Vino Fino

This place is conveniently located across the street from my office (for all my late nights at work). The staff are friendly, and super helpful. They’ll greet you when you walk in the door, ask what you’re looking for and probably offer you a sample or two before you’re on your merry way.
Bottles line the walls. The store is tiny, but it’s overflowing with friendly attitude!
The prices are moderate, but certainly affordable and they have a great deal of variety in stock. I’ve only been here once in my 2.5 years at the School of Social Work. Grabbed a 2012 Malbec that was approximately $ 19 (on sale) for a co-worker’s last day before he leaves for work in Uganda. :(Pour a little out for Mario until he returns!
You’re guaranteed a good time in your brief shopping experience here because of how warm and welcoming the staff are at Vino Fino. I’ll definitely be sure to make many future wine purchases in this cute, little shop.

I’ve been there five times so far, and never been disappointed. Everybody works there is kind and helpful to choose a good bottle of wine. I love that you can choose Rose or White in the showing area then people there get you the perfectly chilled wine from the fridge in the back of their store. Their selection is small, yet carefully curated.
If you live around here, then you probably go to Columbia. And you know how much wine consumption Columbia workload requires. This is the place to go when Columbia doesn’t treat you nicely, which is pretty much all the time after the two week course shopping period.

They carry very decent wine here, but it’s overpriced. Good customer service and an interesting selection, but unfortunately that selection is quite small. I have tried them a couple of times now, but I can’t really justify coming back. There are other stores in this neighborhood with many more options and better deals on some really good wines.

Such a great wine store! All the employees are so knowledgable. Give them your price point and taste preferences and they’ll help you pick out the perfect wine!

I love buying wine from that place. Jorge and Miriam are really amazing and welcoming. Jorge is very knowledgeable and always is so excited when talking about the wine and suggests bottles depending on your mood, without pushing the most expensive items. Totally suggest the wine tastings as well, loved the Spanish wine tasting!
Note that the store is closed on Sundays and open at noon time.

CURATED. I walked in looking for a little guidance and got it. A friendly guide took me through the four choices I had. The place is not cluttered. These people have chosen a good array for you.

Vino Fino is my favorite wine store in New York. All staff in the store are extremely knowledgeable about wine, even the young staff who look barely legal to drink. They don’t hover, and let your browse the store in peace, but are always friendly and are ready to help you out with suggestions and answer questions. They have a great selection of French reds, their Saint Emillion, Chateauneuf du Pape and Bordeaux (2005!) are delicious and extremely affordable. Jorges, the owner, is the best! Excellent taste in wine, generous with samples and advice, and great conversations. I’m going to miss this place when I no longer live around the corner.

Vino Fino is a neighborhood gem. The owner, Jorge, and his co-​workders — I believe one is his wife and one is a Columbia undergrad — are all friendly and know just what to recommend, without just offering the most expensive bottle that fits your parameters. I hope this shop is around for years to come.

We lived just around the corner from this shop for five years, and I came to think of it as our personal wine cellar. Jorge and the Vino Fino crew were like family – my toddler would exclaim «wine shop!!» with excitement every time we went in.
The wines are good and reasonably priced. I didn’t love every bottle, but there were enough winners in their stock that I always walked in with confidence. And with occasional live music, the Thursday evening wine tastings feel like a real community event.

Very cute and cozy wine shop with refreshingly friendly and courteous staff/​owners. Due to its highly convenient location (it’s right between my morning walk from my apartment, on 122^nd, and my classes at Teachers College, only just the next street over), each morning and evening my first week here I noticed myself always passing by this place and never missing the moment to pause and take a peek inside through the window.
Although I’m not a big drinker and purchasing alcohol really in any amount isn’t exactly the wisest choice for a grad student on a tight budget, I still found myself frequently drawn to this little shop, day after day. After hearing so many rave reviews about Vino, tonight I decided to head back out at the last minute and drop by here to try something out. And when I say «last minute,» I’m not kidding. I arrived about 7 minutes before 10, their closing time.
Still, both workers greeted me warmly and seemed really pleasantly surprised and pleased by my visit. I brought an empty bottle of a recently discovered favorite of mine to ask if they had anything similar. Even though their selection seemed a bit more limited than I expected, the wines I was recommended, and ultimately left the store with, were actually even better.
-*-Side Story: My visit here marked the very first time I was ID’d in this city since I’d arrived. Unfortunately, it was also the first time in my life anyone’s ever glanced at my driver’s license and abruptly gasped with shock at the date of birth. LOL. Quite the experience going from feeling youthful to suddenly elderly in the same, continuous 5-​second interval.-*-
I was surprised by the very reasonable pricing of the wines when I walked in. I do think I expected to see a larger range in their selection, however, I think I’m even happier about having such a bargain, late-​night wine-​run mere yards from where I live! I will definitely be visiting here again soon.
Oh, and I forgot to mention – free wine tastings are held here every Thursday late afternoon/​evening! :)

Great wine for reasonable prices. I usually ask for recommendations for reds around the $ 15 range, and have not been disappointed! Great customer service and a welcoming atmosphere. I am happy to patronize this local business.

Always helpful with great suggestions. I was lucky enough recently to stop in to pick up a few bottles if wine when they were having a 6yr anniversary celebration. You never know what you’ll find.

I love Vino Fino! Tip: You should definitely go when they have tastings. The wines they offer are amazing and it gives you a great chance to try new things before purchasing them. The owners are really great people and give great recommendations for taste preferences and pairing. I highly recommend them!!!

I usually love this place, because the owner (I assume) is so nice and helpful! Last time there he invited me for a wine tasting today. I walked in, with every intention to buy, yet hoping to taste. As I walked in the «kid» (22 or so) running the store didn’t say hello, just continued to talk to his friend about high school. While in there for 10 minutes browsing for wine, I was never once asked for a tasting. I just continued browsing while hearing him brag about how young he is, but that he does a great job at selling wine and how much he knows his product. Come on!!! Finally I bought the wine bottle, just with him telling me the price. I said thanks… and as I was leaving he said to his friend, «come on, let’s open this great bottle!» Worst wine tasting ever!!! Great owner, small selection… overall a 2, even though it’s by far the best wine store in the area. Uggggh

Love my neighborhood wine shop! Great selection, incredibly friendly owner. I wouldn’t send my friends to any other shop near my apartment.

SELECTION:
For its size, it has a great selection. It specializes in inexpensive, everyday drinking wine (not cellaring). 4 stars exactly because of this reason — just wishing that it could have more.
SERVICE:
Depends on who’s working — some are more helpful than other. All are friendly and approachable though. The owners are especially lovely people. My friend and I discovered this place when we were trying to escape the rain and she let us in without asking any questions. Tell her what you want the wine for and what wines you usually drink as well as price point and she’ll direct you to something that you might like. Owners are passionate about wine.
PRICE:
All price points. Can’t say whether it’s cheaper or more expensive than other place.
PLACE:
Conveniently located near Columbia campus. Place is tight. Be careful of your overly bulky bags and jackets.
OVERALL
Excellent neighborhood wine spot — intimate and well curated by lovely and passionate people. Carries a reasonable selection of wines at all price points.

Small place, but with a well curated selection. The owners are very friendly and will help you pick something good.

The shop is always very well stocked and can be a little tight, so be careful if you’re wearing a bulky jacket or have a big bag.
Everything is neatly organized and they have a great variety. The owners and employees are VERY knowledgeable and can help you find the perfect bottle (s). They also have wine tastings on some days, which opens us up to new wines.
Inside you’ll also find wine «accessories»; i.e. aerators. Their shopping bags alone can pass as gift bags, but if you’re still looking for something a bit more fancy they sell very cute wine gift bags (pictured). There have been times where I am on my way to a party and needed a quick bottle of i.e. Prosecco and they have it all chilled and ready to go.
Something to take note of is that they are closed on Sundays — for some reason I always remember to buy my wine on Sundays and then I end up having to wait till Monday =X.

This is one of the best places in Morningside Heights. The selection changes often and they are always welcoming and very helpful when you are looking for something specific.
If I could give this place six out of five stars, I would.
Prices here are hit and miss– some wines, you get a great deal and others are cheaper a few blocks away… worth paying a little more now and again though for the service.

I love the owner, he’s extremely helpful, friendly and informative!
Best days to come, are when they have their «Wine and Cheese» nights, big pieces of cheese = Awesome! or when they have Wine sales representatives, pouring and explaining their products!