Now you have a high-tech — and high-end — store to buy and sip wine in the Design District, thanks to the newly opened Abaco Premium Wines setting up shop right in Palm Court.
The sleek wine store is the brainchild of Ben Disesa and Andy Barowsky, who have worked all over the country in different facets of the food and wine industry. They discovered through their travels that there was a lack of wine stores that featured unique wines, educated staff and modern retail technology — and that’s where the idea for Abaco was born.
“The entire store is inventoried with specific wines from around the world,” adds Disesa. “Not just the most expensive brands, but it’s a mix of the best upcoming producers and new wines that are well-made and made in the style their region is known for.”
And if the store reminds you of an Apple Store there is good reason for that. The owners of Abaco tapped architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to design the space, the same team behind the flagship Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City. The modern design extends to the interactive wine program that is featured on built in iPads throughout the store that customers are encouraged to use in order to learn more about the wines.
Abaco also features a beer and wine license, meaning it can host a wine tasting on a whim. The tastings are booked through OpenTable an begin at $50 a person for a 45-minute sommelier-led wine tasting. Options to add on supplements like gourmet cheese and charcuterie boards, chocolate pairings, and higher-end vintages are also available.
Down the line Abaco plans to partner with neighboring restaurants to show guests how to properly pair wine with their most popular dishes as well as host weekly seminars by experts in the wine field.
