The New York Grand Opening at 270 Madison Avenue

Guests tasting wine at the K&L New York Grand Opening on October 25, 2026.

On October 25, 2026, K&L Wine Merchants hosted a sold-out Grand Opening Tasting at its New York store, 270 Madison Avenue at 39th Street. Guests tasted wines from Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, Australia, and California in the first K&L store outside California. Thank you to everyone who came, and to the many more who joined the waitlist.

We’re Finally Making it Official: K&L New York’s Grand Opening

Our doors at 270 Madison Ave. have been open for months now, and we’ve loved getting to know the local community while we’ve remodeled, restocked, and rejiggered our space. Now that we’re done, we’re ready to party! We felt it was high time to celebrate our first store outside of California, so we opened our doors on Saturday, October 24, for an afternoon of wine, winemakers, and New Yorkers. The tasting sold out with a packed waitlist.

We poured more than 40 wines alongside the people who make them. Isabel Ferrando came from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Laura Catena from Mendoza, Carlo Mondavi from Sonoma, and Alexander van Beek from Margaux. Nearly 300 guests came through over three hours. Ben Neidelman, NY General Manager, says: “The Grand Opening was a stunning success! It gave us a chance to officially welcome in the New York wine community, as well as the winemakers and principals that make everything possible. We are so happy to be part of the New York wine scene and look forward to many years and many cheers together.”

To see the full list of what we poured, scroll to the bottom.

The lineup covered six regions:

  • Tuscany and Piedmont, Italy: Casanova di Neri, Mastroberardino "Radici" Taurasi, Castello di Volpaia, and Paolo Scavino Barolo.

  • France: Domaine Laroche Chablis, Pichon-Baron, Giscours, Suduiraut , Famille Isabel Ferrando, and Champagne from Michel Arnould and Maison 76.

  • Spain and Portugal: Senorio de San Vicente Rioja, Vinedos de Paganos "El Puntido," Bodegas Muga (Seleccion Especial and Prado Enea Gran Reserva), and Quinta do Noval Vintage Port.

  • Argentina: Catena Zapata, including the Nicolas Catena Zapata Bordeaux blend and the Adrianna Vineyard "River" Malbec, and Catena Alta "Historic Rows" Chardonnay.

  • Australia: Penfolds "Bin 51" Riesling and "Grandfather" Fine Old Tawny Port.

  • California: Ridge Vineyards (Paso Robles, Alexander Valley, and Santa Cruz Mountains), Raen (Sonoma Coast and Fort Ross-Seaview), Platt Estate Chardonnay, and Outpost Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

We also poured two K&L Discovery Series wines, a 2022 K&L Discovery Series Châteauneuf-du-Pape $29.99 and a 2019 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, Pomerol $29.99.

Shop the wines poured at the grand opening

Meet the Team

The K&L New York team at the store at 270 Madison Avenue.

Core K&L team: Ryan Moses, Ben Neidelman, and CEO Brian Zucker.

The team is a big part of why we wanted to be here. As CEO Brian Zucker put it, "This city has produced some of the best wine minds in the world. Honestly, the team is the announcement."

  • Ben Niedelman joins from Morrell and Tribeca Wine Merchants.

  • Devon Elting joins from management roles at Verve and Rosenthal.

  • Santiago Villasis spent years as an operational leader at Astor Wines.

  • Keith Mabry, K&L's Rhône and Loire buyer since 2007, relocated from California to help lead the wine program.

  • Will Langi and John Bilodeau, operations managers, moved east with years of K&L experience.

  • Tom Zacharia, VP of Strategic Growth and Partnerships and Burgundy Buyer, and Josephine Zacharia, who leads marketing.

  • Eric Goldstein, who led Park Avenue Liquors in recent years, continues with K&L. Eric is Spirits Lead on the Private Client Services team.

Why New York?

CEO Brian Zucker put it perfectly: "New York wine and spirits lovers are exactly the kind of customers K&L was built for: knowledgeable, passionate, and willing to reward a shop that does the work." The store is now located where Park Avenue Liquors stood for over 90 years, opening just after Prohibition ended. They built a name for themselves with rare spirits, and we’re excited to build on that legacy. For New York customers, K&L adds a deeper wine program, access to exclusive selections and direct imports, and many fun wine and spirits tastings.

New York is K&L's first store outside California, and we are excited to be here as we also mark our 50th year in business. K&L was founded in 1976 by childhood friends Clyde Beffa Jr. and Todd Zucker, and is named for their wives, Kay and Linda. The first store opened in Millbrae, California, on New Year's Eve 1976. We were pioneers in wine retail on the web (or the “information superhighway” as co-founder Clyde Beffa calls it) with a website built by CEO Brian Zucker in 1997 We’ve been family-owned and operated since the beginning. Read more in the K&L history series.

Come and See Us in New York

  • Address: 270 Madison Avenue at 39th Street, New York, NY 10016

  • In-store hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm (closed Sundays)

  • Curbside pickup: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm

  • Local delivery: Available in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York

Stop by, say hello to the team, and ask what they are pouring and drinking. To hear about future tastings and events, check out our events page.

The Winemakers Who Came

Italy

France

Spain

California

Australia

Sweet and Fortified

Prices and availability are current as of publication and some of these bottles were in short supply on the night. Stock at the New York store differs from our California locations, but we can transfer between stores. Contact [email protected] for help.

Frequently asked questions

Was the K&L New York Grand Opening Tasting sold out?
Yes. The October 25, 2026 tasting at 270 Madison Avenue sold out.

Is New York K&L's first store outside California? Yes. K&L's other stores are in Redwood City, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Culver City, California.

Where can I buy the wines poured at the tasting? Wines are available at klwines.com and in the store.

Where is the K&L New York store, and when is it open? 270 Madison Avenue at 39th Street, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm, with curbside pickup seven days a week.

What is the history of the store's location? K&L's New York store grew out of the acquisition of Park Avenue Liquors, which opened in 1934. Its spirits program, especially Scotch, continues under K&L.

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