• SWURL
  • Posts
  • A Guide To Wine Harvest, An Upcoming Wine Fair & A Book We're Loving

A Guide To Wine Harvest, An Upcoming Wine Fair & A Book We're Loving

Plus: fairs, books, bottles, and our cartoon of the week.

September 19, 2025

The week kicked off with a BYOB night at MáLà Project in the East Village. It’s one of our go-to spots, even if the corkage fee just jumped to $40—we’d still rather pay that than the alternative. Courtesy of our very generous friend Tom Stelle, he brought a 2016 Les Noëls de Montbenault from Richard Leroy in the Loire. Rare to see, even rarer to drink, and somehow even better alongside the crispy duck salad and cold noodles.

A few nights later we found ourselves at Horse With No Name for the 3rd time in two weeks. If you haven’t been, you must go. The space, once a tile store, is now a cozy, time-warp of a wine bar, easy to lose an entire evening in. The list is equally compelling: thoughtful, wide-ranging, and beyond shockingly affordable, especially by industry standards.

Outside of that, this week’s newsletter includes a travelogue from the slopes of Mount Etna (lava, trattorias, and all), our guide to working a wine harvest, plus a handful of other good things: a $20 white wine to drink right now, a can’t-miss wine fair at Domino Park, and a new book we think you’ll want on your shelf.

And, of course, our weekly cartoon by Cerise Zelenetz.

Enjoy!

On the Slopes of Mount Etna, Where Lava and Wine Flow

At first, we thought the article would explore volcanic soil’s influence on wine, but it’s really a travelogue of a four-day trip through Sicily. The writer recounts visits to wineries, trattorias, black-stone mountain towns, and Mount Etna itself. It doubles as a handy guide for anyone planning a trip, with recommendations that range from restaurants like Vitis (we haven’t been but apparently has an incredible wine list) to winemakers we love such as Etnella, run by Davide Bentivegna.

The SWURL Guide To Working A Wine Harvest

It’s harvest season, a time when people across the wine world, from industry folks to curious consumers, lend a hand in the vineyards and cellar. Whether for a few days or a few weeks, winemakers often need the extra support, and joining them is an unparalleled way to immerse yourself in the process. It offers a perspective far beyond drinking at a bar, reading a book, or taking a class. Wine has a way of leading you to beautiful places and introducing you to remarkable people. Harvest is one of those moments not to be missed.

“Did you fill the pepper mill with Syrah again?”

Other News & Other Stuff & Other Reads