I find myself escaping downtown manhattan’s looting for a few days with the in-laws in central jersey.
I suppose access to a car and a need to have a reason to step out for a few hours means I should see if there’s any good wine shops in the area.
Can anyone recommend some wine shops near freehold/asbury park/marlboro/new brunswick/middletown?
ideally looking for the best selection of french and italian daily drinkers but also would be interested in any recommendations for fine wine selections as well.
Wegman’s liquors in Ocean, NJ is pretty decent. They have a large selection of mostly daily drinkers at reasonable prices - it’s one of the larger wine stores I’ve been in.
The Pluckemin Inn in Pluckemin, NJ (near the intersection of Interstates 78 and 287) is about a 30 minute drive from New Brunswick. They don’t have a physical store, but you can order online and pick-up at the restaurant. They have one of the best high-end inventories you will find, and also a nice selection of everyday drinkers. Chris Cree is a Master Som and he runs the retail shop, and he personally tastes and recommends many of the wines they offer. Well worth a review of their inventory. Good luck…
I don’t venture to your specific area often but a few recommendations are Canals in Egg Harbor, Bottle Shop near Belmar, and Stage Left in New Brunswick. The caveat is that I have not been to any of these places in at least a few years so check them out online to see if they fit what you are looking for.
There’s a Bottle King in Middletown. I am not familiar with that particular store, but at their other locations, I often found a nice selection of Italian (and Spanish) daily drinkers that you mentioned being interested in.
Pluckemin Inn is great! Their full restaurant wine list is also on offer at retail pricing (has worked out at just less than half the wine list price). They have a deep list, lots of older wines. just email Brian.
I think the best part about picking up wines at the Pluckemin Inn was going around lunchtime and stopping in for a delicious Plucky Burger first. I hope that comes back soon.