wine in williamsburg

I don't know Brooklyn well enough. One of my projects for the next month is to actually explore the trendy, hipster-plagued, locavore-a-plenty, family-friendly borough. (Speaking of the next month, hello August!) I expect it to be quite enjoyable too as I have quite a few friends that are new BK residents. Good times are sure to be had, as long as they follow in the footsteps of an afternoon in Williamsburg...

The first time I ventured into Williamsburg on my own, I was headed to Kula Yoga Project to meet Leslie and Sofia for some PM yoga and dining. This past weekend, I met that same pair, earlier in the day, for brunch and wine. We each had the mimosa of the day to start: lavender.

True to it's name (traif), our eatery of choice served plenty of pork and shellfish and otherwise non-kosher plates. Leslie enjoyed an egg-in-a-nest, Sofia opted for smoked salmon and goat cheese eggs, and I blissfully chose a a baked strawberry pancake with pomegranate butter and maple.

We like to drink and eat well together :). And after we had scrumptiously satisfied, we walked up to the Brooklyn Winery (a BK first!) for a tour and a tasting. The impressive urban winery imports the finest grapes from around the world so we'd been anxiously awaiting our visit.

I was especially impressed with the small winemaking center's seamless design. All of the materials were recycled, "including a decorative wall made from barn wood, World War II ammo boxes standing in as wine racks, vintage industrial lighting, and beautiful 1940s wallpaper."

"The bar itself is clad in wood reclaimed from church pews and topped with zinc." And the wines, oh, the wines are on tap. It's kind of awesome. I had a tasting of Brooklyn Nights, a rosé, and was blown away by the complexities of flavor; Leslie and Sofia each had a wonderfully crisp taste of Riesling.

With our initial date completed, you think we'd have parted ways afterwards, but we did not. We spontaneously decided to take a stroll through the farmer's market. Then, on our way, became so bewitched by the multiple Natural Wine Company signs that we followed the arrows to the store.

It was actually quite a beautiful space filled with the best organic and biodynamic whites and reds from each corner of the world. We tasted two so I can confirm that they're as great as they sound. I even loved how the walls were adorned with work from local artists. It just seemed so... Brooklyn ;).