Articles

7/2/20 - When asked the question - “which bottles would you take to a desert island?” - you can be sure I would pick a Chenin from Benoît Courault. His wines are among some of my absolute favorites. Whether it be the old-vines and single-vineyard bottlings or the springtime cuvées, it is a true pleasure to open one of his wines. In the spirit...

6/24/20 - Les Foulards Rouges is a long-standing favorite of Chambers Street Wines for a good reason: Jean-François Nicq is producing some of the best, most drinkable and consistent natural wines in France. I have not had the chance to visit the estate yet, but I love the region and really enjoy his work, so every year it is pleasure to see the wines...

6/16/20 - It is always a treat to be able to introduce wine lovers to a new, real talent! Champagne has seen over the years a certain amount of fantastic grower-vignerons moving from selling grapes to making their own Champagnes, for our great delight. So today let us introduce you to Emilien Feneuil whose first vintage is nothing short of impressive and soulful!Emilien Feneuil...

6/1/20 - La Senda means The Path. This has a lot of resonance in Bierzo, located along the Camino de Santiago, one of the most important paths of Christian pilgrimage in the world. The "Way of Saint James" (or, perhaps, the Ways of Saint James - there's more than one path...) deeply impacted the historical development of Northwest Spain, especially from Pamplona to Santiago...

5/28/20 - The Finger Lakes will always have a special place in my heart as a wine-making region. Perhaps because I have lived my whole life in New York (and I'm sure you know, New Yorkers have a lot of pride), and perhaps because my first venture into wine and fine dining was at The NoMad with Thomas Pastuszak where his passion for the...

5/21/20 - I remember when I first started developing a true appreciation of wine, and it coincides with the general time frame here at Chambers Street when our good friend and manager extraordinaire (back what... 10 years ago?), Sophie Barrett, was introducing our readers to the distinct and little-known wines of the Jura - a hilly, sleepy region in Eastern France.All the wines from...

5/18/20 - Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez are the winemakers behind Envínate, one of the most exciting winemaking projects in Spain. The four friends, who met in oenology school, are making wine throughout Spain with a focus on regions influenced by Atlantic climates: in Ribeira Sacra, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, but also a small project in Almansa, west...

5/10/20 - It's quite strange (and somewhat funny) to see the term "natural wine" becoming such a strong marketing slogan, even for products that are not related to wine at all. The appropriation of the term has far exceeded the tenets it once proposed, and has almost become a term for hipness, the new cool, and what looks good on Instagram or other social...

5/5/20 - (NOTE: Chambers Street Wines is extremely proud to present the third in a series of articles by our good friend and neighbor at Racines NY, Pascaline Lepeltier. In 2014, Pascaline passed the Master Sommelier Diploma, and in 2018, she won 2 more major titles in her homeland: she is now a laureate of “Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France - Sommellerie” and...

4/25/20 - (First published in View from the Cellar, April 29, 2020; apologies that John's excellent photos are missing from this version!) Learning From the Past Thirty Years Of Evolving Wine Serving Philosophy               While I have been drinking wine now for a bit longer than thirty-five years, it is only over the last three decades or so that I have really paid...

4/21/20 - We are in the midst of something entirely unprecedented. The view from New York right now is grim as we watch our friends and familys suffer not just from this inexplicable virus, but also widespread unemployment. The hospitality industry is an enormous part of the NYC economy and way of life, and the vast majority of bars and restaurants have had to...

4/15/20 - These wines need very little introduction: Lopez de Heredia has rightfully been recognized as one of the great producers of traditional Rioja. The wines on offer today come directly from the winery, where they've been aging until full maturity.  The wines on offer today come from three vineyards: The Viña Tondonia, a more than 100 hectare assemblage of vineyards acquired by the estate in...

3/28/20 - This is my love letter to Gamay; a grape that is so much more than just Beaujolais Nouveau (not that these can't be downright delightful!). When I began my quest for wine knowledge, one of the first wines I discovered to be punching far above its weight class was Cru Beaujolais. We all know how ethereal, earth-driven, and downright elusive Burgundy can...

3/20/20 - Alberto Nanclares was once an economist. It is our great luck that he decided to move from the Basque country to the Val do Salnes with his wife, and that, once there, he embarked on a viticultural journey. Beginning with a tiny number of conventionally farmed vines, he now organically farms two-and-a-half hectares of Albariño in the form of isolated plots around...

3/15/20 - It has become clear that the most effective way to combat the spread of coronavirus during this critical early period is to practice effective social distancing. With that goal in mind, and to better protect our customers and staff, CSW will close its doors to the public beginning today, Sunday, March 15th. The store will remain open for business, for delivery orders...