a guide to finding the perfect spanish wine for all your dope occasions.
in brooklyn our lives are often defined by contradictions. we sleep in the shadow of the world’s most infamous skyline and the flickering streetlight outside of our too-expensive shoebox apartment that we share with 3 other people in bed stuy. we wear ripped jeans and red lipstick to invite-only gallery openings on our way to a bushwick afterhours party. we chase a beer-and-a-shot with a beer-and-a-shot before a five course meal across the street. we look to elevate our lives in the most grounded way we know how. we let our reputation precede us.
this is us.
and to find a wine that meets the demands of this lifestyle,the hipster sommelier tells you to drink spanish wine. in a country that is smaller than texas, the wines of the region are more dynamic and distinct than the neighborhoods in our finicky little borough.
here i offer you a bit of my own exploration. inspired after attending Spain’s Great Match event this week with my partner in crime in chelsea, and having taken it upon myself to drink wine all over that wonderous land, i offer you the perfect spanish wine for every occasion. pop it open, let’s start drinking brooklyn.
The Housewarming Party in Bed Stuy.
Martin Codax Burgán Albariño from Rias Baixas, $17
gentrification! i’ll drink to that. it’s no new news, we’re all moving east. and to your friends who listlessly scour craigslist with their map set on greenpoint, the ones who constantly ask you to ask your landlord if he has any empty spots, the ones who get down on one knee and propose to you, over and over, just to get an in to your apartment… they finally concede and head south on the G or east on the L and find a place bigger and less expensive than yours. good for them! good for fucking them. after a long search, bring a wine that spells “relief” a-l-b-a-r-i-ñ-o. it’s fresh and light and encouraging. it comes with a sense of hopefulness. it’s a new start and it’s a full-bodied white from the northwest region of spain. my pick? Martin Codax Burgán. oh and drop by bedford cheese for a nice wedge of manchego because it pairs well with fresh and distinct mineral nature of this wine, along with a certain stubborn pride that says “i swear i don’t spend all my money on rent, look at this nice cheese.”
The Launch of [insert dope endeavor here].
Anna Brut Cava from Codorniu in Catalunya, $13
ah the listless and awe-inspiring achievements of your Brooklyn peers. we are all always doing something, aren’t we? and that’s really why we live here – to be inspired by each other and to continue to move up and forward and dream fucking big. so when it’s time to celebrate those accomplishments – an app launch, a blog publishing, a gallery opening, graduating from welding class, going back to school to study biodynamic food science, a spot on the coveted 30 under 30 list (ahem, there isn’t much time @brooklynmagazine!!!), or a 30th birthday (which is an accomplishment in itself!), bring them cava. the first sparkling wine ever made (suck it, champagne.) comes from that region that i am quite fond of. and my favorite, of course, is the original. the Anna Brut Cava from Codorniu, the first cava winery, ever. it’s feisty and fresh, bursting with potential and it’s a steal for $15. pop dat bottle baby.
The one to drink when you want to pretend it’s still summer.
Muga Rioja Rosado from Haro, $18.
it’s getting colder outside and you haven’t gotten used to the awkward banging from your desperate radiator and your favorite sweater smells like last year’s lover and you aren’t ready to get back into it. so don’t. instead, close the windows, let the radiator spew it’s mysterious contents into the air. throw your hair up carelessly. play this playlist. put on waterproof mascara, i don’t know. why the fuck not. because if we believe it hard enough, maybe we’ll skip winter this year. chill a bottle of rosé, from the rioja region. not quite as light as it’s french neighbor to the north, this rosé is darker, bolder, and lingers… just like that beautiful summertime skin. my favorite is the Muga Rioja Rosado. you can’t go wrong with anything from this winery or anything from the beloved town of haro. chill, pour, drink, repeat repeat repeat until june.
The first snowstorm.
Casa Mariol Vermut from Catalunya, $14.
well that didn’t fucking work did it. the winter arrives, after all. and let’s all admit it- the first glimpse of snow has us all a bit romanticized. we watch wide-eyed with our noses pressed against the foggy window. we run out and play in the street. we laugh and sing. we text our moms and ask to tell us again the rule about making snow cream out of the first snow. we say fuck it and put a bowl out on the fire escape anyway. we drink beers, lots of them, at all of our favorite neighborhood haunts that feel new again because everything outside has changed. and maybe we’ve changed a bit too. we toast and feel toasty and get toasted.
and then we hear it. the snow plow. it tears through the streets and into our hearts and turns all of the magic into a grey soupy mess that we’ll be trudging through until april. and so when the magic fades from the first few flakes, that is when we drink vermut. yeah. we’re drinking vermut. because in spain they drink it straight up, with ice or without. it’s warm and spicy. it’s dark and dangerous. like a new lover, embrace it and look deep into its soul but say nothing and give nothing away. it works out easier that way. my choice here is the classic Casa Mariol Vermut. pour it slowly and snuggle up.
For 808s 212s and heartbreak.
Petalos Bierzo, $20.
to comfort a friend who has decided to throw in the towel after her 111 tinder failure but is masking it as “girls night”. the irony is not lost on me. i delete and download dating apps more often than i log in to my bank account. we all love them and hate them and are really fucking exhausted by them. so bitch about it with your friends. drink wine, share stories… about the one who yelled at the server because the oysters were too big before offering you some cocaine. about the one who showed up in a ferrari but had absolutely nothing else to say for himself. at all. and wouldn’t let you drive. about the one who didn’t tell you his age and turned out to be nearly older than your father. about the actor who couldn’t afford to take the train so you rode him back to his place on your bike. about the one, the only one, who got away. and for all the ones who could never hold on to you.
for these nights, drink bierzo. this ancient region is the rising star in the spanish wine scene, located in the northwest and known for old wines with fresh flavors. it’s deep roots and with promising beginnings… not unlike your dating life. haunting and exotic, this red draws you in like a lover and hangs on to you just long enough. swipe right with the Petalos Bierzo.
For the friend who’s leaving the city.
Quinta Milú, Ribera del Duero, $11.
so a friend is finally saying goodbye to all that. to all this. it happens all the time, for one reason or another. maybe it’s for a person or from a person. maybe it’s the hustle that’s exhausted them. maybe they head west, or overseas, towards an opportunity and a promise or to nothing at all. a bittersweet celebration, always. for this you need a wine that hits your tongue and fills your mouth and lingers long after it’s gone, it’s substantial, it speaks of age and significance. it’s long finish, a bravado that speaks to a complex history. for this occasion, a ribera del duero. wines that are defined as such because they grow along the lush banks of the ribera river. it’s deep and abundant and flows oh so freely. my favorite is the ever-so-charming Quinta Milu.
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