Thursday evening, I met Caitlin at Crush, a wine and spirits shop on E. 57th, that was hosting a red Burgundy tasting– four wines from Patrick Bize. We stepped from the store and into the tasting room/storage space, where a large dour man in grey suit pants paced behind white linened tables, and poured mouthfuls of wine. Caitlin, who’d arrived ten minutes earlier, had had the displeasure of having her empty glass disregarded in a mix of outstretched arms. When he finally did pour her a few drops, she tried to engage him in talk–a bait he refused to bite. The treatment I received didn’t fare much better; as he poured wine into my glass, he said not a word. Clearly there was something about this guy, in this midtown establishment, that didn’t like our kind. (more…)
