I bought a bottle of Moscato at Big Tree Bottles and promptly took it home to drink it. Upon trying to open it only five minutes later, the bottle exploded, shattering into pieces, leaving the kitchen and me covered in wine. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt in the process. I immediately went back to the store with clear evidence in hand that the bottle had exploded (which also includes the soaked shorts I was wearing; I was trying to catch the store before closing). The woman at the counter was very rude to me, insisting that I was making up the story and that the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) prohibits the return of alcohol. I later verified via combing the SLA website and other sources on liquor distribution in the state of New York that this is indeed a false claim. I offered the compromise to simply receive a replacement bottle instead of getting a refund. After all, I wasn't trying to get away with free wine via wringing out the sponge I used to clean my counters and floor -- I just wanted the original wine I paid for. This compromise was also quickly shot down, with claims that "if I give you a replacement bottle, I have to give everyone a replacement bottle." On top of the stunningly rude customer service (and I have a very thick skin), multiple online sources on wine bottling confirm that an exploding bottle is a clear error, and it is an indication of either: a) an imperfection during the carbonation process (an oversight from the original manufacturer), or b) the result of storing the bottle in unsafe warm temperatures. Wine storage temperature guides indicate that Moscato must be kept at a temperature of 46F else risk overzealous fermentation, putting undue gaseous pressure on the bottle. This wine in particular was stored in the warm storefront on a hot day (a high of 85F), and not in a refrigerator where it would have been safe from overcarbonation. It's quite possible that other purchasers of this Moscato will run into this same issue. It was luck on my part that there was no injury, but there's no guarantee that somebody else won't come away with serious wounds. It suffices to say that after many years of living in Bushwick, I will go elsewhere to purchase wine in the future. read more

Big Tree Bottles - An exploded wine bottle -- a result of an imperfection in the bottling process and unsafe warm temperature storage. - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Not the best wine store but not the worst. The selections are solid with helpful description cards. The biggest knock is they only have 1 bottle of wine chilled at a time. No wine chiller. So god, forbid if someone need two of same bottle chilled. In my particular visit, I picked a familiar fancy bottle of wine for a special occasion. "Sorry, we don't have a your bottle chilled...would you like different one that has been chill?" Me: "No. this is fine". Me to myself: "I am not buying F$&k4ng smoking loon". The staff is very smug and unhelpful. If you want an example of smug, just check the signs throughout the store. They are the only game in the neighborhood for now but the neighborhood is growing. This place was dope and have bought cases in the past. Now it's no better than the bodega service with wines that are better than smoking lion. read more

Had a good experience shopping here. I went in just to explore as I was walking by but got some great recommendations from the clerk, and I appreciated he wasn't just suggesting expensive items, and give a good run down of them all. read more

Where to begin. Every time I come in here I feel guilty for daring to interrupt their relaxation time. I have ordered ahead of time, online and in person. Never have these staffers attempted to get things right. My first online order was just... never prepared. I showed up and it wasn't ready, so I had to walk them through my order from scratch. The second time, I called ahead and they confirmed it was ready. I went and found it wasn't ready. They gathered the order on the spot and I walked home only to realize... they forgot all my cans. Great. The latest time, I walked in and ordered a liter of vodka and also a----"That'll be $35." Eager to make me leave, they didn't even wait for the rest of my order. But I needed more, if you'll just take one second to listen. After asking for a recommendation for a similarly cheap bottle of gin, I paid and left. Only to realize, in their haste to not listen to my order in the first place, they gave me a second bottle of vodka instead of gin. (No refunds, of course.) Honestly I'm so fed up with this place. It firmly belongs in the tier of overpriced, snooty New York retailers staffed by "cool" young people who would rather you bugger off than offer simple service with a smile and a dash of patience. And like so many snooty New York retailers before them, I hope they'll similarly bugger off. read more

Majorly rude, lazy staff. Also do not know what they are talking about when giving recommendations. Do not shop here for wine. Liquor selection isn't stellar either (Jameson is literally and figuratively "top shelf" at this place.) read more

Just stopped in and was utterly charmed by the service, the selection, and the overall atmosphere of this store. It doesn't look too fancy, but the staff knows the store like the back of their hand, and they always have really interesting local wines and liquor as well as classic standbys. You won't find 2 buck chuck here, but maybe that's a good thing... read more

Oh, I could really sing the praises of BTB. Truly a gem of a place! The choices are great, the service is never snobby (and is super pleasant!) and the prices are fair. Oh and THEY DELIVER. Holy cow, thanks for my alcoholism. read more

Love this little hipster wine shop! They have a huge selection of hip brands. I really wanted to try their Young Punks wine but I didn't want to carry it all the way home on the train. I will wait till my boyfriend wants to go with me. They are really friendly and helpful too. read more

This is probably the friendliest liquor store I have ever been in. My vegatarian friend lives across the street and is a self proclaimed wino, so I would grab bottles before heading over to her place for veggie cooking lessons. I'm a vodka girl and CLUELESS as far as wine goes (I usually just buy whatever label looks interesting), but the people working here would help me patiently every single time. They're never judgemental if you feel like grabbing something cheap and they're just... nice... all the time. It's really refreshing. I'm definitely excited that they've expanded their hard liquor selection! High five! read more

2.5 stars. I'm trying really hard to like this place, but I just can't. A good start, but this place has a lot to learn. So far it's amateurish. The selection: Mediocre. 2 of the 10 wines purchased so far have been decent, the rest tasted poor. It's fairly limited and the categorization is confusing. As well it's overpriced. Either their buyer has some peculiar taste buds or they aren't really tasting all the wine before buying. The description cards carry on about food pairings instead of other important details. Each wine has 3 descriptive words, (i.e. the majority of red using "leathery." Hmm....) May I suggest the workers here take note from the exceptional September Wines in LES? I like knowing a wine's year, varietal, region, how it's produced (organic, biodynamic, etc.) along with a brief unique description for each, not three tawdry descriptive words that don't give me a story. read more

Absolutely Amazing!!! I called to place a phone order for delivery to a Brooklyn address from Jersey City! Not only was Jesse incredibly helpful with Champagne suggestions, he made sure that my Thank You Gift was received in a presentable and professional way. My friend was really touched by the gesture and seriously, I have Jesse and the delivery driver to thank for it! Knowledgeable, Patient (with someone who knows very little about wine!), Friendly, Personable and Quick Delivery!!! The next time I'm in the area (or need to place an order from across the Hudson!) Jesse and Big Tree is my ONLY Choice! U Guys rock! Thank You!!! - Enrico Gomez read more

Yay! I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a wine shop half a block from my apartment building! And a lovely one with friendly owners, not a weird ghetto liquor store! I waited with bated breath for months, passing by every day and peering into the windows to check on the progress. I was stalking this wine shop HARD. On a block that has a gourmet grocery, a coffee shop, an art gallery, and a falafel joint, we were definitely missing wine and spirits. The owners are young and enthusiastic (I'm jealous I didn't think of it first!), love what they do, and let you taste lots of yummy wines! They also have a nice range of prices. They are plugged in to the vibe of the neighborhood, and realized that they should also carry some cheap vodka and liquor (Georgi, anyone?); Bushwickers do like to rage, but on a budget (the grocery over here does a brisk PBR business). Great addition to the neighborhood! read more

First off, I have to add to the choruses of those who are praising how classy and nice the place is, and how friendly the owners are. They couldn't be nicer. And of course it is fantastic to have a place to buy wine in this neighborhood, and without cloudy, bullet-proof glass, even. The only thing I would like to see is more reasonable pricing. When I was looking forward to this place opening, I was worried I'd be drinking a bottle a night because of the convenience, but I almost never go in here unless I'm buying wine for a party or something. I would say that the average bottle of wine here is around $15 to $16. As I am relatively young and relatively cheap, that is what I would call "a nice bottle of wine for a special occasion." I understand that they are a smaller shop and do less business than that spot on Bedford, but maybe that has a little to do with the fact that the spot on Bedford has dozens of wines that are totally delicious but also $10 or less. Fine, I'm cheap. But so are a lot of the people who live in the apartments around here, not to mention those dorms on Cook Street and McKibben. Why not cater to the clientele by stocking wines that are more affordable? I'm only offering this advice because I want the owners to succeed, and every time I pass by (which I do often, because I live around the corner), it's completely empty, except for maybe one or two people around rush hour. I'll keep buying from here as often as I can, but I do think a larger stock of $10 wines is in order. Good luck to the owners, who as I said are delightful people. read more

Wine! Liquor! Deliver?! My poor liver From your weekend tastings and friendly staff. read more

It was a dark and stormy night, and I was booking it off the train to get to a birthday party on time, and the absolutely lovely man behind the counter not only recommended a great wine, but offered to gift wrap it AND the other bottles I'd toted from Manhattan. If I lived there, Big Tree Bottles would be my go to, but for now, I'll have to hit them up every time I am on Bogart Street, read more

-great $10 bottle section -always friendly and great suggestions -great selection for a small place -closes at 12, so i can always get something if i forget! really psyched i dont have to walk to the sketchy ones that are far away like years ago in this neighborhood. read more

While I love the employees at BTB to death, the fact that there is no dust on the bottles is worrisome at best. Seriously. I expect my wine to be aged. Within that, indicators of this true aging process is dust on the bottles. No dust leads one to believe these bottles may have in fact had phony labels printing and adhered to them. Have you ever seen a wine cellar? It's a shame. The closest wine store one full stop away. Going there instead of Big Tree is about as much excitement as a snail riding on a turtles back. read more

A lot of wine and all the must have liquors. Awesome. Awesome People. Awesome Selection. Awesome Prices. read more

Am I in love? I am. They are helpful (not pushy), reasonably priced (but quality), and the selection is....seductive. I asked, half-joking, if any of the wine was local/organic, and she said "yes, most of it." It's a straightforward wine store where you don't have to go in with an encyclopedic knowledge of subsoil nitration and skin thickness to walk out with a great bottle of wine and a feeling of calm accomplishment washing over you. Unpretentious; yummy. Oh. Um. They deliver. Really. To Bk and Manhattan. I DARE you not to get on board. read more

Customer service could definitely be better. I've been a couple times and it's been great, but recently it's severely lacking. They look and me strange and are very stuffy when I ask for cheap wine/liquor options. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does but it's very obvious. Not sure if you kids work on commission or not, but it couldn't hurt to smile and talk to your customers. I won't be back. read more

Great selection - and more importantly. Delivery. No minimum, but if you order less than 3 bottles you are charged a $3 fee. Small price to pay IMO. read more

(2.5 stars) Big Tree Bottles (BTB) is like the Duane Reade of wine stores in Bushwick: only a place that I would go to out of necessity and convenience. Before stopping at Roberta's, I decided to poke my head inside to check out the local wine store off Morgan Avenue. I didn't expect the selection of an Astor Wine & Spirits, but one thing did surprise me: how expensive the wines were. A quick price comparison with the Sherry-Lehmann (SH) catalogue /website revealed the following facts: 2008 Grgich Hill Fume Blanc BTB: $24.99 / SH: $22.95 2007 Ex Libris Cabernet Sauvignon BTB: $20.00 / SH: $16.95 I will concede that Big Tree will have higher prices that larger stores to cover overhead, but it's probably better just to take the L to Union Square Wine and Spirits and take advantage of the lower prices and greater selection. read more

OK, I have to admit, I was skeptical. Given the neighborhood, I was expecting an overpriced, kind of crappy selection. I was wrong. They're super nice and actually helpful. They've got a decent range of stuff, at a decent range of prices, even for a downwardly mobile cheapskate who tends to buy the second least expensive bottle at Trader Joe's. read more

Walked in asked a few questions the girl in the front made an attempt to answer but the woman claiming to be co-owner said they were busy but no one was in the store at the time. They were very rude and the only conclusion is that I had was that I was not the right color and they did not think I would buy. This place is a disgrace to such a nice neighborhood. read more

Great store with a lot of variety and choices for a shop of its size. They seem to make it a point of having a good selection of affordable and local wines. Big ups from me for having lots of bourbons and whiskeys to choose from. The best part is that they have a lot of tastings, and they're usually really interesting wines that I wouldn't normally try (e.g. a really good Lacrima di Morro d'Alba). The staff are also very knowledgeable and are eager to answer any questions; no attitude, no snobbery. read more

Rude eye rollers or friendly as hell, as long as you know what you're selling it's fine with me. I may as well throw a dart and just buy the bottle it hits. read more

I absolutely love shopping for wine at this little shop. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, the selection is great considering the size of the shop, and the descriptions and pairing suggestions for each of their wines are greatly helpful when shopping. Prices are mid-range, which is perfect for me most of the time. It's convenient if you also need to pick up liquor, but if you are going just for liquor, I'd recommend going elsewhere. I come here pretty much exclusively for the wine. You can get a really excellent wine to go with dinner or drink stand-alone for under $20. read more

They lose a star for being a little overpriced... But they DO have a stellar selection.

I love this new wine store - it makes choosing wines fun and easy since the wines run a variety of prices and they even have earth-friendly options. The owners created a beautiful space, have tons of tastings, and there's a couch you can sit on when you need to ponder which wine you are going to take home. Big Tree Bottles knows the area, knows what we are looking for, and serves it up with style and class. It is a needed - and fantastic - addition to the neighborhood. read more

I wandered into this little store on my way to see some friends who live in the neighborhood, and found the perfect thing to take with me to dinner. The place had a great vibe and a great selection, and the people were super friendly and helpful. They let me taste some delicious wine, and I ended up buying one of the ones they poured. I can never find shops with character and real helpful people who care about what they sell anymore. This place is all that. The Malbec they sold me tasted great and I've been buying it ever since, though my regular place charges a bit more. I also really dug the atmosphere, kind of like a wine-bar, with funky music and a big purple couch. They had a great selection, all at good prices, and I even got to taste a few new wines. The only thing it needed was a bigger fridge (not all the whites were cold). But there was a section of bottles just from local wineries, and lots of other really distinctive stuff. Can't recommend such a cool little place too highly. A great addition to a neighborhood that already had lots of swag. read more

Great place, badly needed in this neighborhood. Plus, they deliver! Though their delivery could be a little more organized and their cheaper selection a little broader for the neighborhood so that they'll survive. I happen to be one of those whose ecstatic to be able to actually get a good bottle of wine in the neighborhood and getting it delivered is a luxury worth the slight hassle of waiting to see if they can locate someone and the $3 charge. read more

super friendly staff, helpful over the phone, AND they deliver. just when i thought my liver might be recovering, i find this place. i could complain about being an alcoholic but i'm too drunk to care. read more

Very helpful and friendly staff. Great selection. I went there to grab a couple bottles of red for a dinner party with some friends, the staff was very helpful with the suggestions and my buddies dug the choices I went with. I like the decor and the store is very clean. read more

I love this wine shop. The staff are consistently warm, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The selection is small, but well curated. The prices are reasonable, the hours are good, and they deliver. What is not to like? read more