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Lipa Gross Brings Napa Valley to Boro Park in His New Wine Store

Lipa Gross Brings Napa Valley to Boro Park in His New Wine Store

By Yehudit Garmaise

  Lipa Gross has bottled the colorful hills and the verdant vineyards of Napa Valley, and Oxnard, California, and brought them Boro Park in his store, Wine Valley, which is located at 4123 13th Ave.

  After owning and running Teaneck Wine Cellar and FillerUp Kosher Wine in Teaneck, NJ, for 25 years, Gross decided he did not want to do the long commute to and from Boro Park anymore, and he decided to buy a wine store in his own neighborhood.

   Gross knew he could bring something different to the residents of Boro Park after he, along with other wine store owners was invited, two summers ago, by the Herzog wine family to tour Northern California’s Napa Valley: a trip that turned out to be inspiring for the longtime purveyor of kosher wines.

  “California has amazing, absolutely beautiful wine country, where you drive miles and you see endless vineyards, hills, and valleys, up and down for miles,” said Gross, who was so impressed by the grapes and the wine in the Oak Knoll region in Napa Valley that he bought his own private barrel of red wine, and created his own private label, which he named “Napa View.”

      Gross said Napa View, for which he designed a label that depicts the valleys and hills of the Wine Country in California, was a "successful, beautiful, and delicious wine” that was so popular he sold out of it right away.

    “I only have few bottles left from the original run, but I will have more bottles of Napa View soon,” said Gross, who often travels to the Herzog Kosher Winery in Oxnard, Cal,. to taste wines, buy the barrels of the wines he likes, and create his own private labels.

    Also coming soon to Wine Valley are bottles of wine that were made from exclusive wine barrels that came from the beautiful Chiles Valley, which is in Napa Valley.

     Gross explained that while kosher wine is of course made by Jewish people at kosher wineries, vineyards don’t have to be kosher, as they “are just grapes,” which he said look beautiful in the summertime.

   His favorite part of selling wine, Gross said, is helping customers to pick out the wines and liquors that will best suit their individual tastes.

   Selling wine, he explained, is different from selling groceries or baked goods where people usually come in knowing exactly what they want.

   “I specialize in personalized service,” said Gross, who said he will be holding his Grand Opening very soon. “There are so many different wines, every wine is different, and every customer is different.

   “There is a lot of chochmas Hashem that goes into wine before it gets into the bottle. Every single bottle of wine has a different structure, a different style, and every customer likes something else.”

      Whether people are new to buying wine, or not, Gross loves to help customers to determine what they might like.

   “Customers go home and drink the wine and discuss it at their Shabbos tables,” Gross said. “Then, customers come back and tell me, ‘The wine you recommended was very good--It was a big success,’ and that gives me a lot of nachas and a thrill.

  “If customers like what I recommended, then my next recommendation will be a wine with similar style to the first one.”

   However, if customers come back and were not happy with their wine for whatever reason, Gross helps customers to describe with they like and what they do not like.

   “For people who weren’t happy with their wine, I asked them, ‘What didn’t you like about the wine? What bothers you?’

    “Anyone who doesn’t know what kind of wine or liquor he wants to try, I am not new to the wine business, so I know wine. People can trust my palette, and I can help them to figure what they like.”

    In addition to helping customers find the right wines for their Shabbos and Yom Tov tables Gross also enjoys helping customers when they make events and simchas.

   “I can make recommendations from my very nice selection as to what wine and liquor will go well with whatever food is being served,” Gross said. “I get connected to each customer, and I make recommendations according to each palette.”


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