Frenchette - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Frenchette


photo by Melanie Dunea

Jorge Riera may have relocated, but he has not reconsidered his allegiance to natural wines. The sommelier, who developed destination wine lists at Contra and Wildair, joined chef-duo Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr last April to open Frenchette. His list, like the menu, leans into France, but includes a healthy selection of Spanish and Italian choices; it’s also impressively affordable, focused on small-production bottles and offbeat finds. Start with a spritz, here given a twist with a base of dry cider or a pét-nat wine. Then, move on to something like Cantina Giardino’s Gaia, a zippy fiano from Campania, which can carry you from a tagine d’artichauts with preserved lemon, couscous and favas to a plate of crispy veal sweetbreads, crayfish and spring peas.

241 W. Broadway, New York, NY

French

212-334-3883

Deanna Gonnella, is a graduate of NYC’s International Culinary Center’s Classic Culinary Arts program, a private chef and our in-house expert on all things culinary. She’s also worked the floor as a sommelier, and advised buyers at Vintry Fine Wines in Manhattan, so she knows a thing or two about wine.


This story appears in the print issue of October 2018.
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