Wine-O — Black-Owned Brooklyn

BOB Massive, did you know? Not only is today #WineWednesday — it’s also National Wine and Cheese Day. (¡Salud!) Get your supplies in order with a visit to Wine-O, a cozy Bed-Stuy shop with a well-curated selection of bottles from different regions, varietals and price points. Owner Janette Young opened the store last October because, basically, she wanted a decent red in the vicinity.

“I like to do things the way I want to do things,” says the entrepreneurial Young, who counts event planner and flower shop owner among her previous jobs. “I love wine but had to leave my neighborhood to get it. When this space became available, I thought, ‘Oh, a wine shop,’ and just moved forward with it.” At Wine-O, she offers a broad range of distinctive options in a charming atmosphere with enthusiastic, knowledgeable service.

“I love wine but had to leave my neighborhood to get it. When this space became available, I thought, ‘Oh, a wine shop,’ and just moved forward with it.”

Young packs a lot in Wine-O’s 400 square feet, including organic and biodynamic wines, a significant area dedicated to bottles under $15, as well as local spirits. Always on the lookout for offerings from Black winemakers, she carries Maison Noir wine by African-American winemaker and sommelier André Hueston Mack, specifically his earthy “O.P.P.” — Other People’s Pinot Noir. She also stocks the Instagrammable, limited-edition (and sometimes polarizing) Forty Ounce Rosé by French winemaker Julien Braud. “I’m still learning myself,” says Young. “Because there are so many interesting wines out there.”