Long Island City Best Wine and Liquor Stores. Where do you find that perfect bottle of wine in LIC for your gourmet picnic, by the water in Gantry Plaza State Park or good old Astoria Park?

Well, we've got a couple of hot wine and liquor shops to suggest in the heart of LIC. For those weekend picnics on the scenic LIC waterfront, you cannot get more convenient than Blue Streak Wines & Spirits. Located at 47-20 Center Blvd., Blue Streak Wines & Spirits  is only steps away from Gantry Plaza State Park. If you're dropping in on friends who live in LIC and want to gift them with a special bottle of wine, Blue Streak is a five minute walk from the #7 train at Vernon-Jackson.

You may email Blue Streak at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call them at (718) 706-9463. Stephen Spiller is the founder of Blue Streak and is a serious wine aficionado. Stephen, along with his friendly, helpful staff, has a real passion for recommending the perfect bottle of wine for his customers. Stephen comes from an extremely erudite and diverse business background, having worked as an accountant, an attorney as well as in the publishing field and pet food industry. The one constant throughout Stephen's adult life has been his love for, and appreciation of, wine.

In fact, the inspiration that moved Stephen to create Blue Streak occurred while visiting a small winery in Spain. He wanted to create an environment where like-minded people could shop for wine, chill with his staff and go home happy. The people at Blue Streak want to make your experience at the store both educational and relaxing.

And music always sets the mood at Blue Streak. Stephen's team is proud to call themselves wine geeks, especially resident expert Rob Bralow. A former publicist in the wine industry, Rob has quite a formal education in the field. Rob holds certificates from the American Sommelier Association and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

Blue Streak offers boutique brands, lesser-known but quality labels as well as the established names in wine and spirits. On display are different wines to suit your taste and your budget: a 2009 Monte Antico Rosso, a 2009 Paradigm-Merlot Oakville, Napa Valley and a 2012 Dirty and Rowdy- Mouverde from Shake Ridge Ranch. Blue Streak also has probably the widest selection of sake in Queens. This Japanese drink is gaining in popularity. From Gekkeikan Black and Gold sake to Jokigen- Junmai Ginjo sake, Blue Streak's has it all!

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Of course, there's nothing like visiting Blue Streak and interacting with their wine professionals. But you'll also get a lot out of the store's website. You can shop for spirits online and get in on email-only special offers and discounts. And don't forget to click on the Wine Geek's Corner for some fun-to-read blogs and advice. Their website is www.bluestreakwine.com.

Vernon Blvd. is lined with a variety of intriguing shops, stores, restaurants and cafes. They are all quite unique in their own way. Few, however, may claim to be as interesting and have as much character as Hunter's Point Wines & Spirits in LIC.

The architecture of the store, both inside and out front, as well as the overall decor, makes for a very pleasant shopping experience. From beef and chicken to seafood and pasta, Paul and company will make certain that the wine you purchase will complement the food being served. The store also places a special emphasis on organic and biodynamic wines, handcrafted spirits as well as estate-grown and produced wine.

They also have "personal wine storage" available. Great news for those of us who dwell in a typically cozy but cramped LIC apartment. Hunter's Point Wines & Spirits is the kind of really cool, "knowing what they're talking about" store where local professionals such as bartenders/mixologists go to purchase a bottle.

Located at 47-07 Vernon Blvd., Hunter's Point Wines and Spirits in LIC is only a few streets over from the #7 train station. Even if you don't live or work nearby, it's worth the trip. You may phone these amazing wine curators (718) 472-9463.