Columbus Wines & Spirits

Incredible, thoughtful array of spirits that is always changing. Strong tequila, bourbon, scotch, vodka, gin, cognac and rum selections.
Tom F. and Mike always find & stock hard-​to-​get spirits and they each know the story & composition of each spirit. Consummate professionals. They always steer me in a good direction with recommendations, I trust them every time.
Think of Tom as your secret super weapon and tasting partner — not sure what spirit or wine to bring to a party or to host with? Tom is on the scene with you and is always enthused to speak with you. And get ready to share your favorite cocktail or what you’re serving for dinner — that’s part of the info that guides Tom. He wants you to have that memorable experience.
Tom and Mike work hard and listen to customers so that they can present you a great selection. They both listen closely to what you’re looking for as well your taste preference/​tasting experience or the occasion you’re buying for. There’s no judgment from these guys — whether you are new to a spirit or not, they couldn’t be more approachable and friendly.

Just hung up the phone after calling from Los Angeles to have a bottle of Champagne delivered to someone and Neil, the owner could have not been more helpful! Gave me great advice on the bottle should be delivered within 30 minutes. I’ll certainly be calling Columbus Wines if I ever need help again with a wine delivery!

Incredible selection of domestic and international wine. Neil Weinstock and his team are incredibly knowledgeable and will spend as much (or as little) time as you require to make sure you find the perfect bottle (s) in your exact price range. I do not love in the neighborhood, but still make it a point to buy only at this wine store. Top recommendation.

This place has a new owner, Neil Weinstock, since September, and you get a lot of personal attention if you want it. They get 5 stars because the owner works the floor; he’s helpful, affable, not pushy at all, and definitely willing to talk wines.
The selection is a well-​chosen, deep collection of interesting wines in the affordable as well as splurge range. They have a large collection of French and Spanish wines, but not just the old warhorses.
And the prices are better than Whole Foods Wines, which has sold me expensive, spoiled wines.
I have yet to be disappointed with the wine I’ve gotten at Columbus Wine & Spirits.

Update:
The store called and offered an apology, discount and free shipping. Apparently they do care about their reputation. I’ll add one star for the courtesy call, and one more as a benefit of the doubt that they probably do better when you deal with them in person.

I found Neil Weinstock! (formerly he was at another UWS wine store) This store has had a recent transformation in ownership (I believe) and in selection. Neil is great when it comes to selecting great wines within your budget. He also went above and beyond with my holiday gift mayhem which involved sending multiple different cases all over the country!

Great prices, especially for the area, I live in Brooklyn where everything is cheap cheap cheap. The selection is among the best, from 10 dollars bottles of somehow-​really-​good whiskey, to my favorite Dalwhinnie 15 year scotch. People who work there are knowledgeable, and pretty helpful. Went to a tasting here as well, really friendly and inviting, great food too which was surprising, and they’re more than happy to tell you almost too much about the wines (be careful if you ask them something, they know too much and could probably tell you what the different soils taste like in different wine growing regions). This is my go-​to spot on the Upper West Side.

Like other Unilocal review state, steer clear of Columbus Avenue Wine & Spirits if you don’t want to pay 10−20% markup compared to the other two stores in a 4 block radius on Columbus Ave. Whole foods and West Lane Wine & Liq. I recommend giving your business to Westlane Wine and Liq if you want to support the local little guy or Whole foods for a large selection cheaper price. Both times I shopped here I felt as if the staff was watching to see I was going to steal something. Not surprised after reading the review about profiling.

The staff is extremely pleasant and helpful (Murray, Greg –thank you). The selection is terrific. Japanese whisky is hard to find these days… but they had a lot of the good stuff; Nikka Taketsuru 17 & 21, Hakushu 18, Hibiki 21, Hakushu Heavily Peated. I highly recommend this place!

Pleasant store to buy wine and spirits. They always have beautiful music playing on the radio also.

I really love this place! They have a really great selection of pretty much everything! However, my favorite thing is that one of the guys who works there is very knowledgable and he always steers me in the right direction (no matter what I’m looking for — be it whiskey or champagne)! However, one thing I will say — if you are looking for just regular stuff like you like generic vodka or even just a regular brand like Ketel One or Smirnoff, you can find it cheaper elsewhere. I personally like to find new and different wines and liquors so this place is my go-​to!

Talk to the manager, he really knows his wine, the occasions that it served and he knows people. I could not give him a better recommendation than that.
I do not understand why people say it is pricey — just ask them and they will find the best wine for your budget + you get to hear the whole story about it if you care :)
Thank you, guys! This feels do nice …

Best selection of spirits I have found in Manhattan. Most shops carry the garden variety brands and the big name high end cousins. This shop adds variety and alternative to the mix. My examples are Smith and Cross Navy Proof Rum and Lillet Rose. Also took the recommendation for an orange liqueur that is my new «go to» flavor add to my favorite cocktails.

If I could give this place 10 stars, I would. I had a totally bad experience with a neighboring business whose name I shall omit (Martin Bros. Wine and Spirits), and found these guys very highly rated on Unilocal.I can see why. Not only did they have the best selection… I was looking for a high-​end bourbon for my brother-​in-​law, a good guy who deserves something special… they also had, and I’m sure continue to have incredible customer service. I live out of the city — like California, to be exact — and am used to doing business via the net in transactions regarding other cities, like all of us. Their website was easy to use, and I got immediate personal attention. My selection was handled instantly, set for delivery within the hour, and I got a personal email from employee Tom Anderer letting me know all was as it should be. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Any of you lovely people out there with friends or family in NYC who want to utilize a stellar business to send something for the holidays, or for yourself. This is definitely the place.

Decent selection but overpriced. If you are looking for Patron, Ciroc, Hennessy, Moet, Grey Goose, etc then you have to pay in cash. It stinks of profiling so I wont be going back despite their selection of organic wine.

Even though it’s about 35 blocks away from me, I consider this to be my neighborhood wine shop. I don’t come here for booze so I can’t speak to their selection or prices. In terms of wine, they have a great selection of reasonably priced bottles. And I’ve come across some new favorites here after popping in for their tastings. The staff is friendly and I just love coming here!
Given that i don’t have a decent wine store within walking distance of my apartment, I am especially appreciative of their free shipping ! I placed my first online order yesterday and needed a speedy delivery. Murray assured me that they would get my order to me between 12 – 1230 and they were right on time.
I look forward to drinking my stash and placing another order stat!

Nice selection, prices aren’t bad, and feels modestly classy (as opposed to many other liquor stores in the city.)

A good wine and liqueur store with great selection, reasonable prices and very nice people working here — even on a busy christmas eve.

Best kosher wine selection in Manhattan. Wide variety and lots of good options for under $ 20 and $ 30. Considering the area, this makes a lot of sense. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, too.
They also have discount deals here pretty often. («Buy 1 bottle for x% off, 2 for xx% off, a case for xxx% off» etc.) And they don’t put stickers on the wine bottles indicating the price, which puts a load off on my mind — I’ve been embarrassed in the past by forgetting to remove these myself then giving the bottles to others!
As someone else here wrote, you can get hard liquor for cheaper on Amsterdam one block away.

A little on the expensive end if you ask me… well, not if you ask me, it’s the truth! Compared to liquor stores closer to Broadway… this wine store will cost you more.
But you’re paying for the store. It’s a larger space, more room to walk around, more help on the floor to help suggest a bottle…
It’s a cleaner space as well. Everything’s out of its boxes and on the shelves.
One bonus: you’ll frequently find tastings going on during the weekend of a new bottle just stocked.