You vs. The Wine List

And a canned mocktail that's worth writing home about

Shitters. Hypothetical here: You’re at a restaurant with three friends. You’re all down to split a bottle of wine. The waiter hands you the list (it’s 20 pages long and in a heavy leather book). How are you feeling?

It’s always nice to find yourself sitting across from an A—sometimes there’s nothing better than turning your brain off and letting them take the wheel! But on my side, it was more of a hot potato situation.

I like wine, and over the years I’ve picked up bits and pieces about it via travel, dining, and the A’s in my life. But I always found myself stressed when it came time to look at a list of wines by the bottle, especially ones with pages and pages of grapes and regions I’d never even heard of. When the responsibility would fall to me to pick (which was rarely—I’d typically refuse off the bat), I’d try to tell the sommelier about what I liked (with my mostly unimpressive wine vocabulary), take whatever rec they gave me, and cross my fingers. But most of the time it felt like an expensive gamble—one that other people at the table (mostly the men), were better equipped than I was to make.

I decided I didn’t want to keep feeling like that. I didn’t want to cede the decision by default! I didn’t want spend my one wild and precious life drinking Pinot Noirs that taste like armpits just because some guy at the table wanted to!!! I’m a person with tastes and preferences—strong ones, at that! I deserved to explore them.

Enter Wine Simple. If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed or insecure when you look at a wine list, this is for you. It’s by Aldo Sohm, the sommelier at the famed, three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin (which I’ve heard fully lives up to the hype, in case you need a super splurge-worthy spot to celebrate something big in NYC). But unlike what you might expect with that background (or from a wine book in general), it’s surprisingly approachable.

This cheat sheet alone is worth the price of the book.

I contemplated finding a tasting series to frequent (which I still want to do in the fall/winter in case anyone would like to join me!), but what I really wanted was an overview of everything out there to be my guide as I started to jump in more seriously. And when I paged through this book at the McNally Jackson in Soho, it seemed to be exactly that.

It’s FULL of information, including breakdowns of key varietals and regions, guidance on how to shop, order, and find value as a consumer, and tips on everything from building your own collection to budget-friendly picks for your next party! You don’t need to read it cover to cover—just flipping to random pages is fun and interesting!—but I have been, and have really liked it so far. It’s helped me get to know so much more about my own preferences, and piqued my curiosity about so many varietals and appellations (wine words!) that I now want to explore. But perhaps most importantly of all, it’s made me feel smarter and more capable, and IMO, that’s always worth raising a glass to.

I have a bit more work to do in the field (read: at wine bars) before I can confidently rattle off my new and improved recs, but I’m already looking forward to reporting back! If you have any favorite spots/ shops/ sips, or other recs for my little DIY journey, drop them in the comments please!

Speaking of drinks… My perfect martini glass, The Universal Glass (recommended by Aldo and just about everyone else), a chic/budget-friendlier alternative, your ticket to a glass without opening the whole bottle, there’s no such thing as a chic wine charm, but these bother me less than most, the perfect cocktail shaker, a pewter bottle coaster

And for the non-drinkers among us, I have a rec for you too! After YEARS of looking, I finally found my perfect canned mocktail.

Back when I lived in LA, a couple girlfriends and I grabbed a bunch of mocktails at Erewhon to do a little taste test. Unfortunately, we hated pretty much all of them (and this is coming from a group that voluntarily did this, so it’s not like we were primed to be haters!), so my expectations in this category haven’t been high since. But these were such a pleasant surprise!

First and foremost, they actually taste good! Most canned mocktails and cocktails are either way too bitter or terribly sweet. These are slightly sweet, but have no added sugar, mimic existing cocktails (the spritzes and negronis are my favorites), and use functional ingredients like lions mane and theanine to either help you unwind after a long day, or keep your energy up while you’re socializing.

My personal favorite is the Ume Spritz (which is in the “unwind” category)—I love the light plum/tea flavor, and it’s gotten rave reviews from three friends who’ve stopped by my apartment lately. While I don’t gravitate towards alcohol on a regular night in at home, I will pour one of these on ice when I tuck in for some TV time (I know The Summer I Turned Pretty is the world’s slowest watch, but at this point I can’t stop—I’m living for Wednesdays). Highly recommend if you’re looking for a nice little summer bev sans booze (or want a good N/A option on hand the next time you’re entertaining!).

Other Things I’m Loving Lately:

I saw Laura Harrier in this navy one piece so I immediately ordered this navy one piece—aside from her, the adjustable straps and built in bra were big selling points. Splurgier, but these classic Eres suits are marked down a good bit too. Did we know that Aerie was selling Negative Underwear dupes for $15 a pop…? Love the matching cardigan and sleep shorts too (h/t

Cat Chen

!). All I want for fall is this perfect cashmere cardigan (the Malbec colorway is very on theme for today!). Found another very clean, very delicious protein powder with a surprising amount of fiber! And I still pop a packet of these babies every time I have more than one glass of wine or cocktail (SIBAL20 gets you 20% off).

Related Reading:

A Hangover Aid That Actually Works

The MVP of My Summer Wardrobe