You can find community at the Gowanus Wine Merchants

Entering Gowanus Wine Merchants at 493 3rd Ave. feels almost like entering a home. There are many types of wines and spirits from various regions, and each bottle has a handwritten note on it providing details about the wine. There are also treats and bowls for dogs, and toys for children.

Enrique Lopez opened the shop in 2012 with a business partner, and his friend, Scott Frampton, chipped in with some start-up money. Frampton changed careers a few years ago and spent a lot of time at the shop, while Lopez’s initial business partner also wanted to make a career change.

Frampton became Lopez’s full-time business partner in 2022.

“I really liked talking to Rick about wines and spirits even before the shop opened up,” Frampton said. “Rick talked about it in a very accessible way. It was never snobby or exclusionary, and that was the type of shop I wanted to invest in.”

Lopez started in the wine and hospitality business in the late 90s and was initially in restaurants preparing wine lists. He got an importing job before making the jump to his own place.

“One of my goals was to have a shop that I would always want to go to,” Lopez said.

“We’re looking for the best wines for the best prices to try and deliver for our customers while also making the shop a place where everyone feels welcome and a place where people can stop and chat.”

The shop has become known for having free wine tastings on many Fridays and Saturdays.

“There are at least four different bottles for people to try, and it’s the best way for people to figure out what they like,” Frampton said. “For a shop like ours, where we don’t have a lot of big-name brands that people immediately know, it’s a way to introduce people to something. A lot of times, people will find a wine that they love at the tastings that they never would have picked up off the shelf on their own. We also have a lot of our wine makers come through and meet our customers and tell them about what they do and why.”

The wine tastings have become community events, and in addition to trying the wines, neighbors have gotten to know each other.

“We’ve gotten to know so many of our customers since most of them are regulars and we have an ongoing conversation with them,” Lopez said. “We know their tastes, and we’ll let them know when we get something new that we think they’ll love. Other times, people will ask us what we think would go well with certain meals.”

Tasting notes
Additionally, the handwritten notes on bottles give an introduction to customers about each of the different wines.

“They all have stories, and we take our own notes when we taste our wines,” Lopez said. “We actually have a filing cabinet that’s filled with thousands of tasting notes, and they help tell the story for us.

We’re always happy to chat with customers, but some people are quieter or like doing their own thing, and then the tag is doing its thing and speaking for us. It’s a way to describe the wine and tell its story.”

“The handwritten notes are also an example of how hands-on we are with everything,” Frampton said. “We like to make it personalized and help people get an idea of which ones fit their taste.”
Trying to figure out the best wines is not easy, and it involves Lopez and Frampton often trying 70 wines per day during tastings, listening to what wine makers are telling them, and taking detailed note.

Customers appreciate the personal touch, and many bring their dogs or children with them while they shop.

“We have a group of moms who come to the tastings on Friday and chat because that’s their time,” Frampton said. “They even came in with merch that had a drawing of the Gowanus Wine Merchants on the back.”

“It’s one of my favorite all-time moments,” Lopez said. “I was so elated and bowled over to see it. We get to pet everybody’s dogs, and we’ve gotten to see neighborhood children grow up. We’ve seen people go from dating to getting married and having kids right in front of our eyes.”

Gowanus Wine Merchants at 493 3rd Ave. is open from noon to 8 pm on Sunday and noon to 9 pm all other days. Phone number: (718) 499-9700. The shop is known for its free wine tastings, and there will be a tasting on Feb. 6 from 5:30-8 pm. There will also be an Italian wines tasting on Feb. 13 from 5:30-8 pm and a Valentine’s Day tasting on Feb. 14 from 5-8 pm.