Sherry-Lehmann Celebrates 75th Year With Powerful Management, a Prince, and a New Park Avenue Location

Celebrating its 75th year of renowned service to wine lovers in New York City, the United States, and internationally, Sherry-Lehmann invites the public to explore their stylish new 505 Park Avenue location and join in a year-long celebration filled with grand tastings, legendary wine-maker visits and more. Among the many festivities will be a visit from Prince Robert of Luxembourg of Haut Brion on May 12th, a visit from actor and winemaker Dan Akroyd, a special event at the Four Seasons, and tastings with the famed founder of the Windows on the World Wine School, Kevin Zraly. Sherry-Lehmann is also marking its 75th year by acknowledging the hard work of its loyal management team. While Michael Yurch will continue his post as the President of Sherry-Lehmann, Chris Adams has become the company’s Chief Executive Officer, and Shyda Gilmer has begun a new role as the Chief Operating Officer.
Much has changed since Sherry-Lehmann’s beginning as a small shop on 62nd Street. Its original staff of two gentlemen – Jack Aaron and Sam Aaron – has grown to a workforce of over seventy knowledgeable employees, and its clientele now stretches from around the block to around the country. Nevertheless, Sherry-Lehmann has not lost its old-world charm, or its commitment to extraordinary customer service and superior wines.

The new shop, located on the corner of Park and 59th Street, provides an elegant reminder of what service used to be. Upon entering the store, customers are surrounded by the industrious clatter of counter transactions, clinking bottles, and employees discussing the latest shipment of their favorite wine. Cherry wood cabinets display over two thousand bottles, and the beamed 13 ½ foot ceilings curve into cellar-like arches. Sherry-Lehmann also boasts a temperature-controlled Park Avenue cellar, stocking over 60,000 bottles of wine and spirits, and over 300,000 bottles in an off-premise temperature controlled warehouse. The cellar is kept at a constant 58 degrees, with humidity at 66 percent. Touch-screen computers also allow patrons upstairs to peruse the cellar’s inventory. Whereas in the previous location wine was moved from the cellar to the store-room via an old-fashioned pulley system, the Park Avenue store has boosted efficiency so that any desired bottle of wine can reach the store room floor in minutes. Customers living outside of the city or country can also have access to the cellar through the store’s award-winning website, www.Sherry-Lehmann.com.

While the Sherry-Lehmann store imparts the classy allure of old New York, it also exudes a stylish sophistication that is uniquely modern. Above the selling floor, a state of the art Education Center provides a space for wine enthusiasts to enjoy tastings and to learn more about wines during frequent seminars with legendary vintners and estate owners. Robin Kelley O’Connor, a longtime wine educator, Bordeaux ambassador, and Sherry-Lehmann's director of sales and education, will develop a consumer-friendly schedule of educational events which will take place on the second floor of the store.

In addition to appreciating good wines, Sherry-Lehmann also appreciates the importance of good food: Of course, Sherry-Lehmann’s combined interest in food and wine is nothing new; James Beard, the proclaimed founder of American gastronomy, worked as a consultant for Sherry-Lehmann in the 1940s, and also wrote a book with one of the store’s founders, Sam Aaron. Sherry-Lehmann’s forthcoming events continue to emphasize the store’s interest in marrying food and wine; The Sherry-Lehmann / Kevin Zraly Master Wine Class will take place at Gilt Restaurant on Monday, May 11 at 6:30pm, and will feature a special tasting of Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron wines. Furthermore, the internationally renowned chef and winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, Daniel Boulud, will be hosting a dinner at his four star NYC restaurant, Daniel, in honor of Sherry-Lehmann’s 75th Anniversary on May 12th. The dinner will be complimented by wines personally selected by Prince Robert de Luxembourg from the cellars of Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion.
In celebration of its milestone anniversary, Sherry-Lehmann is also acknowledging the longtime dedication of its hard-working management team by awarding new titles to the company’s executives. Michael Yurch, the journalist-turned-wine-connoisseur, remains the company’s President. Celebrating twelve years at Sherry-Lehmann, Chris Adams has worked his way from a part-time sales associate to his current role as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. In similar fashion, the University of Oregon football player Shyda Gilmer began working as a temp employee at Sherry Lehmann in 1996. Today he celebrates his new role as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
Consistently rated the #1 wine shop in New York by the Zagat Survey, and referred to as the most ‘justly celebrated wine store in the nation’ by Vanity Fair, Sherry-Lehmann has no shortage of luminary clients. Yet while Sherry-Lehmann comfortably caters to the needs of New York’s high society, it avoids any hint of snobbery. The store windows display a wide range of affordable wines, and the unassuming air of the employees proves inviting to all wine drinkers. While the store stocks bottles running over $14,000, they also offer over 400 options costing under $10 among their 7,200 + distinct wine selections. As the store CEO, Chris Adams, notes, ‘Our goal is to provide a welcoming and non-intimidating atmosphere for customers. Doing this means stocking wines that will cater to every price point and palate.’ Regardless of the price, Sherry-Lehmann customers can purchase their wines with confidence; every wine on offer has been vetted and approved by the store’s owners and staff. That approval, according to the author and famed wine connoisseur, Hugh Johnson, is testament to each wine’s ‘quality, character, and value for money.’ As Sherry-Lehmann celebrates its 75th Anniversary, it appears that it only gets better with age.

About Sherry-Lehmann

Sherry-Lehmann’s new store is located on 505 Park Avenue, in New York. Long renowned for its commitment to providing excellent products and service, Sherry-Lehmann was founded in 1934, and is currently in its 75th year of business. Catering to wine pundits and amateurs alike, the Sherry-Lehmann store combines old-world charm with modern sophistication. Visit www.Sherry-Lehmann.com for more information.