MORNINGSIDER

Credit - ABA-America.org

As part of our Q&A series, Morningsider brings you exclusive interviews with neighborhood “Insiders.” This week, we interview Nobu Otsu, owner of The Winery. 

A successful entrepreneur as well as a certified member of the American Sommelier Society and the Wine and Sprit Education Trust, you may be surprised to know that Nobu Otsu is not just a wine professional, but an interior designer. After studying commercial design at Kanazawa College in Japan, Otsu went on to major in interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He then began his career as an art director for advertising in Tokyo. It was not until later that Nobu moved to Harlem to explore new and different opportunities.

Upon moving to Harlem in 2006, he established The Winery in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance. Now, six years later, his business is booming and has doubled in both revenue and size.

Aside from owning The Winery, Nobu also works as an interior designer for residential and commercial spaces, an adjunct assistant professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and enjoys exploring new business ventures at any chance he gets. Speaking of, you can hop on over to Harlem Bespoke to read about Nobu’s latest venture, Jado Sushi and Wine Bar!  

Questions For Nobu Otsu:

1.   Tell us about The Winery.

Credit - Harlem Bespoke

The Winery is a very special wine store specializing in artisanal, small-production wines from producers who carefully craft wine with artful skills and a respect for the environment.

We like to enjoy wine as a part of our day-to-day lives, so we keep the price under $20 for most of our selection. For those who want something special, we also offer undiscovered top-notch wines from major appellations.

The Winery is a community based store. To help make this community a better place to live and work we have committed to support local community and non-profit charity organizations which focus on the arts and education, including: 

• Apollo Theater Foundation
• Dance Theater of Harlem
• Studio Museum of Harlem
• Iris House
• Friends of Morningside Park
• Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association
• Many private and public schools in Harlem and the Upper West Side

2. What inspired you to open a wine shop?

I enjoy drinking wine with meals each day, but unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of spending top dollar for great wines. Access to delicious, affordable, everyday wines is an absolute necessity. But, boy, a simple thing like this is so difficult. Wine stores were usually so intimidating; I’d just grab a bottle that had an attractive label and was within my price range and leave. It’s like buying CDs without listening to them. Sometimes you get great ones, but most are disappointing. So, I decided to create a store that I want to shop in, and that I can be proud of owning.

3. We know that you’re an interior designer by trade, but would you now also consider yourself a wine connoisseur? How did you learn about the wine business?

No, I am not a wine connoisseur at all. It’s one of those things that the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. Every day is a learning experience for me.

I look at wine as a branch of the arts. It is the expression of the winemaker and his/her environment such as the location, weather and culture. It is much like how a painting is the expression of an artist and his/her environment. For me, coming from an art and design background, the wine business (in concept) is not too different from the art/design business. I treat each wine with respect. I display them like artwork in a gallery, giving each enough space to be independent.

4. We noticed that many of your wines are environmentally friendly – some are organic, biodynamic while others are sustainably grown. What are some of the environmental and health benefits from drinking this kind of wine?

I prefer organic food and wine for myself, simply because I don’t want to unnecessarily ingest any more synthetic chemicals than I already do on a day-to-day basis. Also, I am not too sure about how genetically engineered produce affects us in the long-run. I grow vegetables myself and you’d be amazed to see how different commercial produce looks compared to what I grow in my garden. Commercial produce looks like it’s on steroids.

I particularly like the romanticism of biodynamic farming. It’s a philosophy; a step beyond organic; which was created by the Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner in the early 20^th century. In this philosophy, grape vines are cultivated and wines are produced according to the cycles of the universe. Phases of the moon, for example, affect grape growing and winemaking a great deal. Whether you believe it or not, I think it’s cool.

5. What is your favorite wine? And what is your best-seller?

As you might guess, I can’t answer the question. All wines I carry at the store are my children.

The best sellers are definitely wines of value prices. However Drusian Prosecco, priced at $18.99, sells extremely well also and was voted the best Prosecco by the NY Times. You will understand why once you sip it.

6. We heard that The Winery frequently offers wine education tastings and events. Do you have any coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

We host a free wine tasting every Friday night from 5:30 to 8 pm. It is casual, educational and, best of all, fun. Through the wine tasting sessions you will be able to learn the reasons why you like or dislike certain kinds, which is the first step to learning about wine. Anyone can drop by at anytime during these tasting hours.

7. Aside from The Winery, what is your favorite Harlem hot spot?

I love the Studio Museum of Harlem, especially on Sunday when they offer free admission (thanks to Target), and on their opening parties. I’ve never seen such a diverse, energetic art crowd anywhere else in the city. The quality of the collection is incredible and unique in each and every exhibition.

I also love to stroll on the side streets of Harlem where I discover hidden architectural jewels and community pocket gardens. 

The Winery

257 West 116th Street

New York, NY

(212) 222-4866

thewineryonline.com

As part of our Q&A series, Morningsider brings you exclusive interviews with neighborhood “Insiders.” This week, we interview Jai Jai Greenfield, co-owner of Harlem Vintage and Nectar Wine Bar.

Harlem Vintage first opened its doors in the fall of 2004 when two college friends, Jai Jai and Eric Woods, decided to fill the neighborhood need for quality wines. While Eric grew up with a taste for wine, Jai Jai became a wine-enthusiast in college, and later on Wall Street, where she would have to host and order at client dinners. Their mission is to sell a selection of wines that reflect Harlem’s rich history and to educate Harlem “one grape at a time,” in a very comfortable environment.

Questions for Jai Jai Greenfield:

1. Tell us about Harlem Vintage.

Harlem Vintage is a wine store that opened on October 30, 2004. The intention was never for me to be an entrepreneur, but I had a lot of friends in Harlem, went to church in Harlem and my dad was born and raised there, and when I saw all that was going on there, it wasn’t hard to come to the conclusion that there was a need for more boutiques and retailers. I love wine and am very passionate about Harlem and these factors created this perfect storm where I knew opening up Harlem Vintage was what I was supposed to do.

Credit - NYStrolls.com

2. What inspired you to open Nectar Wine Bar?

A lot of it was just luck in that we were sitting on three years of success at Harlem Vintage and the Nectar space had remained vacant. We gain a lot of clientele from our neighbors’ customers who peak their heads in, grab a bottle of wine, and the idea of having a Subway or some other business that might not contribute to ours was disheartening. At a previous job, I had done some consulting work for wine bars located in airports and I realized that we could do something very similar next door, thus Nectar was born in April 2008.

3. Do you have any specialty seasonal wines you carry?

We are known for something we have called the $100 case, which is 12 bottle case we put together to match the season. It’s a great way to always have some wines in the home, not think about it and it even comes with a tasting note. It really has been a success and it’s great for us because we can showcase wines someone might not have otherwise picked—we can promote more expensive wines, but they are way discounted through the case special. Our customers often just call up and request latest $100 case, and it’s also great for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the shop. We always try to keep it seasonally focused. For instance during winter, the cases are more red-focused, with some heartier whites to compliment heavier, richer food such as stews and soups.

4. What are the most popular wines sold at Harlem Vintage?

Aside from the $100 cases, a lot of Prosecco and Malbec in terms of styles. We also have a wine called Indaba, from South Africa, which we’ve had since opening that is quite popular. We like to carry wines that not only cross the price point, but really reflect where it comes from and what it should taste like. I think wine is somewhat resilient in the economy, people might not go out to eat as often, or buy as many bottles, but they are still buying wine.

5. Aside from Harlem Vintage and Nectar, what is your favorite Harlem hot spot?

I LOVE Settepani, it’s like my office—if I need to grab a bite to eat, but sit and think uninterrupted, I go there. Sylvia’s is also like my kitchen for my two boys; I love that I can just drive right by and grab some dinner. Hue-Man Bookstore is also really great and has a terrific story time for the kids.

Credit - EdibleManhattan.com

6. What is your favorite part about being a business owner?

That’s a tough one, because there are so many things. I like seeing something that we’ve created from the ground up—a lot of entrepreneurs buy or inherit their businesses, but this is something we completely created. It’s also the ability to love what you do so much that it can transcend any difficulties that you have and being an entrepreneur is definitely difficult.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Every Saturday we have a wine tasting from 4:00-7:00pm with a different theme, whether it’s region, grape-focused, wines in the pinot family and more. It’s always a good time and our distributors and those who serve the wine always remark on how friendly our customers are. People come in, taste wines and mingle and it really creates a nice neighborhood vibe.

At our next tasting, which will be on Saturday, February 4, we are highlighting wines that come from our Winemakers of Color Collection. 

Harlem Vintage

2235 Frederick Douglass Boulevard

212-866-WINE

Nectar Wine Bar

2235 Frederick Douglass Boulevard

212-961-9622