Hi and Happy Fall,

It's pairing time!

A quick note on shows before that though: although Santa Barbara on the 7th is sold out, however we still have room in NYC for Song Salon on 11/12. Hope you'll come and enjoy wine and tunes with me and Sebastian Noelle on guitar in this special space.

Tickets can be found here.

Allons-y!

Juice

It takes a certain intensity, commitment and sense of adventure to explore winemaking regions of the world, found your own winery, and vinify obscure grapes from varied growers all working in the natural/biodynamic vein. This is a truncated story of Brianne Day, who made the wine for this pairing; Vin de Days rouge 2023 from Willamette Valley.

It’s 82% pinot noir, with 18% gamay making up the rest of the blend. The combination of the two make a wine that is elegant; a dark spiced nose of anise and cinnamon, a lilting red cherry fruit, ending with a pleasingly fine-sandpapered tannin finish. It’s a wine with both polish and personality.

Day’s wine has deeper layers of reference and meaning the more time spent with it – this one has a beautiful Beaux-Arts styling on the label, and the name “Vin de Days” is a pun for those who know the term “Vin de Pays” (an older classification for regional wine since supplanted by IGP*.) The wine itself is an echo of the Passetoutgrain style of Burgundy in which these two grapes are blended.

A wine that wears both its influence and technique on its sleeve is a delight to a connoisseur or the casual tippler (if that’s not a good Thanksgiving wine I don’t know what is.)

You can find it with our friends at Dandelion Wines here.

Jazz

Édith Piaf needs no introduction - the familiarity of her sound can make me forget how utterly radical she is. Her sense of risk, her honesty, and total commitment in every moment have become part of the fabric of music history – yet remains riveting.

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There’s no more unvarnished capture of a spontaneous performer in a than a live recording – I paired Dumont/Vaucaire’s “Les Flons Flons du Bal” from “A L’Olympia 1961”) to accompany our wine because its ¾ time sweeps you up in its carousel; celebratory and intense.

Even if your French is rusty, Piaf’s performance lets you know there’s more to the story than just a good time. And lo, it’s about the perpetual beat of the dancehall, its indifference to life, grief and death. The layers of meaning easily carry her audience away with rhythm and emotion.

However deep you want to go with this song, it’s ready to meet you, which is the secret to its endurance.

Hope you enjoy both song and wine...

Truly,

Kristen

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