Best Wine Selection (Store): Marketview Liquor
[
{
"name": "500x250 Ad",
"insertPoint": "5",
"component": "15667920",
"parentWrapperClass": "",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
}
]
Marketview Liquor: Wine everywhere you turn
1100 Jefferson Road, Henrietta | 888-427-2480marketviewliquor.com
The moment you walk into the doors of Marketview Liquor, cases of wine piled chest high stare you down. Deeper in the store, racks full of bottles from every wine region imaginable stretch from the floor to damned close to the ceiling.
But still, there was the time a customer came in looking for a specific white wine from northern Italy made with arneis grapes. The shop didn't have any, recalled Mike Martin, the store's general manager, so he and a couple of other staff members hunted down two vintages and stocked Marketview's shelf with it.
"I think it's the best wine store in upstate New York and we should have an arneis," Martin said.
CITY's readers likely wouldn't argue with Martin's assessment, after all they've once again pointed to the store as having the best wine selection in greater Rochester.
But stocking the shelves of a bottle shop is an art. Martin and Marketview owner Mike Palmeri emphasize that it's not enough to have a lot of different wines on the store's shelves, they also have to be good.
To that end, the staff makes sure the store is stocked with popular wines they know will sell, but also ensures that it has a selection of interesting, under-the-radar vintages that appeal to more adventurous oenophiles. For example, Marketview has one of Rochester's better selections of German and Austrian wines, many of which are stylistic forebears to the beloved Finger Lakes wines the store also keeps a robust stock of.
"We probably taste almost every bottle that's bought," Martin said.
It also holds regular wine tasting and pairing classes with sommelier Holly Howell, as well as informal tastings in the store on weekends. Palmieri said those tastings are a great way to find out what customers like and to introduce them to styles and producers they may be unfamiliar with.
The staff incorporates customer feedback into its selections but also tries to keep ahead of trends in the wine world through industry publications such as Wine Spectator and Decanter.
Palmeri started Marketview Liquor in 1972 and his first location was a 1,500 square foot store in Penfield. Eventually it relocated to Henrietta and its location on Jefferson Road is 10 times larger than the original storefront. — JEREMY MOULE
Finalists: Aldaskellar Wine Co. | Century Wine & Liquor | Pinnacle Wine & Liquor
In This Guide...
Latest in Best of Rochester
-
Best Of Rochester: Arts & Entertainment
Jan 10, 2024 -
Best Of Rochester: Food
Jan 8, 2024 -
Best Of Rochester: Shopping & Services
Jan 8, 2024 - More »