Those who like to order a glass or bottle of wine at a restaurant and take photos of the label to search for the wine to drink at home have a more convenient time of it when dining at Tarrytown’s RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen. They simply must ask Glenn Vogt, the owner, to accompany them next door to what he calls “Tarrytown’s best-kept secret”: RiverMarket Wine & Spirits.
Vogt says the idea behind opening the shop was to offer “a convenience to the residents of Hudson Harbor.” But as RiverMarket became a destination restaurant, the popularity of the wine and liquor store grew as well — for those in the know. The fine print at the bottom of RiverMarket’s menu lets customers know about the store and its philosophy.
That philosophy echoes the one at the restaurant: emphasizing sustainable and biodynamic wines. Vogt, a self-proclaimed Francophile, is more than happy to talk to customers about a host of topics, such as vineyards that have brought their land back from chemical usage, or the inventions of screw caps and why they don’t mean customers are buying an inferior wine. To accommodate people looking to grab a bottle and enjoy picnicking, several of the white and rosé wines in the market’s refrigerator have screw tops.
In keeping with the rustic-chic atmosphere at the restaurant, 250 antique apple crates display the wine at the wine and spirits store, and the floor and ceiling are made from oak flavor sticks. Customers looking through the glass wall to the rear of the store will see the restaurant’s impressive wine display.
With the opening of The Edge-on-Hudson in Sleepy Hollow, and the continued development in Tarrytown, Vogt says he expects more people to find their way to RiverMarket Wine & Spirits, which is open until 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. on the weekends. “We’re a small store, but in this 500-square-foot space, customers will find both names they’re familiar with and some lesser-known wines that are produced in more limited qualities,” Vogt says.
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