Unlike other wine shops, Vintage is not restricted by law from serving wine to its customers. As luck will have it, even though wine shops are not allowed to host tastings, Vintage can go ahead and pour glasses for its customers. State law allows for a licensed vineyard to hold tastings, and to sell on Sunday as long as it is a New York State wine. And Vintage New York counts as a vineyard. Sort of. Since Vintage's owners Susan Wine (former co-owner of the popular New York restaurant The Quilted Giraffe) and Robert Ransom are also the owners of Rivendell Winery in New Paltz, they are permitted to have additional "tasting rooms" other than the one located at their upstate winery. Lucky for city dwellers, they have a tasting room is in their Downtown wine shop.

in your neighborhood

Located on the corner of Broome and Wooster Streets, Vintage New York inhabits prime, if challenging, territory. Offering over 150 wines from New York State, Ransom says that he is "pushing New York wine past the fashion barrier." The area's abundance of foreign visitors makes it possible to promote the shop as an international tourist destination. Ransom says, "If we do our job right and wow [tourists] with the presentation and the wines, our visitors will carry the message of New York wines back to Sweden and England and Japan, furthering the development of positive feedback for the region." To establish Vintage New York as a trendy destination, its owners splurged on one of the most expensive real estate spots in Manhattan. Is this risky? You bet. Especially since most of its wines are moderately priced. Vintage New York is aiming for a young clientele. "I have noticed over the past five to seven years that there is a whole new generation that has absolutely no preconceived notion of New York wines at all. In fact, they are wonderfully accepting and even enthusiastic about discovering this little-known region," Ransom says. The large amount of foot traffic was dearly considered in picking the store's location. After spending too much on a new suit or swanky pair of shoes, what better recuperation than to taste newly discovered wines-with the option to buy?

lost in the crowd

Most wine stores have small selections of New York wines that are overlooked. Shoppers who are intent on buying American wines tend to go with California vintages. One would be hard-pressed to find many of the wines offered by Vintage New York anywhere other than the very wineries that produced them. Wine and Ransom culled their stock as they traveled to 140 New York State wineries. The collection is housed in a store with high ceilings and wide aisles -- a perfectly inviting atmosphere within which to taste native wines.

Vintage New York has two floors, with a wine-tasting bar on each. As for the tasting, $5 buys you a sampling of five different wines, and the money is refunded after a $50 purchase (of wine only). The lower floor is a wine cellar with vaulted ceilings. It is used for guest chef presentations, wine-pairing classes, tastings, and private purposes. Tasting notes of the wines are displayed on the shelves, arranged by flavor and style rather than by region.

Judging by the success that Wine achieved with her tasting room at Rivendell, where she and Ransom carry over 50 selections of wine from other vintners, Wine is confident that Vintage New York will catch on in New York City. I'll wager that the majority of wine aficionados out there have not ever tasted a New York State wine. My own experience suggests that the wines are a work in progress, with a growing number of artisanal producers exploring their potential. Many vintners are experimenting with grape varieties to find what works best with New York climate and soils --there has been considerable success with cabernet franc on the North Fork of Long Island, as well as with New York cabernet and merlot.

a tough business

The biggest obstacle for many wineries is achieving ripeness. When grapes don't fully ripen, the wines can be too sharp and lean. Most New York wines do not have the body to stand up to extensive oak aging. Some Chardonnays, especially in years past, have been over-oaked. Over-oaking confounds the delicate flavors that can potentially come from the relatively cooler climate of New York. Many winemakers have found that New York Chardonnays can have a vibrant and nuanced character if the oak treatment is kept to a minimum. There has been increasingly consistent success with the cool climate of the Finger Lakes region, from whence Riesling hails. I was pleasantly surprised with the Standing Stone Gewurztraminer 1999, which has a floral nose, a full-bodied balanced palate that replicates the wine's aromas, and a long finish. New York State is not new to winemaking, but in the last several years, experimentation and development have led to better, more consistent results. Many of the wines at Vintage New York are good values in our inflated wine market. It is always a treat to taste new wines. Although I had already tried a number of the New York vintages already, I learned a lot more about them when I visited Vintage New York. More importantly, I enjoyed myself. Although I was more fond of some wines than I was of others, I appreciated the opportunity to taste new wines in an accommodating atmosphere. I did not sense pretension; what I did sense was the passion of the owners.

Vintage New York is an ambitious project, but the owners have confidence in their destiny. "If we do our job right, we will help New York craft a whole new image for itself, and Vintage New York will be credited and remembered for being at the forefront of the effort," says Ransom. If the quality of New York wines continues to improve, Vintage New York will undoubtedly deserve credit for New Yorkers' predilection for shopping for wine in their own backyard.

by JAMES FANTACI