BTL Harlem

Staffed by some fine, friendly and helpful folks, BTL is probably the best wine shop in Harlem, and one of my favorite wine shops in New York. They have a finely curated selection; instead of a ton of bottles crowding the shelves, you get a hand picked selection marked by versatility, quality and knowledge. If you are looking for a great wine pairing they will undoubtably have something that fits the bill; and even if you are not sure what you want and just grab a random bottle off the shelf it’s probably going to be something enjoyable.

I second Rachel D. and Pelle G. reviews. It’s a great small neighborhood store with friendly and knowledgeable staff members.

My opinion of this store is of them carrying off brands with high markups. I did not recognize 95% of their wines. I bought a bottle of sauv blanc from Santa Barbara County for $ 23. It was only average and for that price it should have been better. The selection is also very limited. The place is very nicely designed. I’ll stick with my instincts about this place and will not return. The weirdest thing is that all the bottles looked alike!

BTL blows me away every time. They ROCK! Such an amazing selection to choose from. And they always call with substitution suggestions if you’re ordering via an app. The staff is so lovely and so helpful.

I am a loyal and big supporter of BTL Harlem. They have an amazing selection not found anywhere in Harlem. My boyfriend and I order from there all the time and everyone has been very friendly in person and over the phone UNTIL tonight. I placed an order shortly after 9pm and the gentleman who I spoke with nicely confirmed that it will be an hour before I get my order. I called back 10:45 pm to inquire where my order was. A woman answered the phone and I informed her about my situation. To say that she was rude and completely disrespectful to me is an understatement. She refused to listen to anything I had to say, told me that I did not order from there since she was the only one working (LIES) and she said that I had used a third party like Seamless to place my order. I gave her my boyfriends First and Last name and she insisted that she could not find my order. I had to firmly repeat myself a few times that I was telling her the truth. As she continued to call me a liar indirectly, the man who took my order in the first place, heard our conversation and yelled «yes he did». He took over and apologized for the situation. If it were not for the cocky uninformed and awful customer service I would have accepted the apology and my wine but I refuse to give BTL Harlem my business if they hire people who care less about customer service. Don’t let a bad apple ruin your store, just throw it out.

Just got off the phone with an associate there. Her attitude was extremely poor, she was rude, snappy and thats extremely unprofessional. I called about a delivery that still is not here yet (almost 2 hours later). It’s sad because I really adored this place and was very excited to become a regular customer. No enthused at all. Oh and still waiting for my wines that has already been paid for.

I am no wine connoisseur and every time I go in the associates are very knowledgable. They always give great recommendations for whatever you’re in the mood for.

Small but really good. Nice staff, friendly and knowledgable. If they have what you need, it’s not that important that it isn’t the largest store. It’s really nice to have this one in the neighborhood!

Friendly staff and a variety of unique wines. The store is beautiful as well! I had never tried a French Malbec until one of the staff members recommended it to me — delicious!

I’m not really sure why there’s below average ratings on here. They are pretty old reviews. I’m here to say currently this place is awesome! I’ve only been able to go during evening hours but I’ve been there about 6 times now. Every time I grab a bottle from this place I am sooo pleased!
Most wine shops have either great overpriced wine and terrible customer service. Or they have great customer service and terrible wine.
BTL they have amazing customer service! They greet you the second you walk in the door. They stop what they’re doing and help you. If they’re helping someone else they still stop what they’re doing and let you know that they’ll be right with you.
On top of all those friendly vibes I usually don’t know what I want to drink but usually I want something very dry and oaky. Everything they recommend is worth trying and never disappoints! They always nail exactly what I was looking for!
Pricing isn’t bad… I mean u can get a decent bottle for like $ 12. I mean that’s not a lot. I love cheap Trader Joes wine but first you get what you pay for and second there’s no trader joes in this area. Which really sucks.
BTL has become my go to wino shop in the area. I strongly advise everyone to give them a shot!

I’ve been here a couple of times since it’s the closest store to my apartment. There are some good wines here, but to be honest, this is not my first choice for grapes. The wines are just too expensive. I think that this store thinks it’s in another neighborhood, perhaps Montclair, NJ.
BTL could become my regular wine store IF they stocked some more bottles under $ 15. Maybe even under $ 12! They’re out there, people! I’m about to get a hernia from dragging bottles of Nero D’avola ($ 10 a bottle!) from the store by my office near Wall Street.
«Cheap and tasty» isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Please, BTL, make some more reasonable options available to your neighbors.

I saw some less-​than-​happy reviews on Unilocal and wanted to chime in about my own experiences with BTL. I’ve been here several times, and am always happy with my visit. The employees are very knowledgable, and if it feels like they’re hovering, I always got the impression it was because they were genuinely trying to help. Also, for a smaller shop, BTL has an impressive range of wines, and do a great job rotating in new options, usually finding unique varietals and wineries to feature. Don’t expect Trader Joe’s prices, but they have a handful of good budget options and lots of mid-​priced wines for special events/​more generous budgets.

Although the facilities are pristine, there are wine tastings (as there was one tonight), they deliver and are in cahoots with Maison Harlem their selections are pretty limited for a locale of this size. Only three types of Malbec (two from thé same winery at that) being available in thé whole store was disappointing. It made me wonder who curates their collection and if it’s meant to supply thé restaurant overflow or stand on it’s own. The malbec is just one example but go ahead and see for yourself.
Wonderful facilities but they need to focus more on thé variety and quantity of offerings.

I came here with my friend Monique S. to check out the bottled selections after a dinner @ Maison Harlem. The shop itself is beautiful and modern, and the selections are a bit limited, but then again the shop is fairly new.
My predominant caveat is the service:
One of the gents working there (maybe the owner?) approached my friend and I asked us if we needed anything. We didn’t, and were glad to peruse on our own, but he leered near us for the longest time as we were perusing the wines.
We were checking out the Prosecco selections and right away he steered us to Moscato. There’s a stereotype that Moscato is popular with black people who are well… newbies to wine. This is not the case with either my friend or myself.
The only thing redeemable about this exchange is that he at least told us how to make cucumber infused vodka. The leering and following around made me really uncomfortable.
My friend and I left the store without buying anything.
I have a suggestion for yuppified transplants who want to move/​do business in traditionally black/​brown neighborhoods of New York City:
— Abandon the narrow attitudes from whence they came. Maybe they work back home, but they don’t bode well here.
— Don’t treat the demographic population like idiots or criminals, and you’ll do fine.
I wish BTL the best of luck in their business, but I won’t be returning.

My friend and I were profiled here. The guy followed us around and suggested moscato.. .