Puro Wine

On the day that the world was focused on the rescue of Chilean miners being brought to the surface of the Earth, I was attending a wine tasting in New York that featured wines from Chile. Afterwards, as if to keep in the theme of the day, I stumbled upon a unique wine store. Puro Wines, located in a trendy area of the Lower East Side at 161 Grand Street at Centre Street.

This small yet stylishly modern corner store encased in gleaming glass claims to be the first exclusively Chilean wine retailer in the U.S. Every year, I see more and more stores like this. Ones that specialize in particular regions. In keeping with the Chilean theme of the day, I walked up the street and had a num pang (Cambodian sandwich) at Bun & Co. Similar to the Vietnamese banh mi, but with a more dense roll and a spicy mayo instead of a sprinkle of nam pla (fish sauce). The filling was thick slices of bacon, cucumber spears and julienned carrots. Chile. Cambodia. At least they both start with a C.