The “Weekly Wrap Up” post is published every Friday and highlights the concluding week’s activities and events through text, images and video. I hope you enjoy and encourage you to subscribe via RSS and/or Email.
Last weekend was Halloween. More specifically, last weekend was the first Halloween since I graduated from college and the youthful hijinks associated with the occasion. Instead, I decided to attend a wine tasting in the East Village at New York Vintners.
Two young wine enthusiasts, Daniel and Nick, who established a wine club called Urban Vine, hosted the educational class. As Daniel later told me, he “want[s] to do for the wine and food lifestyle what Lupe Fiasco did for the combination of skateboarding and hip-hop: create a whole new element.”
“Urban Vine seeks to dissolve the social and cultural barriers that have historically enshrined the drinking of wine. We want to educate young, cosmopolitan consumers about wine and its enjoyment, and to do away with the fear and pretension that unfortunately often surround it. We hope to revolutionize the way in which an emerging urban generation talks about, interacts with, and enjoys wine. We aspire to filter the trends of the wine world through a fresh and unbiased perspective, and to pass along to our supporters only the wines that we love and respect.”
– Urban Vine NYC
The evening consisted of light food paired with seven wines accompanied by Daniel and Nick’s guidance on proper tasting technique, history of wine making, facts on particular regions and their products, as well as the duos’ personal insights of the industry as a whole. At one point Daniel compared pairing wines with food to dipping your French fries in a frosty – “Sometimes things need to be mixed and matched. It isn’t always considered right, or even normal. But you never know how it might end up.”
Urban Vine’s unique approach to educating young consumers on the production and consumption of wine is a vision to support whole-heartedly. I began my career in marketing working for Englewood Wine Merchants and nurtured a fondness and appreciation for the white, pink and red fruit of the vine. Furthermore, I have been exposed, first hand, to Generation Y’s perception of wine and the drinking habits of 21-25 year-olds; “slapping-a-bag” of Franzia boxed-wine is not how vintner’s envisioned its consumption. However, I don’t think they were imagining it being used as a “refreshing” drink after completing a marathon either:
“I like to eat and drink. I like to do it more when around friends and family. The wine industry allows for all of this and I’m getting to see the world while doing it. Come hang with Urban Vine!”
– Nick Scrivens, Urban Vine NYC
Purchase an Urban Vine’s Wine Club Package TODAY!
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Join New York Vintners and Urban Vine NYC as we focus on a selection of lesser-known varietals, regions and producers around the world who are creating wines that will delight your palate and expand your horizons. Average bottle price is around $15-$20. All subscriptions include tasting notes, recommendations on food pairings, links to video tastings on each wine through the Urban Vine NYC website and a 10% discount on all applicable wine purchases at New York Vintners for the duration of the membership. Price includes shipping & handling.