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The Wine Key You Need, Our Favorite Piedmont Producers & More

Plus: the duo reviving Ten Bells, our cartoon of the week, and a class to sharpen your knife skills.

March 27, 2026

Hello!

In today’s newsletter, we’re sharing two recent pieces. The first is a guide to nine Piedmont producers we just love. We’re often asked where to start, and this, along with the guides to come, is meant to be that reference point.

On the news front, Ten Bells (Manhattan) has new ownership, and it’s far from a random handoff. Two former staff members, who worked there over a decade ago and left two years back to open their own wine bar, are returning to help revive it. As one former early employee Jose Leao put it, “I’m very happy that Fernando and Nodar are back there and they will bring it back to life like in the old days!!” We agree with Jose. Long Live Ten Bells!

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

— Nathan Bodenstein

Fernando Martinez and Nodar Toronjadze are leading a new chapter for New York’s most iconic wine bar.

From historic estates to a new generation of winemakers shaping Piedmont and carrying family tradition forward.

Previously Mentioned Articles & Videos

Learn Knife Skills with Friends of SWURL!

That Dinner Thing is holding a knife training workshop on Sunday, April 5th to learn all things… knives! We’re talking caring for your knife, how to cut some veggies with your knife, and how to impress your crush with said knife skills. Super fun. The website navigation for purchasing a ticket isn’t ideal, far from ideal actually, so you’ll have to go to the workshop tab and click on the appropriate image that then will link to the tickets. Not super fun.

  • When: Sunday, April 5th

  • Timing: 6—8 PM

  • Location: Playground Bk, 1114 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11216

  • Original Instagram Here

  • Ticket Link Here

Spanish Winemaker Takeover at Bodega Nights

Spanish winemaker Cal Xurriu is doing a takeover at Bodega Nights in Bushwick on Friday, April 3rd from 5pm until they sell out! They’re launching of New Cuvée called “La Triada,” and the winemaker Paula Sandoval will be cooking Catalan food.

  • When: Friday, April 3rd

  • Timing: 5 PM—late

  • Location: Bodega Nights, 425 Troutman St, Brooklyn, NY 11237

  • Original Instagram Here

Cartoon by Cerise Zelenetz

“I wish my mother’s involvement in my dating life could be as low-intervention as my wine.”