Mark A.
Yelp
Stopped here for a late-afternoon wine tasting with a group of fellow Yelpers, and we were wholly impressed. Michael, the shop's sommelier, knows his stuff. Not only has he completed one level of somm training, but he spent 7 years scouring Europe for the best hidden vineyards and has near-encyclopedic knowledge of various regions in Italy, France, Spain, etc. It was just fun listening to him talk. Seriously.
For every bottle of wine that he selects to offer his patrons, he samples approximately sixty. He humorously described his Sunday process of sitting in the back room with tasting note cards and a spitoon, calling in representatives from aspiring wineries one-by-one for their "audition." What can I say...his perfectionist palate benefits his customers, as mediocre wine isn't in his vocabulary.
I was able to sample two whites: a 2012 Fontezoppa Verdicchio di Matelica ($13) and a 2012 Azienda Agricola San Salvatore Falanghina Campania ($22). I also tried their house rose, the 2012 Pasanella & figlio Rosato ($11). All three wines were spectacular...and affordable. I took home one of each and impressed a group of very picky ladies at their weekly wine party.
Aside from wine, the shop has a limited selection of high-end liquors on its back wall as well as assorted wine trinkets by the tasting station that the owner have collected over the years.
Check this place out if you're near South Street and the FiDi areas. They deserve your business.