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An Octopus Decanter, a $22 Malbec, and a West Village Gem

August 22, 2025

In this week’s round-up: a vineyard crisis making headlines, a quiet West Village street with one of the city’s most comforting farmhouse-style taverns and much more!

Decanter reports on the detection of phylloxera in the Canary Islands, the tiny insect that destroyed Europe’s vineyards in the 19th century. Then, closer to home, we visited The Commerce Inn, Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’s farmhouse-style tavern on one of our favorite blocks in the city.

On the events side, our very own Cerise Zelenetz debuts 20+ original watercolor works at her first solo show on September 18th in the Lower East Side.

Plus: a $22 Malbec (Côt) that drinks way above its price, and a hand-blown octopus decanter that we kind of love (with a budget-friendly alternative from the MoMa store), and a wine bar opening up outside of NYC!

Phylloxera, the Vine-Killing Pest, Arrives in the Canaries

Phylloxera, the tiny insect that devastated Europe’s vineyards in the 19th century, has now been detected in the Canary Islands. The region has long been prized for its phylloxera-free vines, so the discovery raises new concerns about how to safeguard its historic vineyards.

The De Facto Homeland of Malbec (Côt)

Wine Searcher has some of the best educational content on wine regions and grapes. This week we’re highlighting Cahors, a red wine appellation in Southwest France that often flies under the radar. It’s home to some excellent Malbecs (known locally as Côt) at refreshingly affordable prices.

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The Commerce Inn

Finding a truly quiet street in New York feels like stepping into a subway car in the middle of peak-humid-heat August and realizing the A/C actually works. Rare, unexpected, and so so instantly comforting. Commerce Street in the West Village, home to The Commerce Inn, and recently joined by A24’s Cherry Lane Theatre, is one of those streets: hushed, shaded, lined with townhouses that make you forget you’re still in New York. Step inside the restaurant, though, and the vibe flips to an American farmhouse-style tavern that feels like it’s been here forever. No surprise, since it’s the work of Rita Sodi and Jody Williams, the duo behind I Sodi, Buvette, Via Carota, and their new wine shop Officina Del Bere 1397.

We haven’t made it for dinner yet, but late breakfasts and early lunches have already cemented it as a favorite (which one might even call brunch). The food hits that sweet spot of expressive but simple: a leeks and goat cheese omelette, a turkey club that might just ruin all others, a pile of greens that doesn’t feel like an afterthought, and of course, the pancakes. It took us five visits to finally order the blueberry stack, and they shot straight to the top of favorites, right alongside the pancakes at Mike’s Coffee Shop in Fort Greene.

And then there’s the wine, because at the end of the day, we are a wine publication. The list is all American, start to finish. Sustainability here isn’t just about how the grapes are farmed and the wine is made but where they’re from, which in this case is close to home. In a city where “local” usually stops at the farmers market, it’s not so common to see a list so committed to all domestic. Nathan K. from the Finger Lakes as well as both Pax Mahle and Stolpman from California. That being said, this is the West Village and the prices surely reflect that. Glass pours average ~$18+ (on the low end) so their list is most certainly far from budget-friendly but we wouldn’t have guessed it would be given the location. But hey, they focus entirely on domestic so we’ll take that as a little win. Go for the food, maybe try some wine? Or just go with the Bloody Mary that has all the fixins.

“And he’s done it, folks! The first ever Olympian to successfully perform the double corkscrew!”

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