Bulls & Bears Winery

Rude and overpriced. Literally wines you can get 1 block away at Chambers for double-​digit cheaper not to mention French wines that are $ 100+ more expensive than in France at the supermarket.
No hello, no thank you, no goodbye. Just sullen, rude staff.

I have nothing good to say about this. They have a $ 19 credit card minimum and wouldn’t let me get a bottle under $ 19. I understand credit card processing fees but they literally threw away potential business. The two ladies working were also VERY rude and unfriendly. The spirit selection is minimal and overpriced. I live in the neighborhood and will never go back.

This place is a bit of a joke. The staff is completely unfriendly and unhelpful. The inventory is questionable and overpriced and the whole store just feels dirty. With the neighborhood changing, they better keep up. But after seeing them closed by 8pm on a Saturday night makes me think (hope) they’re throwing in the towel.

This guy needs to get with the times. He has an outdated inventory that is overpriced. His new stock is awful low rent labels that he marks up. It seems to me that his MO is to scour the internet for obscure low-​priced labels that he can then markup to obscene prices in his store. Speaking of his store, I d
on’t think he’s updated any part of it in the last 25 years. It is hot in the summer which makes the wines warm, and the temperature fluctuation in the winter only leads to very inconsistent high-​priced wines with questionable integrity.
This guy has an amazing location and he seems to be gouging the neighborhood with over-​priced crap product sold.

They have a captive audience as they are the only game in town but do yourself a favor and make the effort to go elsewhere. The place looks like a ghetto with it’s broken doors (one with shattered glass for weeks now and the other that slams you as you enter). The owner is nasty and does not even try to be cordial (pun intended) or helpful. He has a very sweet young woman who works with him but it’s only a matter of time before she catches his miasma or quits. What gets me is this is a neighborhood shop that depends on the locals for business– why on earth would the owner be so shortsighted that he doesn’t make even the slightest effort to build relationships? Overpriced or not, if I liked the guy, I would give him business like I do with the Pharmacy (also overpriced but decent customer service). Sorry, he loses.

A family member of mine asked for a bottle of Burgundy wine. The salesman gave her Chateauneuf-​du-​Pape and assured her (twice) that this was a Burgundy, which is plainly false. My family member didn’t know any better and bought it. The salesman was either ignorant or purposefully misleading. Whichever it is, from now on, I will stick to the store across the West Side Highway.

COCKROACHES!
been in there twice now. First time they were apparently having an outbreak of cockroaches and I realized after the fact what they were talking about as I came home and there was one on the stroller.
Waited a few months. Went back today thinking the situation was probably under control at this point. Got home and took my purchase of the back and there was a cockroach in the bag!!!
Cheap alcohol but with the possibility of an infestation? Pass!

I was staying in friends house and wanted to give them a very nice gift to thank them for their hospitality. My husband asked me to buy a nice grappa. My brother lives in the neighborhood so I stopped by Bulls & Wears Winery to buy one.
Frank, who is probably the owner, «helped» me but actually a friend or client was the one in charge of helping me as Frank did not bother to leave his chair. I am not a wine connoisseur and have asked specifically for help and even had my husband on the phone listening to the whole conversation. I ended up choosing Solaia — one of their recommendation — and they got one bottle from the back that was already packed.
When I arrived home, my husband and his friend saw that it was not a grappa and we thought that maybe the guys from the store had wrapped it wrongly. Well, I decided to go back there in the following morning to ask if it could be changed for a grappa.
Frank is probably the rudest person I have ever known… Before I even started to explain he begun yelling at me accusing me of being stupid and basically throwing me out of his store. I was not there to pick an argument. I just wanted to understand and maybe do something about it. I specifically mentioned that I did not know much about Wine and that is why I asked him for his help: I did not want to pass or fail on wine matters. I just wanted to buy wine and if you own a wine store your are supposed to know and be keen to help people.
The way that this guy talks to people, seriously, If I were you, I would NEVER step my feet into this store. He does not deserves a dime. There are many wine & spirits stores and I would buy online, or even go uptown, to Queens, Brooklyn, upstate… If you decide to open a store you need at least to try to be polite. At LEAST!

This shop has a very good selection of wine. Feels like the emphasis is on the high-​end. In the spirits section, I see the standbys but nothing unique. So, a decent place to shop but don’t expect an «experience». In this business, creating an experience leads to return business.
With wine shops, I care about the character of the place. I like a proprietor who offers help and an informed opinion — poetic, humorous, or even controversial. In this shop, I see that with regular customers but, not occasional people like me. I think this, or something like this, must be the cause of the range of reviews.

I’ve been going to Bull & Bears for 20 yrs. It’s family run and the owner is a bit gruff (at times) — but an honest and hard working person as is his lovely wife. Even his 5 y/​o child lends a hand in an «old school’ really cute kind of way. Yeah, if you’re looking for a $ 10 White Zinfindel (like the Unilocaler below) move on… I don’t want a wine store with trash wine — thanks! Great wine, NYC prices and great/​honest advice. They are my «go to» Wine Store.

Pricey but a great selection and awesome location of you love in battery park and need a quick bottle.

Sir, where is white Zinfandel?
The sales associate pointed here and there to the $ 25.00 and above bottles in the refrigerator as he was very inattentive and haphazard to hastily serve myself and my friend. With my adopted mother friend we walked away to inquire the owner/​manager for solid substantial response. We desired a $ 10.00 bottle where half is to be used for cooking and half for drinking to enhance our friendship. There are many bulls where visible in their lack of customer service skills for the veneer of professionalism and knowledge of wine, gin, or top shelf alcohol cannot uphold substance. This wine store is nicely lay out in a winery atmosphere but don’t bother to inquire for specific wine (s) as staff is ignorant and customer service is negligible.
What does it take to obtain one measly bottle of white Zinfandel?

Would have to agree with the others on the opinion of the owner. Usually rude and does severely rip you off due to the location in Battery Park. No better than West Street Wine and Spirits right across the parking garage near West St. due to its proximity to Wall St.

pricey and the guy that seems to manage it is always rude. compared to NY Wine Exchange this place sucks

If you’re wandering down by the water down in Battery Park and feel the urge to get some nice wine as the sun is setting along the river this is a great store with wonderful selection.
Although the prices to me seemed a little on the higher end, the service is certainly on the better side as they actually smile at you unlike other stone faced workers at other wine shops.

Just an absolutely fabulous experience — came here since a good friend of mine is a chef in the kitchen. Their crab cake was delicious and the tomato salad was perfectly seasoned. The service was just so attentive and we got a fantastic deal. The NY strip steak and ribeye was heavenly and cooked to perfection.
Their dessert platter and Waldorf cheesecake was the perfect heavenly touch to a fabulous meal!
The best parts of the evening…
was all the hookups
since our friend was a chef there — they kept on giving us free alcohol.
and also, we got a number from a cute waitor there, too. Talk about a different kind of hookup!