In the Wall Street Journal’s Tastings column, they’re talking about wine shops “with all sorts of new ideas to make the wine-buying experience more fun and less intimidating.” One of the shops mentioned is Fort Greene’s own Green Grape:

“At the Greene Grape in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the stores’ computers keep a record of every wine you buy. Yes, this sure seems simple in this day and age. We wonder why it took so long. Amy Bennett, the owner in Brooklyn, says the computer file was inspired by her tech-savvy partner and by her experience being in a large store next to a woman who approached a clerk and asked, ‘I had this great Spanish red. Do you remember which one it was?’”

This is a great idea to help newbie wine enthusiasts remember specific bottles — but for a local shop, a computer isn’t always necessary to remember customers’ preferences. Once we became regulars at our favorite neighborhood wine store, Scotto’s at 318 Court Street, the owner would always recognize us, ask us what we thought about our last bottle, and recommend another accordingly.
Wine’s New Wave — Stores With Shtick [WSJ]
The Greene Grape [Homepage]
Scotto’s [Homepage]