Racines

Last weekend, I went to Racines in Tribeca at 94 Chambers St. It’s a new place that features organic and biodynamic wines, mostly from France.

French winemaking has such a long history of tradition and it’s nice to see it being shaken up a bit with biodynamic vineyards. While this isn’t a new practice in France, it isn’t very prevalent and I was looking forward to seeing a wine list comprised solely of these kinds of wines.

Visually, Racines is everything I want in a wine bar - hardwood floors, marble top bar, an original brick wall, reclaimed wood shelves, cool vintage lighting, and minimalist decor. I was smitten as soon as I walked in. Upon viewing the wine list, my attraction grew larger still. There was a large selection of wines by the glass, 28 choices to be exact, starting at $10 up to $20 with the average glass being priced at $14. The bottle list was quite extensive and like the by the glass list, it featured mainly wines from France with a small selection of wines from the US and other parts of Europe. And all of them biodynamic or organic! I couldn’t wait to get started on a glass. Considering that it was a scorching hot day, I felt a little crazy to be craving a red wine, but I ordered the 2011 David Duband Bourgogne anyway. The wine lived up to my expectations, however. It was a delicate and enjoyable wine with aromas of fresh berries and autumn leaves. It was dry and tasted like strawberry with a hint of baking spices, and a slightly herbal and smokey finish. The only downside was that the pour was a little small for the price point.

The cherry on top of my experience here was the service. The bartender/owner was so friendly and chatted with me throughout my stay. Most of our conversation focused on wine so I was able to thoroughly geek out. After I finished my glass of Bourgogne, he told me that I could try any of the other wines. How could I refuse that? All of the wines looked so good that I probably would have tried to taste through the whole menu if I could, so I asked him which one he would recommend. He offered a few options was a wine made by his favorite family of producers, whom he picked grapes with during harvest in 2011. What?! How cool is that? I really like how involved he is with the wines served here. He mentioned another wine as well, a Chenin Blanc from an obscure region in France called Jasnieres. I love Chenin Blanc and I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to try wine from a region that I will most likely not see in your average wine store or bar. He poured a large splash in a glass for me to taste. The wine had a really interesting candy-like aroma, almost like a saltwater taffy. It was crisp and tasted floral with notes of honey and a nice minerality. It was really lovely!

You may be wondering what a biodynamic wine is, exactly. Ready to geek out with me? In some ways, it is much like organic wine - no chemicals are used for fertilizer or pest and weed control, natural yeast is used for fermentation, and there are very little or no added sulfites.  Many of the biodynamic methods seem borderline superstitious, such as filling a cow’s horn with either manure or quartz, depending on the time of year, burying it for a season, then digging it out and mixing its contents with water to use as fertilizer in the vineyard. It even has some spiritual elements, like harvesting during a particular phase of the moon. What I can really stand behind though, is that biodynamics views the vineyard as one organism, from the soil up, and that it should all be kept healthy using natural methods with no chemical intervention. Much like “good bacteria” keeps your body healthy and balanced, a healthy vineyard begins with a soil rich in the proper bacteria, or flora. Biodynamics promotes this natural balance. The result is a wine that is the greatest, purest expression of the area it came from, or its “terroir”; the aromas and flavors of the elements in the soil are much more prevalent in biodynamic wines. Some French winemakers have used this method to restore vineyards damaged by years and years of using chemicals and found that after consistent use of biodynamics, the wine produced from that lot was even better than wine from their top vineyards that utilized traditional methods.

Back to Racines! The entire experience was what I had hoped for and beyond. I love the chill atmosphere, the knowledgable staff, and the wonderful selection of delicious biodynamic and organic wines. This is a place that I could hang out in all evening and when you’re ethically sipping, why not stick around for a few more another glass, right? Racines is my new favorite wine bar and once I’ve finished visiting every wine bar in Manhattan, this will most likely be my go-to spot. I, obviously, give it 5 out of 5 glasses.

The lovely interior of Racines

The cool shelves behind the bar

My glass of Bourgogne. Although the pours are small, this was after 5 or 6 sips...I was too focused on wine conversation and forgot to take a picture earlier. Oops!

Virgola

I had been looking forward to visiting Virgola since it first opened, so last weekend, I stopped by for a couple glasses. The thing that I found to be alluring about this wine bar is that it’s an alley that was converted into a wine and oyster bar. I think this is probably the most unique setting that I’ve encountered in my journey so far. It’s located in the West Village at 28 Greenwich Ave.

The entrance is so narrow that it’s very easy to walk by it. The only reason I knew it was there was because I had been waiting for brunch at a nearby restaurant a couple of months ago and happened to notice a plaque that said “Virgola”. I made a mental note for when I would review it so that I wouldn’t get turned around like I often do in the West Village.

Virgola is definitely the sexiest alley in New York City. It has a very sleek interior; it’s dimly lit, the brick walls are painted a glossy black, the high top tables are a brushed metal, and a medieval looking chandelier hangs in the center of the room above small tables and tufted leather couches. As you can imagine, seating is very limited and there isn’t much elbow room, but they’ve still managed to create some privacy with the table arrangements.  

All of the wine at Virgola is Italian and glasses are between $12 and $17. All but two of the wines are available in bottles as well, priced from $44 to $96. The selection is great, with some wines that aren’t commonly found in wine bars, even Italian ones. I decided on something sweet for that evening and ordered the 2009 Colombo Moscato Pastu Tardi. The server brought out the bottle and poured a taste for me before pouring a full glass. I like to see wine bars doing this for glass orders because it makes you feel like your business is appreciated just as much as if you had ordered a bottle. The Moscato smelled a little metallic and minerally and tasted almost like a sweet mulled cider with some notes of orange peel. I really enjoyed it! So much that I ordered a second glass of it.

The ambiance here is upscale and a little mysterious, yet chilled out. The service was wonderful and the server was friendly and talkative. He even poured a little extra wine in my glass because I must have looked thirsty. It was the cherry on top of a great experience at Virgola.

I really enjoyed everything about Virgola, from the wine, to the décor and the novelty of it being in an alley. The wine is a little on the expensive side, but the wine that I had was great and if the others follow suit, they’re a good value. This is a delightful little wine bar and is a treat to visit. I give this place a rating of 4.8 out of 5 glasses.

It's literally as skinny as those doors

Oh there you are, Virgola!

my glass of Moscato