(WP) - Washington’s fine wine scene is about to get a jolt. Zachys, a premier New York retailer, has come to town. With an innovative marketing strategy combining elements of direct-to-consumer sales with traditional retail, Zachys aims to change the way we buy and experience wine.

Zachys has been a wine retail fixture in Scarsdale, N.Y., for 73 years. It also conducts wine auctions in the United States and Hong Kong. Looking to expand, the third-generation family owners sensed opportunity in Washington.

“We’ve seen an increase in our online and phone traffic from the D.C. area, showing us there is a demand for a premium wine retailer and auction house in the market,” says company president Jeff Zacharia.

The new Zachys is the first real entry into the top tier of Washington’s fine wine market, an area that has remained stable for decades, led by stores such as Calvert Woodley, MacArthur Beverages and Wide World of Wines. But Zachys isn’t your traditional brick-and-mortar wine store with shelves of wine on display and bargain bins or weekly specials. Rather, it’s a 17,000-square-foot warehouse in an industrial area of Northeast, just off New York Avenue. Half the space is designated to store Zachys wines for sale, the other half for private storage of clients’ collections. The warehouse — a former D.C. forensics lab — is refrigerated, allowing proper temperature control for wine storage. Additional space includes offices and an event room for tastings, classes and corporate meetings.