Fairway Wines & Spirits Opens in Stamford Dec. 15th.
As if the opening of the renown grocery mecca Fairway Market wasn't enough to make a foodie faint, Fairway Wines & Spirits (689 Canal Street), a 6,500 square foot store will open on Wednesday, December 15th next door to the new Fairway Market (699 Canal Street).
The shop will feature approximately 2,500 wines, more than 600 varieties of spirits from around the world and over 500 different specialty and traditional beers. Need assistance? A highly qualified staff of specialists and sommeliers will be on the premises to help customers with their wine and spirit selections.
Let's talk wine: Wine selections will include the large national brands, local wines, kosher wines, organic and biodynamic wines, sparkling and dessert wines and a variety of esoteric wines from smaller vineyards. Fairway also intends to carry wines from different parts of the world that will be exclusive to Fairway Wines & Spirits.
Shoppers will also find liquors of every type from all regions of the world, ranging from high-end brands to very economical ones including the most comprehensive selection of single malt whiskey in Fairfield County. Lucky us, the store will also offer events with winemakers, bottle signings and tastings with brand ambassadors, as well as an array of glassware, corkscrews and informative guides on wine and liquor.
The store’s hours will be Monday-Thursday 9AM to 9PM; Friday-Saturday 9AM to 10PM. It will be closed on Sundays. Please call 203-388-1292.or go to www.fairwaywines.com for more information.
1 Reference | tagged Cocktails, Specialty Market, Stamford, Wine Chat
Reader Comments (5)
I look forward to checking out Fairway, but it brings to mind the issues related to buying wine in Connecticut (respecting the local nature of CT Bites).
Now I hate to list the good shops as I will invariably leave some out, but Harry's & Mt. Carmel are pretty much at the top of the heap (support your locally owned shop!), Merritt offers great deals in Norwalk. Then there are some wine "superstores" like Stews, Amity, and (presumably) Fairway. (And if you are looking for a bottle for dinner, you don't want to drive across the county,)
The problem is that with the current distribution system and Connecticut state minimum pricing laws, at the end of the day, shopping around in Connecticut doesn't help the consumer very much. If you are a wine novice, a shop with experienced staff can help you a lot, but if you know what you want, there is little price competition and most shops have access to the same wines from the same distributors.
So as much as I hate to say it, if you are looking for the best deals on great juice (as well as the most variety) you want to hop over the state line into New York, where the larger number of consumers results in more different labels making it into the state. Additionally, NY shops can, for instance, order directly from wineries, allowing for even more access to boutique wines. Finally, seemingly not constrained by the same state minimum prices, the same wines are often less expensive in Westchester County (some places like Zachy's certainly over-price, but they aim at a particular clientele).
Two Westchester County shops that offer interesting selection, good specials, and are a reasonable drive from Fairfield County are Wine Connection in Pound Ridge (just five minutes from New Canaan - and close to Farmer John Boy!) and Rye Brook Wine and Spirits. Also, as they are in New York, they are open on Sundays.
Wine Connection is one of the best shops in the country. (While they may disagree) I would say that their specialties are French and Italian wines. They frequently e-mail specials on premium wines (including older vintages) that are either not available or way more expensive in Connecticut.
Rye Brook Wines has an unassuming strip-mall store front, but seems to specialize in domestic wines and also e-mails daily "internet only" offers that can be ordered and picked-up at the store.
A last way to find the best deals (when you are looking for a particular bottle) is to use winesearcher.com. Some shops (like Rye Brook and a number of local shops) link to Wine Searcher. With that site, you can enter the wine and vintage that you seek and a list of sellers and prices will come up (either nationally or by individual state). If you use Wine Searcher you can pretty much assure yourself of the best price - but be sure to call the store first, to confirm stock.
I own a liquor store in Derby, CT and live in Stamford. My hours are similar but CT laws do not allow stores to be open past 9pm Monday Thru Saturday. So look for that to change with this place.
Is this open? Outside sign says Dec 8th.
Actually, it is open. I was just there for wine. It has an enormous selection and some very helpful, expert staff. It's great to have it in the neighborhood.
Glad to see rare and exclusive wines being offered at Fairway Wines & Spirits!