A client recently asked me to recommend some hot new wine bars in the big city, and several immediately came to mind. According to the Wall Street Journal, there are over 200 wine bars in NYC, 69 of which opened last year. I wondered to myself, Sarah Jessica Parker-style, how could I narrow down all these great places into such a short list? Why did these specific wine bars come to mind before the several dozen other great possibilities?
Was it their unique wine selections at reasonable prices? Of course. Cool atmosphere with dim enough lighting to make me better looking? Clearly. But what really made them stand out in a brain that has spent many an hour pondering over the location of her next glass of vino was their attention to detail and ability to communicate on a deeper level. In short, I felt I really knew and appreciated the personality behind the place.
There are a handful of wine bars out there swimming in the warm waters of social media and doing it well. I’ve previously written about how to become a top wine tweeter, but that is just part of the equation. Having already created the perfect blend to make them shine through, these true gurus include:
1. TerroirNY: I’m Terroir Wine Bar and You’re Not
One of my favorite wine voices in general, and arguably the social media king of wine bars, Terroir’s Paul Grieco and Steven Solomon are the lovable, quirky birds behind the two funky NYC outposts. They use every trick up their sleeves to reach out to their fan base, from a behind the scene video of Paul’s favorite part of Terroir Tribeca (it is a rad bathroom, Paul, Shrowd of Turin or not) to some of the funniest and engaging twiners tweets out there, Terroir gets three thumbs up for their top-quality efforts. Based on the consistent crowds in their bars, whatever they’re doing is working.
2. Bar Boulud: Lg. Formats, Rhymes & Life.
Using Twitter and Facebook to their fullest, all-star sommelier Michael Madrigale is both approachable and engaged, offering a friendly face to what could have come across as a stuffy wine bar. Every tweet is not an advertisement (for example, I learned from one recent tweet, he is an avid baseball fan…very cool in my book, even if he is a Phillies fan), he participates in the conversation (rubbing shoulders with other wine and food influentials, including Joe Bastianich and Dr. Vino) and offers fresh content, including twitpics galore.
3. City Winery: A vibrant, interactive space in NYC where you can not only make wine, but also meet friends new and old while indulging in quality food, music, art and life!
From making your own wine, to book signings and live music, City Winery is definitely more than just a wine bar. One of their coolest events was totally socially minded. Partnering with the likes of WineTwits, WIRED, Riedel and Bottlerockets to create the first-ever, fully interactive wine tasting, City Winery showed their tech savviness in organizing the highly popular Twit n’ Spit event last year. Don’t worry if you missed it, you can still chat with them on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr or learn more about the cool space here:
With over a decade of experience in communications, Pia has a strong background in wine, beer and food public relations, marketing and promotional strategy. A vice president in CRT/tanaka’s Food & Beverage Practice, Pia oversees public relations, traditional and social media programs, strategic partnerships and program development for various beverage alcohol and food accounts, including the Wines of Rioja, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf and the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. Her agency work has helped win various industry awards, including two Bronze Anvils, Silver Anvil, Bulldog Digital/Social (Gold and Silver), PR News Platinum, two PR News Digitals, Clarion, Big Apple, Commonwealth and a Telly. In recognition of her passion and client work, Pia also won the CRT/tanaka annual Whatcanbe Client Award in 2011. In 2010, Pia created the weekly BuzzBin column called 'The Booze Bin,' offering up interesting musings on the beverage alcohol industry and all things booze. Depending on the season, what she's cooking, and whether or not the Yankees are winning, Pia can be found toasting a glass or pint of something awesome.
Pia,
Thanks for the kind words. We’ve really been trying hard to engage in meaningful conversations past the usual blah blah shotgunning that happens in a lot of social outreach.
Kudos to Paul and Steven at Terroir however….those fellas are killing it.
Alexander Baldwin
City Winery