The Sunday Digest 084
"When something happens to you that hasn't happened before, don't you at least have to find out what it is?"
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you. Or, if podcasts are more your speed on Sundays, we’ve got that too.
Sunday Read: Wait, the Cheapest Bottle on a Wine List Costs How Much Now?
by Eliza Dumais for Punch
“Why does it feel like every bottle is over $80?” I asked.
“Because I think all of them are,” I was told.
This wasn’t a contentious conversation, nor was it one of complaint either. Instead, it was the existential dread of knowing that wine lists may never look the same ever again. An admission of our fate, giving our wallets up to the powers that be.
Normally, I’m not the one doing the ordering from the wine list due to a few different factors.
I like to memorize menus before going out to dinner, therefore a wine list would make this quirk too time-consuming.
I don’t know what 90% of the Italian words mean on any given wine list.
I don’t want the financial guilt of choosing a bottle only for someone to say, “Why did they order an expensive bottle?” Or, conversely, “Why did he order something that cheap? We can live a little.”
But either way, things have changed lately. On the Google scale, we’ve gone from a society of $ to a society of $$$. The cab francs are flying in price, the barolo bubble is real, and we’re all just going to have to deal with it. Here’s an excerpt:
“I’m always a little scared to open a wine list. These days, it’s entirely possible that the cheapest bottle is $80... and you don’t wanna be the guy who picks the cheapest bottle,” says Johnny Pauker, a New York native and freelance production coordinator. “It’s enough to make you pivot to Negronis. At the very least, you’ll drink through them slower.”
Pauker is not alone in that sentiment. Add the rising cost of a bottle of wine to glass pours that often begin at $20 and it’s not hard to understand why folks who aren’t already card-carrying Wine People attribute greater perceived value to cocktails. The artful labor of drink-making transpires right in front of you, alcohol content is typically higher and, frankly, it’s far easier to intuit whether or not you’ll enjoy your drink without doing extensive field research.
Read in full here.
The Sunday Haiku: I hope you get to dress like you’re in a Nancy Meyers film today.
Breakfast in bed, and
maybe a mimosa too—
Happy Mother’s Day.
New Episode › Retail Therapy 075: Overpriced Wine at The Met Gala
A look back on our favorite (and least favorite) looks from The Met Gala that was, Liam Gallagher "living as a monk" in the English countryside, Bukayo Saka's Aime Leon Dore x New Balance boots, why the price of wine is soaring at restaurants everywhere, "That's that me espresso," articles of interest, wishlist items, and more.
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (see above), and anywhere else podcasts are found.
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