Gowanus Wine Merchants

Excellent place for finding interesting wine that you don’t seem to find everywhere. Rick was very knowledgable and had very good reccomendation. I will return.

Great little store. Very friendly without being over bearing and definitely not pretentious. Very good selection of wine. Rick helped me choose out a few bottles and he had them both available chilled.

This is not 2 buck chuck.
This is not Wines-​R-​Us.
This is not the discount liquor mart.
What this is, is a couple of guys who are serious about their wines and spirits. There’s a story behind every bottle, and they know it all by heart. If you’re looking for wines in the $ 15 to $ 20 range, you will find exceptional value and quality here.
Don’t know what you’re looking for? No problem! Just ask ‘em, and I’m 110% sure you’ll walk away happy. Cooking lamb? Fish? Chicken? They’ll have something for that. Lamb stuffed with fish stuffed with chicken? Hmmm… tough, but I bet they’ll have something for that too.
Perhaps you’re not interested in wine… well then judging from the giant barrel in the window showcasing their own private label bourbon, I’ll bet these gentlemen know a thing or two about spirits as well (they do).
Want free booze? No problem! Swing by at 6−8pm every Friday and Saturday for tastings, often showcasing great local stuff.
These guys put the «L» in local and liquor. Just spend a few minutes chatting with them and you’ll quickly get that they care deeply about their stock, and care deeply about getting YOU the right bottle. Fantastic service, from a fantastic neighborhood joint.

Needed a wine to cook, but a good one. The guy was very kind and helpful and I came out also with a bottle of a dessert wine :) to drink!

We moved into the Gowanus area about three years ago, and there was not much in the way of local conveniences. That has all blown up since then, and Third Ave. is quickly becoming a destination for Epicureans around the City. One of the crown jewels here is Gowanus Wine Merchants. The store specializes in small-​production, carefully crafted wines from around the world. Owners Tom and Rick bring a lifetime of experience to their quaint, personable shop. They carefully study, taste and select their wines and are prepared to talk to you at length about the genesis of each vintage, the pedigree of the label, even providing biographical details about the winemakers. They manage to do all of this without being high-​minded or condescending about wine. Whether you’re a wine neophyte or a connoisseur/​collector, you will find this to be among the best wine retailers in the City. Attend one of their tastings on Fridays or Saturdays and enjoy!

Great wine shop! The staff here are very knowledgeable and friendly. I recently came in with a very strange request. I attend a monthly wine group and the host asked that we bring in a «stinky» wine. Not knowing anything about wine, I wondered if I was being set up by my friend. The two guys who helped me (unfortunately didn’t catch their names) totally knew what I meant and found me a couple of options right away. I was told that the correct term was «barnyard.» So I got a little wine lesson to boot. :) My wine was hit with my group. It was voted the most «fowl» of the night. I’ll definitely be coming back here!

Already proving to be one of the best wine shops in Brooklyn, and in their «category», I would say the best in the city. That category is meticulously curated wines that obviously are being picked first and foremost for sheer quality and pleasure, then geographic diversity and traditional wine craft, followed closely by price/​value. What you can buy in this store for $ 15, $ 20 OR $ 25 is astounding in terms of the consistent deliciousness, and that makes up probably 65−70% of what they have. They painstakingly curate at higher price points too, but a $ 65 pick from Rick and Tom is going to be in the $ 150 range at Astor or Sherry Lehman (who might never think to stock many of the GWM picks which are going to be more obscure and lower production quantity generally). A more balanced and well thought out selection on quality, price and wow there has never before existed in this borough. I am so glad I work around the corner.
P. S. if you don’t know what I’m talking about forget it just go in there and they’ll hook you right up.

I had to update my review. This place totally deserves the coveted five star rating. Super friendly, great selection, and reasonably priced. GWM all day, every day, wait, that didn’t sound right, I’m not an alcoholic or anything… cheers!

I love Gowanus Wine Merchants. This is a great little wine shop on Third Avenue between 10^th and 11^th streets. The employees are super friendly and available to answer any questions you have about wine. They personally select what they carry by tasting everything before buying in bulk so their meticulous care is what crafts their stock. That said, you do not need to be a wine aficionado to shop here. You can walk right in, select a bottle within your price range and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be happy with the result.
It’s my favorite wine shop in all of Brooklyn and I am so happy they are in Gowanus! :)

Our favorite Brooklyn wine shop. The owners are knowledgeable but not at all pretentious. They have free tastings on Fridays and there’s always something new to try.
A favorite of Gowanus hipsters, but they draw customers from nearby Park Slope and Carroll Gardens as well.

Amazing.
Tom from Gowanus Wine Merchants was the key factor in a real important party I was throwing.
I contacted him in hopes that he could do a very causal wine tasting for my event.
He came in with a case including 2 types of white and 2 types of red.
As he poured the wine, he spoke about it with such elegance and knowledge.
Everyone was very impressed with his selection and shop, and I can’t thank him enough for doing so.
Cheers to Tom, and Gowanus Wine Merchants!

Mostly wine but some very good whiskey and other spirits as well. First time in the store and the man working was very nice and knew quite a bit about whiskey. I dont drink much wine so i have no clue about the wine selection but it seemed to be plentifull. I was told they will be getting even more whiskey in soon so i will def be back from time to time to see what is on the shelves. Nice little store.

Great prices, just-​right selection wine and liquor, REALLY friendly owners/​employees who give excellent advice. They do not try to sell you fancier wine than you need, and they have a great variety of good stuff at all price points. I would much rather buy wine here, where they care about the area and the neighbors. I’m so happy this place is here!

I’m so happy to have this as my local wine shop. The owners are very friendly and helpful, and they have a wonderful selection of wines and liquor. Love the free tastings and 10% off bottles (in the tasting) on those nights!

These guys are just about the best around. They’re always super helpful and informative, willing to give good advice for what wine might be a good fit for you (by price range, what you’re drinking it with if anything, your tastes). The wine tastings are pretty cool, too. I think they’re usually Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and they’re always free and are a solid opportunity to learn a little bit more about wine in the least fussy atmosphere possible.
I’ve always been a little intimidated in proper wine shops because I’m just not very knowledgeable when it comes to vino, but this is the best wine shop ever and I’m super psyched it’s in my neighborhood.

A great addition to the neighborhood. We used to go all the way out to 5^th Ave for our wine but now we opt to buy our wine here. There’s a nice selections of wines — some I have not seen in other wine stores. The prices are reasonable, similar to nearby wine stores.
The last time I went to buy a bottle of wine, there wasn’t a price label on the wine I wanted and I had to figure out the regions as there wasn’t a sign.

Any business is about people– and Gowanus has two of my favorites within it. You can trust their selections and more than likely you’ll find more than just new friends in the wine sense– but in the personal sense as well.
Love it!

New wine shop in the Gowanus. Cute store with an inviting interior and a nice selective selection of wines from France, Italy, Germany, California and Chile/​Argentina. The owners are knowledgeable and very particular about what they stock, so you know each bottle is selected with care.
A welcome addition to the neighborhood, go visit and imbibe!

I happened upon the Gowanus Wine Merchant opening party last night. Delicious wine and Rick is just awesome to talk to. He knows wine but doesn’t remind me that I don’t know wine. A wide selection of bottles and very reasonable prices. I’ll definitely be stopping by whenever I’m in town.