I just returned from a trip to New York City, a place I love for its crazy crowds, the rattle of the subway and really good bagels. I also had the chance to compare our wine scene to this bustling city and came away with a few observations:
1. St. Louis is home to more wine and spirits talent per capita. Our wine pros take training and certification very seriously, and they work very hard to earn titles. In my opinion, NYC has a lot of wine talent, yet some do not work toward certification as diligently as our hometown team.
2. NYC is home to more products. Every importer has a presence, and you can get pretty much any wine you desire (though it often costs more). While St. Louis has access to a lot of wine, I think we lack options when it comes to sherry, organic and kosher choices.
3. New York City has some amazing wine lists, especially in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, though STL is rapidly stepping up its game. Places like Elaia, Olio, Bar Italia and Bar Les Freres all pour some phenomenal wines (and I’ve got my eye on Reeds American Table, which has sommelier Andrey Ivanov overseeing the wine list). My wish: I’d love to see a wine bar like The Ten Bells in St. Louis – a loud, rambunctious atmosphere serving only hardcore natural wines and basic bar snacks.
Here, my two picks for this weekend – one from New York and the other, a hometown spirit:
2013 Fox Run Dry Riesling This wine from New York’s Finger Lakes region is crisp and beautifully aromatic with notes of crushed lemon, apricot and stone. $20, available at Starrs Lion’s Tooth Dandelion Liqueur This local liqueur makes for incredible spritzes. Mix 1 ounce Lion’s Tooth with 2 ounces cranberry juice and 2 ounces seltzer, then pour over ice. $30, available at The Wine and Cheese Place
This article appears in August 2015.