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  • A Fish-Shaped Carafe, a $7 Wine Book, a Wine Bar Opening, and a Pop-Up We’re Excited About

A Fish-Shaped Carafe, a $7 Wine Book, a Wine Bar Opening, and a Pop-Up We’re Excited About

Plus: our cartoon of the week is back, an article examining why New York wine retailers can’t sell non-alcoholic products and what that means for consumers, retailers, and producers, and RAW Wine returns to Paris.

January 29, 2026

Happy Thursday!

Before the snowstorm hit New York this past weekend, we tried to make it to Commerce Inn, specifically for the leek and goat cheese omelette, and very possibly the blueberry pancakes too, but the wait was a bit too long. So we pivoted to Hudson Clearwater nearby.

Afterwards, the original plan was to grab a ricotta pine nut cake from King to go. Instead, ten seconds after ordering, we decided to sit down and order a King martini with a side of chickpea panisse which felt like the better move while we waited.

As for the snowstorm, we were able to pull out a few fun bottles. Standouts included Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Bourgogne Blanc ’22, Radikon Slatnik ’21 (which needed a few hours for the VA to blow off), Macea Pinot Nero ’21, and Ganevat’s Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes Blanc ’18. The full lineup below:

In this week’s newsletter, we’re sharing a restaurant takeover happening at a Greenwich Village favorite, a February wine school announcement at a Williamsburg wine bar, and a restaurant relocation we’re excited about.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

— Nathan Bodenstein

Non-alcoholic drinks and products are becoming increasingly visible across restaurants, grocery stores, and bars, but New York wine shops are still legally barred from selling them. Should that change?

A thoughtful read on perhaps an underdiscussed practice in Champagne. As interest grows in back stock wines not yet disgorged, producers are using them as tools for both brand-building and stylistic control.

A Hudson Favorite Comes To Greenwich Village For One-Night Only

Beloved Hudson restaurant Cafe Mutton is popping up at another beloved New York restaurant Dame on Monday, February 16th. We went to their cookout this summer at Meat Hook in Brooklyn and it was just incredible. Fish, meat and so many fixins. Can only imagine what they’re cooking up for this.

  • Date: Monday, February 16th

  • Timing: kicks off at 5:30 PM

  • Location: Dame, 87 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

  • Original Instagram Post: here

RAW WINE Returns to Paris

For anyone living in or planning to be in Paris on Sunday, February 8 and Monday, February 9, RAW WINE is back. Expect an incredible lineup: 10+ Austrian producers (including favorites like Andreas Ziniel and Johannes Zillinger), more than 30 Champagne producers, a strong Georgian wine presence, and plenty more. We went last year and wish we were heading back to Paris for it again this year.

  • Date: Sunday, February 8th and Monday, February 9th

  • Timing: 12—6pm on Sunday, and between 11am—6pm on Monday.

  • Location: Espace Clacquesin, 18 avenue du Maréchal Leclerc, 92240 Malakoff

  • General information and tickets can be found here

February Wine School at Williamsburg Wine Bar, With Others

Williamsburg wine bar With Others just released their February schedule for their weekly wine classes. They’ll be covering classic European regions, uncommon grapes, the wines of Catalunya and celebrating Lunar New Year in collaboration with China Wine Club.

  • Dates: Class takes place each Sunday. Check the full schedule here!

  • Timing: 2—3pm EST

  • Location: With Others, 340 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

  • Pricing: $40 per class, includes charcuterie

  • Original Instagram Post: here

“If I might suggest this bottle, the winemaker created it specifically for the snowstorm.”