Cross posted from theLocalSip blog, a passion project of mine in collaboration with the best wine shops in New York.  Community-driven commerce for the wine world built on a global network of neighborhoods is the goal.

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I’ve been dreaming for a long time about a marketplace connecting wine lovers with the best wine shops in the country and the most interesting winemakers across the globe.

I’m a passionate lover of how wine enhances our lives and builds friendships. And an unabashed wine shop junkie.

I just love popping into shops all over the city, walking out with a bottle I never heard of and a new connection with a fellow wine aficionado I hadn’t met before.

That great feeling that I get when someone sells me a bottle along with a story of a winemaker making wine in a unique way with some grape I never heard of that will somehow be perfect for my evening.

Vinous serendipity at play.

theLocalSip is live now. In Beta. In its infancy. Actually a neonate with a lifespan so far measured in hours;-)

A platform for a marketplace that will happen between wine lovers and shops. A celebration of a global neighborhood of common interests.

A huge thanks to the participating shops for taking this journey. You rock! We have something special here that will grow and change and work.

An equally big thanks to the some 200 folks who were in the system while I was sleeping and accessed some 3000 pages. And the many email responses with good suggestions and encouragement.

My ask to wine enthusiasts:

Play around with theLocalSip.

Start by doing what I just did.

  • Go to Find Tastings
  • Select This Week
  • Select All Neighborhoods

I see amazing tastings to go to. Two at Frankly Wines. Two, even more, at 67 Wine. A couple at Chambers Street Wines. One at September Wines. One at Natural Wine Company. These are the tastings at a glance for Week One on Day One of theLocalSip. Great wines being poured by passionate and informed people.

I won’t make it to all of the tastings but I will buy wines on line with one click regardless. I’ll build a favorites list and share it to my friends across the city and the country and suggest they buy a few online or wander into the shop if in the neighborhood.

This is Day One of theLocalSip. Shops are applying from every neighborhood in New York. Tastings around the corner from wherever you live.

I’m super excited.

Make this community your own. And have fun with it!