We spoke with the owner, Debbie Jones, at the opening event of the wine & spirits store – we celebrated with La Caravelle Champagne: Champagne Rosé and Champagne Cuvée Niña poured by Chief Bubble Officer, Rita Jammet, Neversink Spirits: Founder Yoni Rabino served Manhattan variation with Cask Finished Bourbon Whiskey and Apple Aperitif from Neversink Spirits and Small Bites: Focaccia from Rolo’s and selection of cheeses from C. Hesse Cheese
Ellen’s wines and spirits focus on the under-represented, from females and minorities in the wine industry, but also organics, biodynamics, and small family-owned wineries, not the big names (they pride themselves on not only carrying the smaller manufacturers only). They also focus on Kosher and international wine and spirits with about 20-25% of their inventory representing New York. The owner is passionate about supporting the local community as much as possible and they have some great options for residents and others to enjoy!
If you want to know what you’re supporting, they have a color-coding system throughout the store that helps make shopping fun and easy (plus you know what you’re supporting).
Here’s the key for your reference (note: keep handy when visiting the store)
Red sticker: New York-based products
Pink sticker: female power (wine-maker, business owner, assistant wine-maker, distiller, or a very strong female presence in the wine or spirit represented in the store)
Purple sticker: Minority
Green sticker: biodynamics
Orange sticker: Organic
Blue sticker: Kosher
The wine shop is organized by price point (SUPER UNIQUE SELLING POINT!) starting from $14 to $28, with options above $30 (for those special days or days you want to treat yourself) at the center of the store.
Each wine stocked in the store is displayed with a card labeling the tasting notes, grape variety, region of origin, whether it has been made by women or minority-owned producers, and whether it is an organic or biodynamic wine, Kosher, or produced in New York. The wine shop features white,rosé, red, orange, and sparkling wines along with a selection of spirits, aperitifs, and desert wines. Due to her experience at New York City’s top restaurants and relationships developed with wine producers and distributors, Debbie can conduct one-on-one consultations and acquire a specific wine a customer desires.
Jones conceptualized the store with her own educational experience in mind, as buying wines to taste for her sommelier training was both expensive and overwhelming. The store’s organizations are also geared to help consumers who know how much money they are willing to spend on their wine but are not as knowledgeable on the subject. To help further her goal of educating the customer, Debbie will be releasing videos on TikTok and Instagram explaining the history of and differences between wines as well as hosting complimentary in-store tastings every other Friday from 6 pm to 8 pm. Located in Ridgewood, Ellen’s Wines&Spirits can deliver throughout the entire city of New York, with delivery minimums imposed outside of a three-mile radius, via UberEats, Grubhub, and an in-store delivery person.
Ellen’s Wines & Spirits is located at 50-05 Metropolitan Ave Suite F, Queens, NY 11385.