Amherst Wines & Spirits

Address: 233 N. Pleasant ST, #11
Town: Amherst, MA 01002
Telephone: (413) 549-0900
Web site: http://www.amherstwines.com/
Category: Wines and Spirits

After a 30 year career in the wine business, Steve and his family moved here from New York in 1994 to start his next life. His career had covered all aspects of the wine business. Steve began his wine career after deciding that life was too short to not enjoy your work.

He resigned from his Marketing Managers job in New York and took a substantial cut in income to follow his hobby (wine) into business, beginning at Sherry-Lehmann, New York's pre-eminent wine shop. Having seen the wine business from all levels, he decided to open his own business and chose Amherst for its quality-of-life as well as business potential. "We wanted to raise our two children in a community with excellent schools and the kind of values we felt strongly about. It was scary - we knew no one in the area and started from absolute scratch."

Steve did, however, have a few things going for him - extensive contacts within the industry and knowledge of his products. "During my years in the business I have been fortunate to visit and get to know most major wine producing regions in Europe and the U.S. and have gained an understanding from the ground (literally) up. This has proven invaluable to me in choosing the right wines for my shop. I am somewhat fanatical about selecting wines to sell. I taste everything. For each wine in the store there are about 15 which haven't passed muster."

The kids have grown up, Steve and Laurie have made new friends in the Valley, and he has not looked back. "I've been lucky."

-Steve Freedman, owner

We also offer a selection of premium spirits - grappa, armagnac, cognac, eau-di-vie, calvados, and an outstanding selection of single malt scotches and bourbons.

We have wine tastings every Saturday from 2:00 - 5:00 . In addition to some wonderful wines we slice fresh baked baguettes from our friends at the Henion Bakery and prepare special tasting sheets with information on what we're opening.

Store Hours

Monday thru Saturday,
10:00 am - 6:00 pm;
Sunday 12:00 - 5:00 pm