Greenwich Business Owner Vows To Come Back Strong After Car Crashes Into Storefront

GREENWICH, CT —When Corey Fine took over the Greenwich staple Continental Fine Wines & Spirits at 53 William St. last summer, the new business owner and recent Connecticut resident had ambitious plans, bolstered by strong sales heading into the new year.

But those plans were put on hold the morning of Jan. 18 when a car slipped in icy conditions on William Street and rammed into his storefront, shattering a large window and damaging the structure of the over 100-year-old building. The business was closed at the time, and no injuries were reported.

The store has remained open as Fine waits for the lengthy insurance process to play out, which, when completed, will allow him to commence repair work. While a true amount is unknown, he estimated around $100,000 to $200,000 worth of damage was done.

Fine told Patch this week walk-in traffic has ticked down from previous months.

A "dangerous and unsafe" sign from the Greenwich Fire Marshal's Office hangs on the front door, and a Tyvek tarp covers the window area.

Inside, cardboard boxes cover up the window space, and insulation is plugged into a hole caused by the crash.

Despite the incident, Fine vowed to come back stronger than before.

"This has pretty materially impacted my business. We're still here, we're struggling a little bit, but this won't be the end of us," he said.

A certified sommelier, Fine is originally from Boston but moved to California wine country where he lived for a little over a decade. He worked many jobs in the wine industry, from managing tasting rooms in Sonoma, to working for a large e-retailer selling millions of dollars worth of wine.

His work took him to the Burgundy region and Bordeaux in France, and to around 30 other countries where he gained valuable experience in the industry.

Fine then attended the University of Southern California where he earned an MBA, but he remained passionate about wine as president of the school's wine club. After gaining his degree, he entered the tech sales industry.

When his wife was recruited for a job in Stamford, he moved across the country to Connecticut in September 2024.

"I was kind of looking into buying my own business, and with my background in hospitality, my background in technology, my background in wine, I just thought about a wine store," Fine said. "I wanted to bring a piece of California here."

Fine bought Continental Fine Wine & Spirits, which has served the Greenwich community since 1963. He remodeled the space to his liking last August by ripping up the carpet and removing neon signage, and adding new flooring and wine racks. Fine was in the process of designing new overhead lighting when the crash occurred.

Fine also wants to bring more events and experiences related to wine and spirits to the Greenwich community, either through in-store tastings or off-site tastings at birthdays, team events, or just a random day of the week at home with friends. He also offers services such as cellar consulting for wine collectors, curated pairings for dinner parties, wine clubs, and more.

He recently held a popular whiskey tasting for the Greenwich Newcomers Club, and is in the process of finalizing a tequila tasting event for the group.

"I'm really passionate about wine and spirits and I just want to share what I'm passionate about with the people in the community around me," Fine said.

Before the incident in January, Fine was poised to hire a part-time employee for the storefront so he could focus on building out the event and experience aspects of the business, but that has now been delayed.

Fine said the support from the community has been meaningful. When he found out about the crash, he rushed over to the store to scope out the damage.

"I wasn't even wearing socks. I ran over here as quickly as possible," he said.

A customer dropped off lunch and warm socks for Fine the day of the crash, and another customer provided insulation to plug into the damaged wall. Another customer came over with power tools to screw in some wooden boards.

"I have customers who are checking in to make sure I'm doing alright," Fine said.

Fine noted he hopes to remove the "snobbery and pretentiousness" that seems to be associated with wine, and make it more accessible for his customers.

"At the end of the day, this is grape juice. We can talk about it, we can learn about it, but it doesn't have to be scary and intimidating," he said. "Wine is about sharing time, sharing memories, sharing experiences, and I think that's really important to me."

Continental Fine Wines & Spirits is currently open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Deliveries can also be made by calling or texting Fine at 617-645-5592, emailing corey@continentalfinewines.com, or messaging on Instagram.

Tasting events are still being offered, although they currently can't be held within the store.

For more information on Continental Fine Wines & Spirits and services, click here.