Famous NYC Wine Shop Sherry-Lehmann Could Put Cork In Business: Report

NEW YORK CITY — A liquor store that has been a New York City institution for nearly 90 years could put a cork in its business as financial troubles spill over, according to a report and records.

Sherry-Lehmann is in danger of closing its Upper East Side store along Park Avenue, the New York Post first reported.

Store representatives didn't return Patch's request for comment, but the potential closure likely wouldn't come as a surprise to one customer.

"An all-but-dead venerable NY institution," the customer posted online.

The customer is emblematic of a growing spate of problems for Sherry-Lehmann.

The store faces an angry chorus of customers grousing about wine they bought that went undelivered, lawsuits from shippers who say they never got paid, and must pay millions in delinquent taxes, according to city, state and online records.

The tax problem is so large that Sherry-Lehmann appears on the New York's Taxation and Finance department's list of top delinquent taxpayers, ranking ninth in the state with $3.16 million in outstanding tax warrants, as Patch previously reported.

The most recent lawsuit against Sherry-Lehmann, filed Wednesday, is from a customer who claims that the store beginning in 2019 failed to deliver wine worth a grand total of $801,000.

The Better Business Bureau — a national nonprofit that shares and mediates consumer concerns, among other services — has received three complaints in the past six months about missing Sherry-Lehmann orders.

Other customers turned to Google, where reviews from recent months are decidedly sour.

"Buy your wine anywhere else," one customer wrote. "This once great wine store is now a pariah."

"Exceptionally poor, non-existent service," another wrote.

"Long-time customer here with a very high opinion of SL but noticed no one answering the phone after several attempts and online ordering not good now either," yet another wrote. "SL managers: please get your act together! Most NYers love your store but will walk if you continue."

Patch writer Kathleen Culliton contributed to this report.