The Sustainable Program That Sets NYC's New Grand Central Wine Bar Apart

For New Yorkers and visitors alike, navigating Grand Central station can hardly be described as a relaxing experience. Around 750,000 people pass through the halls every day, per the Grand Central Terminal website, so some bustle is to be expected. Yet while a strut is necessary, take a second glance at the food and drink options. With constant new additions, what's contained inside the station may surprise you. 

Grand Central Market, connected to the station, has long been a dependable spot for gourmet-minded travelers. Purveying everything from cheese to oysters, the only missing link was a spot to grab a glass of wine. But now, City Winery has you covered. And with a nearly 16,000-square-foot space, the development is hard to miss. 

Featuring two bars with wines on tap, a quick on-the-go casual eatery, and a sit-down farm-to-table restaurant, there are multiple ways to imbibe, reports Secret NYC. But its train hall location isn't its only unique attribute.

City Winery's arrival in Grand Central comes with a sustainability-minded ethos at its forefront. Eschewing glass, cork, metal, and other hard-to-reuse material, 70% of the wine served in the terminal will go straight from production to a stainless steel tank, and then into a consumer's glass. In addition, the winery is restoring the Montgomery Mills hydroelectric dam so the flowing vino will be produced with 100% renewable energy, notes Wine Industry Advisor.

In efforts to encourage wine-on-the-go, the winery will also introduce a new growler program, Food & Wine reports. The purchase of a resealable 375 ml bottle can be returned to City Winery for a $5 credit or reused on subsequent fill-ups. Containing the same volume as two glasses of wine, it'll allow commuters to sip vino soon after purchase, without any uncorking fanfare. Plus, the prices are kept reasonable — pours start at $15, including the bottle itself. 

Such an innovative sustainability program may well be one of the nation's first. Hopefully, it sets the trend, not just of reusable materials, but of commutes involving a little more wine.