Each day when I walk into Vintry Fine Wines – is it a gallery? a spaceship? the set from a live-action Jetsons movie? – a six-liter bottle of 1983 Château d’Yquem greets me from its perch on the center island. It’s just sitting there, hanging out, waiting for someone to throw a party worthy of its magnitude. Roughly as big as a My Size Barbie, the bottle begs to be hugged, which is pretty much what you would have to do to pour it. I’m smitten. Big bottles are more fun.

That island is home to some of the greatest wines in the world; legends like Château Latour, are there for the selling, frequently in older vintages and sizes rarely seen outside of auction or private collections. I love to touch the bottles, to caress them as I walk by. I can physically interact with history, and offer that same opportunity to anyone who comes into the store.

There is a sense of the greatness in those wines, and it is complemented by the presence in the store of future legends. I’m happy to spy many bottles on our shelves that I enjoy drinking regularly: Olga Raffault and Jean Foillard from France, Edmunds St. John and Donkey and Goat of California, and Arianna Occhipinti and COS from Sicily, are available for those of us with somewhat thinner wallets and persistent thirsts. If you want to keep it big, a three-liter of Muscadet from Domaine de la Pépière Clisson that resembles a 6-month-old baby has a place on the island; don’t be surprised if you see me cradling it in my arms.

Wine has this way of sneaking into you and seeping into your very being if you aren’t careful. Once it grabs you – whether you asked it to or not – you’re a goner. There is no hope. You will forever be unable to look at wine as just a drink or a way to get drunk. This obsession doesn’t happen to everyone, and those of you who are still safe can rest easy knowing that those of us who have been consumed by wine are here to help you. 

For those of you who have already gone over the edge, we can commiserate over some Coche-Dury at Vintry Fine Wines. You’re buying.