The Real Wine World updated
For new readers to the site, I am currently running a year long “reality”-inspired chronicle of three industry participants. The Real Wine World, as I call it, follows a wine maker, a wine importer and a local wine shop. The producer is Susana Balbo from Mendoza, Argentina, the importer is Gregory Smolik who imports rustic wines of indigenous varietals from Italy, and the shop is called Big Nose Full Body in Park Slope (Brooklyn).
In the most recent updates, the wine shop has changed hands! I went to park Slope to meet the energetic new owner, Aaron Hans, and learn about his background, the transaction purchasing the shop, and his plans. In the latest from Greg, I joined him and winemaker Walter Fabbri from Basilicata for a lunch in Chicago.