MCF Rare Wine

MCF Rare Wine
237 W 13th St
(between 7th Ave & Greenwich Ave.)
New York, NY 10011

There are honest wines and dishonest wines. There are honest wine stores and dishonest wine stores. MCF Rare Wine is a wine store run by an honest guy who sells wine that he honestly likes.

After working at various wine stores for nearly a year, I'm somewhat jaded by wine retail. As a salesperson, I become restless when I hear customers ask for a wine that goes well with Thai food or a dry, white wine that starts with Pinot and rhymes with the last name of former Houston Astros 1st baseman Craig Biggio. As a customer, I become more distressed when I hear a salesperson pitch me a blowsy California Chardonnay or sell me on a wine on the basis of Robert Parker or Wine Spectator ratings.

Matt Franco's store is old-school, back-to-basics wine selling. He picks great wine, he knows how to talk about it, and can turn you on to producers and varietals that you haven't heard about.

The selection is small (approximately 80 bottles), and focuses primarily on Old World. France, Italy, and Germany are well represented, but the store takes detours into some US wines (Arcadian, Belle Pente), but also more off-beaten Eastern European countries like Slovenia and Hungary. No Veuve Cliquot at this store: only Krug and small grower-producers man the ranks of sparkling wine at MCF Rare Wine.

This is not the wine store to buy wine if you are in a pinch for a dinner party. But if you take the time to mull the store's selections and talk with Matt, you will be greatly rewarded.

Check out Matt's blog at shopkeepersdesk.wordpress.com.