Exclusive | 20,000 bottles of rare wine worth millions remain unclaimed after implosion of NYCs Sherry-Lehmann

Some 20,000 bottles of rare wine worth millions of dollars remain unclaimed more than three years after the implosion of New York City wine store Sherry-Lehmann, The Post has learned.Cratefuls of rare vintages are sitting in the basement floor of a tower at Blue Hill Plaza, a nondescript office development in Rockland County, after the FBI raided the space as part of an ongoing fraud investigation, according to a lawyer representing the landlord. The landlord, Hong Kong-based Glorious Sun, took charge of the $16 million collection after Sherry-Lehmann’s storage business defaulted on its rent at Blue Hill Plaza.Now, it is scrambling to return the wines to their original owners in order to rent the space to a paying tenant, the attorney said. Glorious Sun even placed an ad in Wine Specator this summer.“Attention” the ad states in bright red all caps lettering.

“We may have your wine.If you stored wine with Sherry-Lehmann (or Wine Caves) please contact Blue Hill Plaza.” Still, only one third of the stash, or 10,135 bottles, have been returned to their rightful owners.

Sources said some clients may have either passed away or forgotten about their purchases or are otherwise unaware that Sherry-Lehmann and its storage business are now defunct.The remaining wine has not been claimed because of “ignorance, wealth or relocations,” said one source who had worked for Sherry-Lehmann. “The people who really wanted their wine back have been taken care of,” said Edmund O’Brien of law firm Kucker Marino Winiarsky & Bittens, which represents Glorious Sun.“Now it’s time to find the people who haven’t been paying attention.”The iconic Park Avenue vintner shut its doors for good in March 2023 as it failed to renew its liquor license and pay its rent after 89 years in business.

Initially, many customers had clamored in vain to get their property out of the Wine Caves facility after reading about the retailer’s woes. Federal agencies including t...