A Little Art, a Lot of Wine (Plus a SWURL Party)

Finally, a mostly beautiful week in New York and so much going on. We spent an afternoon at The Frick Collection last week and it was just as charming as we remembered from our visit before the renovation. We’re working on a proper write-up about the experience, especially the museum café, The Westmoreland.

Museum cafés don’t usually win us over. More often than not, they’re overpriced and feel like an afterthought. But The Westmoreland was nothing like that. The dining room felt like an extension of the museum itself and actually added to the experience. 

Outside of our excitement from that visit, this week’s newsletter includes a great article published VinePair celebrating The Four Horsemen’s 10-year anniversary, a reshare of our guide on 5 Steps to Falling in Love With Wine, and details on a party we’re throwing tonight at Entre Nous in Fort Greene with a very very veery special bottle list.

Plus: our weekly cartoon by Cerise Zelenetz and a few other fun things.

Also, we still have some copies of The SWURL Guide to Commonly Used Wine Terms available, for both consumers and retailers. If you're a retailer interested in stocking it at your store, fill out this form and we'll get back to you with further information!

Enjoy!

The Four Horsemen Turns 10: How the Brooklyn Bar Changed the Natural Wine Scene Forever

Some places don’t need much of an introduction. The Four Horsemen is one of them. If you don’t already know the name, you should; not just for the food and wine but for the mark it’s left on the hospitality scene. It’s the kind of spot that ends up on everyone’s list of must-visits for friends coming to town. This piece from VinePair dives into the restaurant’s ten-year legacy and its influence on natural wine in the U.S. It’s well worth the read.

Here are the Five Steps to Falling in Love with Wine

When people want to learn about wine, the instinct is to sign up for a class or buy a book. But according to Eric Asimov, that’s exactly the wrong place to start. In this article for SWURL, he lays out 5 steps for falling in love with wine, because without that, it all just feels academic. From finding a great local shop to building your own taste profile, this guide is about exploration not memorization.

SWURL @ Entre Nous

We have an interview coming out soon with Allie and Clem, the co-owners of Entre Nous and Fradei, and originally planned to just take a few photos for the piece. But then we texted Clem, “Should we turn the 25th into a party? 👀” Fast forward, and we are indeed throwing one.

We’ve put together a very fun BTG lineup and probably the most exciting bottle list yet, in collaboration with Allie & Clem. Think: 2021 Yann Durieux for $130, 2012 back-vintage Pierre Frick for $95, Julie Balagny for $135, 2015 Franco Terpin for $95… and lots more. The list clocks in at around 26 bottles but there’s only one of each, so once it’s gone, it’s gone.

We’ve got Gavin Chops on DJ duty (expect funk/disco/house), a great crew behind the bar, and a raw bar + other very fun bites.

• Date: Friday, July 25th

• Time: 5.00pm - midnight

• Location: Entre Nous, 39 Clifton Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11238

• Additional Information: here!

By Cerise Zelenetz

Other News & Other Stuff & Other Reads

• Check this out: B.Y.O.B. is a new quarterly wine magazine. Recently launched their first issue with the second one coming soon.

• Another wine glass rec (well not really a wine glass): it’s actually not a wine glass at all, so pretend like you didn’t read this article for the purpose of this little write up. This is the classic New York-style paper to-go cups, perfect for when you’ve got a bunch of people over and don’t feel like breaking out the stemware because some will inevitably break.

• We went to Ops in the East Village and it was just as perfect as expected. Exceptional pizza, a killer wine list, and a beautiful space. Try the Pissaladière (took a few tries to pronounce it correctly); thin crust with caramelized onions, black olives and anchovies.

• Bonde Fine Wine Shop in Boston has an incredible selection of domestic wines. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit and it's most certainly making the cut for our upcoming Wine Guide to Boston.