Iconic New York Wine Shop Faces Federal Probe Over Alleged Missing Bottles Worth $1 Million

Sparkling wines are seen at New York wine shop Sherry-Lehmann. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York wine shop Sherry-Lehmann is under federal investigation after customers claimed the wine shop owed them nearly the equivalent of $1 million worth of purchased wine, per the New York Times. The store with nearly a century’s worth of history is now being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, the Postal Service, the New York Police Department, the Justice Department and the FBI’s art crime team, according to Entrepreneur.

The Justice Department plans to convene a federal grand jury later this month because some of the wine was slated to be shipped across state lines, according to The Daily Beast.

The investigation is in part focused on the owners of Sherry-Lehmann: Shyda Gilmer and Kris Green. Gilmer and Green previously claimed the wine deliveries were delayed due to COVID-19 and the tariffs on French wines. Some of the wines sold by Sherry-Lehmann to its customer base were premium producers with hefty price tags that fetched thousands of dollars. Gilmer and Green promised to make good on these missing wines by the end of that year, according to Yahoo News.

Sherry-Lehmann now faces three lawsuits from customers who have claimed they never received over $1 million dollars worth of wines they paid for. Sherry-Lehmann refuted these claims and sought to dismiss the lawsuits.

In addition to customers claiming they never received over $1 million in wine, the store faces other charges. The New York State Liquor Authority suspended Sherry-Lehmann’s liquor license upon the shop’s failure to pay. Allegations have also surfaced that the store sold $358,000 worth of wine to a real estate investor illegally, per the New York Times.

The Park Avenue store has been closed since March, and despite claims that Sherry-Lehmann would reopen from the store’s spokesperson, Eric Andrus, that has yet to be seen.

According to Wine Spectator, Sherry-Lehmann’s landlord planned to evict the wine shop because it owed $3.6 million in overdue rent. Andrus said Sherry-Lehmann has paid the outstanding balance.

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