Rye, which are always held in its temperature-controlled room. People rave about the extensive selection, but more so the extremely knowledgeable staff. The employees loved the shop so much that the

Punch Drink
America’s Best Specialty Spirits Retailers

Rum Astor Wines & Spirits | New York City This sprawling retailer is beloved across every spirits category, but rum expert and author Shannon Mustipher flags its superior rum selection. In addition to providing “informative and helpful” tasting notes posted online and access to limited-allocation bottlings, “the shop has a selection of the vintage and rare section, should you have deep pockets and desire to add a collectible to the backbar,” she notes.

The Wall Street Journal
The Wildest Place to Be Around the Holidays? Your Local Wine Store

Our columnist got her start at a legendary Manhattan wine store where the holidays were a particularly nutty—and exhilarating—time. Turns out, things haven’t changed as much as you might think in wine retail. Still, I find that the human connection Isiah and I both so cherished lives on in many top stores. For example, when I stopped by Astor Wines & Spirits in New York just before Thanksgiving this year, I found a wonderfully busy scene of customers chatting with staff members and even the anachronistic sound of ringing telephones. I was particularly surprised by the latter. “We get a ton of calls,” said Astor sales manager Alex Malecki, and not only to place orders. “Some people will call with a very specific question about a wine.” Although Astor does a brisk online business and they ship wine all over the city and outside New York, wine lovers still come in person, too, Malecki confirmed, in overwhelming numbers during the holidays. Many of the phone calls are customers loo

Curbed
The Best Wine & Spirits Shops in New York

For Hard-to-Find Bottles Astor Wines & Spirits Not surprisingly, most people we spoke to brought up the employee-owned Astor Wines & Spirits, which has been a go-to for New Yorkers looking for an esoteric liqueur or wine for nearly 80 years. Housed inside the landmark De Vinne Press Building, the store is sprawling. Its on-site storage has over 5,000 bottles. Then there’s a massive retail floor, an educational center, and a “cool room” (a brisk 57 degrees Fahrenheit) for especially delicate wines. “It’s where I go for extremely specific bottles, such as a Ronces Vin Jaune ($87) to cook with for Christmas and my favorite rhum, Boukman Botanical ($45),” says creative director Anna Polonsky. Master sommelier Sabato Sagaria often goes to find a specific bottle and ends up leaving with much more. On one trip, he went in for ingredients to batch negronis and walked out with seven additional bottles. The store’s tastings help facilitate this too. They’re how Daniel Soares, owner of specia

Financial Times
New York uncorked: Manhattan’s coolest wine stores

Astor Wines & Spirits 399 Lafayette Street, new York, NY 10003 Good for: New World wines and bottles from lesser-known regions Not so good for: Anyone who struggles with choice paralysis. The store has one of the largest selections of wine in New York City FYI: The store offers free tastings most Tuesday to Fridays, 5pm — 8pm, and Saturdays, 3pm — 6pm Wines: From $5 to $32,000 Nestled in NoHo, Astor Wines is an open secret in New York City. The store was founded in 1946 and with about 5,000 wines and spirits, has the one of the largest selections in town. It offers an extensive range of French and Italian wines, as well as plenty of New World wines too, particularly from the US, Canada and Mexico, the latter being a new discovery for me. I recently tried a bottle of Monte Xanic Sauvignon Blanc (crisp and clean, with citrus and tropical flavours much like its peers from New Zealand), and I was also delighted to discover that the Baja California region also produces tart natural

Decanter
Wine delivery in New York: Five affordable options

Astor Wines This iconic merchant is based in the De Vinne Press Building in Lower Manhattan. Astor Wines has a quick delivery turnaround of three hours, making it ideal if you need a few bottles quickly. Join its mailing list to receive all its special offers. Most of its deliveries in New York State are free. Employee-owned company 10% discount on your first order Try the Top 12 mixed case for less than $15 per bottle

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