Callicoon Wine Merchant

So great to have perfectly selected wines & cheeses from around the world in a small town shop.
Guy who runs it does great job and evenings has nice wine bar local vibe.

Callicoon never had a decent place to buy wine until the Callicoon Wine Merchant set up shop, and we rejoiced. Yet, as a girl raised locally who now lives away but comes back to visit fairly frequently, I have to say that of the several times I’ve been in the store, I have yet to experience anything that resembles customer service. It would be nice to be greeted with a smile, for example. Instead, Robin is indifferent and on a few occasions has even been condescending. Don’t intimidate customers if you want to encourage them to try and buy more wine. Don’t assume they are ignorant about wine either. And don’t ignore them when other clients walk in. Welcome your customers warmly and ask them questions about what they like, how and when they’ll drink the wine. Consider offering a tasting. This could be a great little store, if Robin would put some additional effort into making his customers feel welcome and valued.

Robin is the man and he has good wine at good prices. Good Cheese too!!! And friday night there is no other place to be. Thank God he is there. He makes Callicoon a very civilized place.

I’m going against the popular tide of reviews but I’m afraid to say that in all conscience, this is how I feel. I moved to Sullivan Co from NYC and while I don’t expect the range of wine options in the city, I was looking forward to finding an interesting store with some variety that could be my nearby go-​to place.
I did some research and Callicoon Wine Merchant seemed to be a solid bet. I called to see what their closing time was and someone answered and said 7pm. I said something along the lines of ‘ok, just checking thanks’ and the person hung up without saying anything. I thought nothing of it but in hindsight, it mirrored my experience at the store.
I drove there and found a bustling crowd outside, which was cool. It’s split between a wine store and wine bar and I guess the wine bar was so busy that people were spilling outside (it was nice to see a crowd anywhere in Sullivan County!). I went into the wine store section on the left and it was empty. There was a register but nobody was behind it. I wondered if I should pay on the wine bar side. Someone walked through and said nothing to me and I looked at him with my best ‘I’m confused and need help face’ and he asked me if I needed anything. I asked where I should pay if I wanted to buy a bottle and he said on the wine bar side. OK, no problem.
I chose wine and went over to pay. The same guy was in conversation with someone. He took my wine and rang it up while still talking to the same person. He didn’t tell me the price, I read it from the register. He took my money and gave me my change. He was still talking to the other person and didn’t utter a word to me.
I’ve always thought that the myth of bad service in nyc was bull**** but by the same token, I’ve found myself enjoying the friendliness of service in Sullivan County. And I guess the Unilocal review had created an expectation of a knowledgable and engaged experience here. Maybe that’s what made it so disappointing. I’ve never experienced this level of ‘couldn’t care less’ in Brooklyn. It was busy for sure and I might have been a low priority, but this didn’t seem like the right way to engage with a customer on any level. I guess I’ll keep looking for a local wine store.

The Callicoon Wine Merchant carries a small rotating collection of unique wines in addition to a selection of local and imported cheeses and other locally made sundries (e.g., pasta, bread, preserves, charcuterie). We’ve discovered some rather interesting wines at the Wine Merchant that we would have probably ignored at a larger wine shop however, nearly every bottle is over $ 15. Many of the same bottles are $ 3 – 5 cheaper in Manhattan! Local wines — something folks in Sullivan County particularly value — are also rarely featured. The owner can be indifferent and stellar customer service isn’t to be expected. Consequently, we now head to Narrowsburg Fine Wine & Spirits which has a better selection and a friendlier, more inviting atmosphere.

I am French and I need my regular fix of cheeses. Not the widest choice but all cheeses are of high quality and at the peak of their taste. You can taste them. Fantastic olive oil and condiments also available, as well as locally produced charcuterie.

My husband and I frequent the Callicoon Wine merchant. A lot.
Maybe it’s all the amazing cheese. If you love blue cheese? This is the place for you. I had a blue cheese so good there that I wanted to smother it across my face. His other selections are phenomenal. We also love the selection of meats, olives, salami, honey, crackers…
But the wine is what makes the place. Also the fact that the owner knows *every* bottle. He has wines for all tastes and given the superb quality, the price in right on in terms of value and selection.
On Friday nights, my husband and I have our «lazy dinner.» Salami, cheese, olives, cornichons, with a little bit of honey. We pick a nice bottle of wine and it’s a date night. All at the Callicoon Wine merchant!

This new wine shop is attached to a cheese shop that sells bread and other fancy food products (at fancy food prices). The effect is upscale without being too much for a town that still proudly holds a yearly tractor parade.
The owner, Robin, prides himself on interesting selections. That’s good, because there are other options in town for liquor and jug wine. This is a boutique wine shop, and Robin knows every bottle in the store. He favors un-​oaked wines. While you can easily find a splurge bottle, the focus here is on quality table wines in the $ 12-​$ 17 price range. There was no source for Austrian or Greek wines in Callicoon before this place opened — it wasn’t even possible to find a good dry rose!
Befuddled patrons are respectfully steered toward something in their price range they’re likely to enjoy. Wine geeks will find a satisfying chat here in addition to satisfying bottles. If a bottle is open samples will be offered. It’s not hard to drop more than you planned here, not because Robin is pushy — he’s anything but — there’s simply so much here to try.
Sure, you could drive to the City and find most of these wines for a dollar or two cheaper per bottle. But you’re not in the City; you’re on Lower Main Street in Callicoon. And what do we have here? Interesting wines and a little gourmet shop with expensive imported cheeses. All without a whiff of pretense — instead you get the knowledgeable respectful service that ought to be a part of any boutique shop experience. That’s very nice.
Four star nice for Callicoon.