This Mount Vernon gem of a shop, with a focus on New York wines and spirits (it carries the largest inventory in the county) is an obvious labor of love for owner and New Rochelle resident Shaheer H. Brewster. The boutique store has a Brooklyn-meets-SoHo vibe, with base cabinets made from barnyard hemlock that were sanded and finished for a vintage look and shelving made from 140-year-old navy-yard hemlock. The walls showcase pictures and paintings for sale from local artists.
As Brewster describes it, Apricots and Honey Wine & Spirits (named for the tasting notes of one of the first Italian wines he had) is the kind of place you would find in the city — except it’s in Westchester. “We want to be the place you can come to pick out a bottle of wine, but we also want to be the kind of place you come to for wine tastings and wine education,” he explains.
That’s a tall order, but to a large extent it’s exactly what Brewster has managed to pull off. The store has wine courses planned for this month ($30 per person) and a North Fork Long Island vineyard tour ($135 per person) scheduled for August 19. “We will have a 54-passenger bus leaving our store in Mount Vernon and heading to Macari and Pellegrini Vineyards followed by a seated dinner at Noah’s Restaurant in Greenport, NY,” he explains. There is also an Autumn NY Wine Grand Tasting scheduled for late September–early October.
Tastings will be regular fixtures at Apricots and Honey, and they provide tastings and pairings at off-sites, too. The calendar on their website and Facebook page boasts several events per month, including sip and paint nights and poetry readings.
Prices at Apricots and Honey range anywhere from $10 up to about $240 per bottle of wine. The bulk of the selection is modestly priced, but they also carry a small yet well-curated selection of higher-end wines, as well.
Apricots and Honey Wine & Spirits
673 E Lincoln Ave, Mount Vernon
914-664-3107
