Aria wine bar: Brix by chicks served by guys with… [poll]

Aria wine bar, opened last month in the West Village, emphasizes wines made using organic using biodynamic methods as well as wines made by women. Christy Frank, who owns a small wine shop downtown, tweeted that she was heading there last week to sample the all-women wine list, seeking out “Brix by chicks” (geek alert: Brix are a measure of sugar in grapes). Eric Asimov chimed in: “No pricks?” I asked Christy on Twitter if there was estrogen on tap. After her visit, she replied: “I was expecting a little more estrogen over all. Evenly split patrons. Manly staff. Tasty squid.”

While more details and opinions about Aria are forthcoming (check out some photos on urbandaddy), the nature of the wine list does raise an interesting question: should a wine list be structured to highlight almost exclusively women, who are woefully underrepresented in winemaking, or is that just a gimmick? Have your say in the comments or the latest poll!

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12 Responses to “Aria wine bar: Brix by chicks served by guys with… [poll]”


  1. […] Aria wine bar: Brix by chicks served by guys with…[poll] | Dr Vino’s wine blog. Categories: Uncategorized Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Leave a comment Trackback […]


  2. I think it is an interesting concept, although I have not been yet. In fact, I was supposed to meet Christy Frank there the evening in question and, well, I had to close up my own wine shop and the ladies were already at Anfora by the time I got to the West Village (bad sign?). I was surprised to find out that Aria is owned by a guy. If the wine list gets more interesting I am game to give it a try!


  3. Annisa, Anito Lo’s restaurant on Barrow, has long had a woman-centric wine list. Must be a West Village thing.


  4. We, the readers of this blog, are mostly people who know who makes our wine or at least know many of the people behind our wines. We are also responsible for a tiny percent of the wine consumed in this country / on this planet, even if it feels like we are in the middle of the wine world at times. Sitting as we are on an island in a sea of mass produced wine, it can be easy to forget that most people have no idea who actually made the wine they drink. From my point of view on this island, any wine bar, restaurant or retail outlet that promotes an awareness of the fact that the best wine results from the efforts of individuals instead of faceless companies is a great thing.

    I hope the bar is concentrating on telling the stories of the women who make the wine and not just banking on their sex to bring people in the door.


  5. Why limit yourself?


  6. The Willamette Valley might have the highest percentage of very prestigious female winemakers of any region. Among the most-respected properties with women at the helm:

    Penner Ash
    Patricia Green Cellars
    Domaine Drouhin
    Domaine Serene
    Archery Summit
    Stoller
    De Pente
    Evening Land

    that is just the BIG names- many small ones, too


  7. California right up there too:

    Amy Aiken
    Cathy Corison
    Celia Welch
    Heidi Peterson Barrett
    Helen Turley
    Merry Edwards
    Mia Klein
    Pam Starr


  8. […] Aria wine bar: Brix by chicks… – Dr. Vino […]


  9. Last year Julie and I went to a wine tasting at Bacchus in Scottsdale, AZ at which four women winemakers from Bordeaux shared their wines and experiences. No over-the-top “women are underrepresented” stuff, just good discussions and good wine.


  10. does it benefit the quality of the wine at all? to have it made by women?

    do they donate parts of the money to a cause centered around women right?…

    what is the purpose of this ..other than marketing? and trying to set a trend?…

    i wonder what the wine makers think…

    and its really loud there…


  11. Joel, I would say they are “focussing” not “limiting”.

    We write all of the descriptions on our wines at my store, and always try to mention it when a woman is the winemaker. Some people like to think of wine as a faceless bottle of product, while others prefer to know the back story because they like discussing what they are drinking. Plus, if it’s good, it keeps their attention and inspires curiosity.


  12. […] finish off our unofficial women and wine week, here’s a picture of the nuns in the vineyards with Giampiero […]


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