Partners Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali and Sergio Esposito have provided a hushed setting for some of the hottest Italian labels around. Many of the bottles, which go for oddball prices, like $18.60 and $36.90 (an exact-to-the-penny markup on the wholesale prices), can be found on the lists at the Batali-Bastianich restaurants--Po, Babbo, Lupa and Esca. This fall the store is adding a back room for food-and-wine events and cooking demonstrations. It's also branching out into cyberspace (www.italianwinemerchant.com), with virtual wine tastings and seminars. The store, it's clear to see, is not a traditional retail outlet. As Esposito, who handles the day-to-day operations of the business, puts it, "We do portfolio management for clients who want to seriously invest in Italian wine."
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