Franz Strohmeier is among the most incredible artisan growers in the world. Not many growers go so far as to experiment with unpruned vines and have created such a rich and diverse micro diversity in their soil. Franz is extreme in his practices of fostering a diverse life of insects, small animals, and other organisms even in the world […]
After many years of making the annual trip to France, the J&F team (plus a few industry colleagues) traveled to new territory in Central Europe this Spring to explore vineyards in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A few years ago, natural wine producers from this part of the world were largely unknown in the US, […]
As much as the natural wine scene has exploded in the past 10 years in New York, reflecting the culture and passion for this juice in Paris, there are still few bars and restaurants that focus solely on natural wine. June Wine Bar, which opened in January of this year, is one of the few […]
In the fall of 2004 long-time couple Debbie Summer and Jan McGill opened Fermented Grapes, a neighborhood wine shop where they would sell wines which were true to their grape variety and terroir – wines with character. Brooklyn residents for over 25 years, Debbie & Jan say Prospect Heights was a neighborhood that initially brought […]
We fell in love with this little restaurant in Long Island City and thought you might too. Owner/chef Alex Schindler and his wife Lisa DiClerico opened the neighborhood restaurant LIC Market in 2010, focusing on fresh ingredients and natural wine. Born and raised in Queens, Alex worked in many restaurants, and was an Executive Chef […]
There are moments of working in the NYC wine industry when we can feel disconnected from the wine we are working with. There is something about rolling a wine bag into the subway and down the crowded streets of the city that feels (and is) so very far away from where it began. This is […]
Dear Winelovers, Come protest Global Warming with the Jenny & François team! We are passionate about this subject for many reasons, but as people of the wine industry who work closely with winemakers around the world, we have to acknowledge the effect of global warming on grape growing. On Sunday September 21st, we will […]
A few days ago I opened my e-mail and there was a message from Giovanni Raiti, one of the winemakers at Vino Quantico in Sicily. He sent a photo of the volcano, Mt. Etna, in a beautiful eruption and said “I think it wanted to celebrate the arrival of our wine in NY! To think, […]
I can tell Sicily will be a unique and incredible place before the plane even lands. My face is pressed up against the plane window and I see mountains and beautiful serene turquoise water. The kid behind me is kicking my seat and I’m so excited I could kick him back (I don’t). I’ve […]
