Monday, January 7, 2013
What is a "Hipster Wine"?
Posted by Henry Stewart on Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 12:40 PM
When the Wall Street Journal found out last week that they were drinking wine out in Brooklyn, they couldn't help but devote an entire half-page to an article discovering what wines are the most hipster. Were they forcing a trend piece? Let's check in with some of the sources: "I'm not sure what it means," the co-owner of Maison Premiere in Williamsburg told the Journal. "I'm the least cool person in Brooklyn," said the general manager of Williamsburg's new Scandinavian restaurant Aska. But the paper proved him a liar! "[He] dropped many references to dining Copenhagen," the columnist writes. "No city is hipper than Copenhagen right now." IPSO FACTO, BITCH! Ok, but some restaurant people played along. Here's what a hipster wine is:
1. It's Not Chardonnay
"When I came back from Paris, I couldn't sell a Chardonnay no matter what," the wine director of Vinegar Hill House said. It's also not Yellow Tail, said the co-owner of Maison Premiere. Nor is it Bordeaux. "It's very hard to sell Bordeaux in Brooklyn," the wine director of Aska said. Like the phrase "hipster" itself, it's easier to say what it's not—me!—than what it is.
2. It's Adventurous! And Natural, Obscure, Special
Or, hipster wine is all hipster cliches rolled into one. The sensibility of Maison Premiere's customers is "a sense of adventure, a willingness and drive to look for new wines, new regions." At Maison Premiere, "customers are looking for natural wines," the paper reports. At Aksa, they're looking for "a [wine] list that's full of small and ambitious producers." As Aksa's general manager said, "When you don't have the space to pack the list with big names and labels, you have to create value somewhere else—to give them something special." [photo]
3. It's Cheap
"Brooklyn diners spend less money on wine than their Manhattan counterparts," the Journal reports. We like our wines like we like our packs of cigarettes: slightly less expensive.
"When I came back from Paris, I couldn't sell a Chardonnay no matter what," the wine director of Vinegar Hill House said. It's also not Yellow Tail, said the co-owner of Maison Premiere. Nor is it Bordeaux. "It's very hard to sell Bordeaux in Brooklyn," the wine director of Aska said. Like the phrase "hipster" itself, it's easier to say what it's not—me!—than what it is.
Or, hipster wine is all hipster cliches rolled into one. The sensibility of Maison Premiere's customers is "a sense of adventure, a willingness and drive to look for new wines, new regions." At Maison Premiere, "customers are looking for natural wines," the paper reports. At Aksa, they're looking for "a [wine] list that's full of small and ambitious producers." As Aksa's general manager said, "When you don't have the space to pack the list with big names and labels, you have to create value somewhere else—to give them something special." [photo]
"Brooklyn diners spend less money on wine than their Manhattan counterparts," the Journal reports. We like our wines like we like our packs of cigarettes: slightly less expensive.
Follow Henry Stewart on Twitter @henrycstewart
More by Henry Stewart
-
Gut Renovation: Williamsburg Becomes Condoburg
Su Friedrich's doc contemptuously chronicles the gentrification of North Brooklyn.
- Feb 27, 2013
-
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREVIEW: Actress Karen Black on Easy Rider
In a pre-recorded Q&A for Nitehawk, she talks about how Laszlo Kovacs almost fell out of a helicopter.
- Apr 3, 2013
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
Is There Such a Thing as the "Brooklyn Look"?
Don't worry, the New York Times is on it.
- Dec 27, 2012
-
Which Brooklyn Neighborhoods Produce the Most and Least Trash?
The bigger question is WHY?
- Feb 4, 2013
-
The Perfect Brooklyn Date Spots for the 11 Stages In Your Relationship
Location, location, location.
- Feb 12, 2013
Comments (1)
Showing 1-1 of 1
About The Author
Henry Stewart
Bio:
Henry Stewart is the Culture Editor at The L Magazine and some kind of editor at Brooklyn Magazine. He has always lived in Brooklyn.
Henry Stewart is the Culture Editor at The L Magazine and some kind of editor at Brooklyn Magazine. He has always lived in Brooklyn.
