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On any given Friday, a farm table at Best Wine Purveyors in Pleasantville is thronged by 24 people and covered with 96 glasses of reds and whites — four per taster. Guests swirl and sniff while proprietor Thierry Pradines — or a winemaker, such as Australia’s Tim Smith — holds forth. The wine lovers are here to learn about everything from what wines pair with pizza to how wines once native to southwest France, such as Carménère, found their way to South America.
Pradines, himself a native of France, opened the spacious wine store in 2013, and began offering the weekly tastings soon thereafter. These — plus larger, storewide quarterly tastings — are a chance for him to educate Westchester wine lovers about varietals they may be unfamiliar with, give them pairing ideas, and more. For just a $10 reservation fee, which can be applied to any purchase, oenophiles get access to a flight of wines and education. If that’s not enough, Pradines also keeps eight rotating wines on tap, free for tasting any day or time.
Best Wine Purveyors is a unique kind of shop, one where Pradines’ love of wine and knowledge shines, yet without pretense. The space is large and open and separated into two distinct rooms. One side is dedicated to Old World wines — from France, Italy, and Spain, for example — the other is dedicated to New World: the USA and South America. Pradines is also intent on affordability: While he tries to steer clear of the hugely distributed wines found in most big retailers, it’s not at the expense of the customer. Instead, he seeks out well made wines in lower price points. “Affordable but super good is my goal,” says Pradines, who is also the wine consultant for tennis’s US Open. To whit, from France to Napa, eye level wines at Best Wine Purveyors hover closer to the $20 price point than the $50s.
Related: Free Tastings at This Wine Store … Every Day
For those who can’t come to the store, Pradines offers a monthly wine club, which ships two to six bottles each month, as well. He’s also been known to field a call from a customer’s cellar to offer advice on what to open, and what to pair with a special meal.
Best Wine Purveyors
210 Marble Ave, Pleasantville
914.579.2280
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