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Dolce & Gabbana Wine Glasses We Can’t Afford, The Chunky Wine Glasses We Can, & Our Wine Rec Of The Week

Plus: an interview with The New York Times’ chief wine critic, a soda-and-bitters pairing worth reading, a non-wine newsletter we recommend, and more.

January 08, 2026

Hello! And Happy New Year, unless you’re like Larry David and we’re past the statute of limitations for saying that. In that case, happy Thursday.

This past year was a big one for SWURL, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who followed along: reading and sharing our work, subscribing to the newsletter, showing up to events, and supporting us in ways we’re endlessly appreciative of. We’ll keep this short, but none of what we’re building would be possible without that support, and we’re thinking carefully about how to show our appreciation in meaningful ways.

Looking ahead, we have an exciting year lined up: new writers joining the roster (including some very important voices in wine and media), expanded video content on our YouTube channel, more print projects in the works, more dialed-in events, a handful of partnerships we’re very excited about, and much more. As always, if there’s something you’d like to see from us, don’t hesitate to reach out.

This week, we’re sharing an interview we just published with Eric Asimov. It’s less focused on wine, and more on his story and how he became the writer he is today.

Plus: a wine we couldn’t put down, a non-alcoholic pick of the week (a segment we plan to keep spotlighting well beyond Dry January), the wine glasses used at Corner Bistro that we actually love, and more.

Enjoy! Thank you for reading!

— Nathan Bodenstein

The New York Times wine critic reflects on growing up in a family of writers, his early years at the paper, and the food and wine cities that have surprised him most.

Regardless of the month, this is an elite non-alcoholic combination that shouldn’t be taken lightly. We especially love this article for introducing us to Mondariz sparkling water, something we’d never heard of and can’t wait to try, paired with Dr. Adam’s Spanish Bitters, of course.

Spanish wines, country music, and Liar Liar are a hard combo to beat. Fingers crossed for some older country (Marty Robbins, please) but it should be a great time regardless. Don’t miss the fried chicken sandwich, and if you’re taking a break from alcohol, check out the soda-and-bitters article we included earlier in this newsletter and order one of those.

  • Date: Tuesday, January 13th

  • Time: 5pm — late

  • Where: Liar Liar, 285 Nevins St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

  • Original Instagram Post: here

The Paris-based food and wine project founded by Carolina Ross and former Ukrainian basketball player turned chef Oleg Sarapulov has several New York dates lined up for its pop-up series. So far, stops include Baby Sips, Layla, Bar Americano, and Rhodora.

Other News & Other Stuff & Other Reads