Lucky Rochester

Nancy was going to a weaving conference in Rochester today so I went along for the ride, and managed to visit some wine shops. I went to Century and Market View, both of which turn out to be head and shoulders above anything available here in Syracuse. They seem to try to outdo each other. One had the '08 Hazlitt Gewurztraminer, a scrumptious State Fair Gold Medal winner, priced at $15 at the winery for just $10. The other had the Governor's Cup winning Anthony Road Riesling which sells for $15 at the winery for $12. There were many other good deals too. What a difference it can make to have local wine shops that compete on the basis of offering good value to the consumer.

Why do you think Rochester is so different from Syracuse on this issue?

Market View and Century are far and away the best shops in Rochester..Century owner retired, sold store to Wegmans and is now a consultant for Wegmans..He does the wine and food pairings for their Menu magazine..Century has long been a terrific store for fine wines..Market View very good re medium priced to lower priced wines..sort of Rochester's answer to Liquor City tho probably not as good as Empire in Albany

Why do you think Rochester is so different from Syracuse on this issue?

Rochester always has been a tad more upscale than Syracuse. We were noted for the good factory jobs at GE and Carrier. Rochester had the more prestigious Bosch & Lomb, Xerox and Kodak. Different kinds of people with different values were drawn to each city. Now, with the factory jobs in Syracuse mostly gone and the likes of Kodak in Rochester in severe retrenchment it is interesting to note the differences that persist in something like wine stores. I'm sure many other factors are at work too.

Rochester always has been a tad more upscale than Syracuse. We were noted for the good factory jobs at GE and Carrier. Rochester had the more prestigious Bosch & Lomb, Xerox and Kodak. Different kinds of people with different values were drawn to each city. Now, with the factory jobs in Syracuse mostly gone and the likes of Kodak in Rochester in severe retrenchment it is interesting to note the differences that persist in something like wine stores. I'm sure many other factors are at work too.

I can see that. The universities are different too.

Hi,

I grew up near Rochester (a little town called Seneca Falls).

I would just like to make a mini-testimonial with regard to Sherwood Deutsch of Century.

Sherwood was a pharamacist. The zillionth time a customer asked him at the counter where the nearest liquor store was, he twigged that there was a significant unfrilled demand in this part of town.
So, he left the pharmacy business, started Century, and it grew and grew.

Hi selection of French wine was great.
As a teenager, I went there with my father, and Sherwood "took us under his wing" - guided us, lent us books, etc.
Later, when I was in the wine business, he welcomed me like a prince.
A great guy, a true wine lover.

So, it is bittersweet to hear that he has sold to Wegmans.

Best regards,
Alex R.

Alex..Sherwood wasn't getting any younger..He got a great buyout plus the consulting gig..kinda golden parachute for his golden years..I agree that he was THE MAN re burgs, bordeaux and rhones in this part of upstate NY..His wine and food pairings have been very interesting, and every issue has had a few that I would not have considered otherwise.

Jon,
Every issue of what from Sherwood?

So what's the deal now with Century? Does Wegmans actually operate a wine shop derived from the old Century? I was a regular at Century on Ridge Rd. back in the '80s when I lived in Rochester and it was a great shop with some very good deals. On more recent visits to the city I've been mostly on the south side so I wind up at Marketview for the excellent prices on Finger Lakes wine. At one time there was a shop on Monroe Ave.in Brighton (Whitehouse?) which had some really nice stuff, including a full selection of DRC, but I think they are long gone. In these days of crazy pricing and allocations it is interesting recall that I could walk into shops in Rochester and find the likes of DRC, Leroy, Rousseau, Roumier, etc. and actually purchase the occasional bottle!

Jon,
Every issue of what from Sherwood?

Wegmans Menu magazine. I believe Jon mentioned it above.

So what's the deal now with Century? Does Wegmans actually operate a wine shop derived from the old Century? I was a regular at Century on Ridge Rd. back in the '80s when I lived in Rochester and it was a great shop with some very good deals. On more recent visits to the city I've been mostly on the south side so I wind up at Marketview for the excellent prices on Finger Lakes wine. At one time there was a shop on Monroe Ave.in Brighton (Whitehouse?) which had some really nice stuff, including a full selection of DRC, but I think they are long gone. In these days of crazy pricing and allocations it is interesting recall that I could walk into shops in Rochester and find the likes of DRC, Leroy, Rousseau, Roumier, etc. and actually purchase the occasional bottle!

When the buyout happened, my mother told me it was one of Danny Wegman's daughters who bought Century. The new store appears to be under the Wegmans corporate umbrella; their receipts and reusable shopping bags feature the Wegmans logo, though with the name Century rather than Wegmans. Much of the staff appears to be the same as it was at the old Ridge Road store before the buyout. As far as I can tell, the new ownership has decided to leave well enough alone, which in my view is a good idea.

Whitehouse is still there on Monroe Avenue. I only discovered it a few years back, and when I first went there I was told that their Burgundy specialist had recently left. They had a few nice things including Lafarge Volnay and some Becky Wasserman selections, but I haven't seen much new since I began to stop by there. They also have a few things I don't see much elsewhere in the Rochester area, including Brun Terres Doreés (both red and white) and some interesting Loire wines.

The new Century in Rochester is in the name of one of the Wegman daughters and is a much gentrified version of the old place. Just a few days ago, it was announced that a small liquor store here known for its good prices on wine was bought by another person in the Wegman family and will move to the Wegman's location in Fayetteville (a Syracuse suburb). Plans are to expand the store greatly, so the wine scene here could improve significantly.

Dan...I am not sure that I would classify Liquor City as a small liquor store. Other than the Pascale stores and Harbor View, which liquor stores are bigger in the Syracuse area?

Interestingly enough, the original owner of Liquor City, which was bought by the husband of one of the Wegman daughters(not the one who owns the store in Rochester), was also a pharmacist prior to opening Liquor City

Jon,
The selection at Liquor City is pretty limited. Have you been to Village Corner in Ann Arbor? Talk about small, but so much wine! It's everywhere and I'm always relieved when I've left without knocking something over. I'd say it's a small store in space only, in contrast to Liquor City. At the other end of the spectrum are the Home Depot - inspired Premium stores of Buffalo (hello Ed). No question but they are BIG. Maybe the new Liquor City will be similar.

No question that the Premium (Premier?) stores in Buffalo area are terrific..I think there is one on Transit Rd., not far from a friend of mine..Been a long time since I was in Ann Arbor,,Don't get there all that often..LC's Selections kinda sneaky, better now than they used to be..I usually go there for some odds and ends that I know they carry plus they have a pretty reasonable selection of Spanish wines

Right Jon, it's Premier in Buffalo. (Apologies Ed).

Right Jon, it's Premier in Buffalo. (Apologies Ed).

Actually the three stores have different names and "ownership" to get around NYS weird laws (they are independently owned, heh heh heh). The original on Delaware (and best one, with the nice gourmet shop next door) is Premier; the other two are Prime or Premium. Good shops; my main complaint is they tend to dominate the Buffalo market and squeeze out quirky smaller shops.

Never concede that you are wrong without checking to see. You might be right!

Sorry to dig up a slightly older thread, but I will be in the Rochester area in the next couple of weeks and wanted to do some wine shopping (within my duty free limits, of course!). Is Century still the place to go?

Thanks.

Norm

Why do you think Rochester is so different from Syracuse on this issue?

It's obviously been awhile since you've been Upstate, Rahsaan.

Sorry to dig up a slightly older thread, but I will be in the Rochester area in the next couple of weeks and wanted to do some wine shopping (within my duty free limits, of course!). Is Century still the place to go?

Thanks.

Norm

Norm, not sure what kind of wines you are looking for. I feel Century has gone downhill a little since Wegman's took them over, offering more of mass-market wines and less of the really obscure ones, but you can always find decent prices across a large swath of wines there, you simply need to hunt and peck.

I feel Century has gone downhill a little since Wegman's took them over, offering more of mass-market wines and less of the really obscure ones, but you can always find decent prices across a large swath of wines there, you simply need to hunt and peck.

What about older wines? One of the joys of driving down from Toronto was that Sherwood would recommend a mature Burgundy, decant it for us, and send us off to dinner at a restaurant he recommended (usually the Strathallan). I haven't been there for 25 years, though.

I feel Century has gone downhill a little since Wegman's took them over, offering more of mass-market wines and less of the really obscure ones, but you can always find decent prices across a large swath of wines there, you simply need to hunt and peck.

What about older wines? One of the joys of driving down from Toronto was that Sherwood would recommend a mature Burgundy, decant it for us, and send us off to dinner at a restaurant he recommended (usually the Strathallan). I haven't been there for 25 years, though.

Ted, a lot of the really old stuff is gone. Sherwood is still there, but as an employee now, instead of as an owner. I can always find something there that I like, but there as not as many 'surprises' (like finding an older Savennieres or an oddball Californian or a Rhone wine at a very good price).

Norm, not sure what kind of wines you are looking for. I feel Century has gone downhill a little since Wegman's took them over, offering more of mass-market wines and less of the really obscure ones, but you can always find decent prices across a large swath of wines there, you simply need to hunt and peck.

I'd be potentially looking for a bottle or two of 2006 Bordeaux as prices here in LCBO monoply-land are outrageous (bought Leoville Barton and Lynch Bages at Empire at about half what I can buy them for here). Anything good from the Cotes du Rhone, especially if the LCBO doesn't carry it - unlike Bordeaux, the LCBOs prices for Chateauneufs, Gigondas et al are relatively competitive. Possibly a Barbaresco/Barolo. Of course, I am limited to 4 bottles duty-free (between my wife and myself), so it ain't like I am backing up the truck!

Thanks.

Norm