Stay Hydrate

July 2025

This month we will touch on some legends of Chablis, places to check out in Vermont and New York next time you visit, and a few more songs that are in heavy rotation at the moment.

Wine

I recognize that caring about wine is a luxury. But for those that do care, being familiar with the wines of Alice and Olivier De Moor are a must. These wines are what set the lightbulb off for me with Chablis. I remember the awe I was in after my first experience with their bottling of L’Humeur Du Temps. Concentrated, deep, and textured like nothing I’d tasted before.

Alice and Olivier have been growing grapes and producing these incredible wines for over 30 years. They moved back to Olivier’s hometown of Courgis in 1989 after meeting at another Chablis estate. They have grown their holdings over the years, with the newest vineyards being those of their Premier Cru bottlings Vau de Vey and Mont de Milieu. The wines have a richness and depth to them that comes from Olivier’s belief that Chablis’ original character was more towards these characteristics than the flinty reductiveness that you find in a lot of contemporary Chablis. These are wines that I believe should be held as a benchmark for the region, as well as wines that satisfy the tastes of almost anyone no matter how “classic” or “natty” they tend to lean.

The wines come to us in small amounts, and we are lucky to have a selection of them at the shop (at least as I’m writing this…)

Local

-During summer months, the ICA hosts Vinyl Nights every Friday from 5-9p. It’s a rotating lineup of DJs spinning records on the patio by the harbor outside of the museum. Nice vibes, good music, some dancing, and a chance to meet folks.

-This isn’t confined to Boston, but some friends and I just rented a pool by the hour off a website called Swimply. It’s like AirBnB for people’s pools...kinda genius. We rented a pool in Brookline for five hours and had a perfect day. If you are craving a pool day this summer and do not have any friends with pools or friends whose parents have pools, Swimply is the ticket.

-At Neighborhood Wines, we’ve been hosting monthly wine classes where we do a deep dive into certain producers or regions that I believe are important. It’s a cool chance to also try wines that are usually pretty hard to find, and pretty pricey when you can find them. Our next class is going to be Wednesday, August 13th. Tickets (and theme) will be available on the website and will be announced through the shop’s Instagram the first week of August.

-Our friend Elinor Hitt will be hosting a Poetry Night again at the shop in August. Last time we focused on love poetry with wines to match; it was a very cool event that ignited our creative brains. Stay tuned for the date and theme for our next Poetry Night to be released soon!

Travel

A few nice places to visit..

Vermont

We visited some friends that live just outside of Burlington last month, and had a really nice time at a few local spots.

-May Day is in the Old North End neighborhood of Burlington..great food, great beverages, great vibe.

-Bar Renee for a great wine selection.

-Little Gordo best creemees of the trip (and the only sprinkles I’ve ever liked)

-Vermont Lake Monsters: former minor league organization turned college summer ball team. Tickets are cheap and vibes are great.

On a second trip to Vermont (!) we visited friends who live across the state line from Hanover in Norwich.

-Cedar Circle Farm: Pick your own flowers and blueberries and shop local produce and plants. Hello Cafe has everything you need to fuel all of those activities.

-Mac’s Maple: best creemees of this trip (in NH)

New York

Highlights from a recent “research” trip

-Smithereens: a New England themed restaurant! Our meal here was excellent including an incredible bottle of Domaine de Casioppee Chardonnay.

-Moth Food + Trinket: a newly opened New York outpost of Moth Food’s (@mothfood) extremely well curated vintage clothing, alongside antique folk pieces by Trinket aka Mr. Blue (@___trinket___).

-Gem Home: the team behind my favorite wine bar in the city (RIP Gem Wine). Cafe/home goods/grocery. They do it all and they do it all very well. And they may or may not be opening a new restaurant in the fall…

-St. Jardim: another favorite day time, into the evening cafe/wine bar. Great food, amazing wine..they nail it every time.

-Demo: beautiful dishes, great wines, simple and thoughtful room. Go here.

-Apollo Bagels: Go during the week to avoid the lines. 10/10.

-Bridges

This place feels like it deserves its own section. I finally made it in, and it was worth the wait. Expectations have been building after all of the attention they have been receiving, but turns out it’s well deserved. Chef Sam is a friend, and I can confidently put my bias aside and say this was some of the best food I’ve eaten all year (and you know I be eating.) The best oysters I’ve ever had (probably had something to do with the Sorrento lemon mignonette)..crazy take on melon and cured meat..and then the COMPTE TART. I could go on and on about these dishes and justice would not be served. I cannot wait to go back for a full meal (this was just snacking pre dinner!). Go early and get a walk in seat at the bar. Listen to me.

Music

Do yourself a favor and listen to these..

-Devotion - Justin Bieber feat. Dijon

-Monolith - Idles

-I Want You Forever - Jay Sameul, D’Angelo, Jay Z

-Gladly - Tirzah

-Bombo Fabrika - Gabriel Garzon-Montano