At PRINT. we take the same care in sourcing our wines as we do our ingredients. That means we look for vino from smaller family farms and independent producers whenever possible, search out unique and heirloom grape varietals, and choose wines produced using sustainable methods, including organic, biodynamic, and natural. To ensure that our wine list reflects our values and has plenty of delectable options, we forge close relationships with distributors that care about these same production methods and have portfolios reflecting that. For example T. Edwards, who recently interviewed me to be on their blog, goes the extra mile to know their customers and have built a relationship of trust and deep knowledge of our operations as a restaurant.
We keep our wine list to one page — usually 50-60 bottles at a time. Our selections are concise and tightly-curated with a good selection of the standard and classic varietals, but we also love to include some more unusual and idiosyncratic choices as well. Our dining room manager Reyna Roman is working on her sommelier certificate, and she and I are focused on seeking unique and indigenous grapes and wines from as yet undiscovered regions in order to explore new flavors and textures. Some recent discoveries are:
- Listan Negro – a black-skinned grape from The Canary Islands that is the base of some particularly fruity, peppery, and fresh wines
- Zweigelt – a lean and elegant red wine grape from Upper Austria
- Vermentino – bright and zippy, from Corsica
- Charbono – a nearly extinct grape grown only in California
- A beautiful Gewurtztraminer made by Red Hook Winery from Long Island Sound fruit
- Old Vines Blend from Greece
We also do our best to find great values, and because so many of these great wines from undiscovered regions are still undervalued in the marketplace, many of our under $50 bottles offer incredible quality for impressive prices. We’ll be exploring some of our favorite find on the blog over the next few weeks.
