Other developments for the rich and sometimes famous, like the Lower East Side’s One Manhattan Square, use wine to create community, says Bryan Grandison, director of lifestyle services for the building.
“We want to give residents a sense of freedom to live outside of their [apartments],” Grandison says, adding that the 815 units start at $1.2 million. Not that occupants should be forced to venture too far: “We have 100,000 square feet of amenities inside and outside, from a performance space and New York City’s largest private outdoor garden, to a wine library.”
In the wine library, residents can use refrigerated cabinets for their already existing wine collections and access specialized programs designed to meet their wine education needs. Grandison brings in Emanuele Santocá, wine director of Pasanella & Son Vintners, to lead tastings for residents.
“The team at Pasanella works with residents to create and expand wine collections, and provides complimentary same-day [bottle] delivery,” Grandison explains, adding that Santocá frequently helps clients secure hard-to-find allocations of rare wines.
But the white glove service, impressive and useful as it may be, is just part of Grandison’s larger wine-splashed vision for the building.
“We’ve created a community within our community through these wine events,” he says. “Several people—some single, some coupled, ages late 20s to early 60s—have created their own wine club because of the events. They hold regular tastings together, and have even taken a trip to Italy together. It’s so cool to see cross-generational groups of people forming a real community.”