HUDSON-CHATHAM WINES NOW AVAILABLE AT IL BUCO IN NYC Hudson-Chatham Winery is both pleased and proud to announce that their wines are now available at Il Buco in New York City. While dining there, you can sample our Baco Noir Old Vines. The restaurant Gourmet magazine calls "one of the best and most exciting in America" started life in 1994 when independent filmmaker Donna Lennard and her Italian boyfriend, Alberto Avalle, opened an off-the-beaten path antique store on cobblestoned Bond Street. It was a modern day trading post dedicated to the exchange of crafts and culture between the Old World and the New. Shoppers would often join them for their midday "pranzo" prepared in their tiny back kitchen. Soon they transformed the rustic antique store into a charming enoteca with an eclectic menu - part Italian, part Spanish, part invention, dedicated to local ingredients with a wine list made up of small boutique producers. Ruth Reichl wrote in the New York Times: "The restaurant is unlike any other in New York... eating your way through this menu of tapas and appetizers is an exhilarating experience. The food is so good that with a group of six or seven it is tempting to go right through the menu." Today, il Buco is a renowned Mediterranean restaurant with the look and feel of a European country home - as natural and rustically elegant as the food - an under the radar gathering spot for designers, actors, writers, and food lovers who are inspired by great food amongst friends in comfortabe surroundings. While Donna sources ingredients from local farmers, Alberto assists from Umbria, bringing in the Italian products from the basis of their namesake artisan product line, il Buco Alimentare. Chef Ignacio Mattos works wonders with these ingredients in simple, flavorful combinations. The Wine Cellar, rumored to have been the inspiration for Edgar Alan Poe's "Cask of Amontillado," is now a converted private dining room with over 400 bottles from Italy, Spain, France and the New World adorning the space.

Food critic David Rosengarten wrote, "Lately, after a string of spectacular evenings at il Buco, I've been uttering the restaurant's name in reponse to the question 'What restaurant should I go to on my one night in New York?'. To my taste, il Buco is that good, and that special...."

Il Buco also has a tremendous wine cellar.

Wine Spectator honored il Buco’s wine list with the "Award of Excellence" several times and also named it "one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world." il Buco's Wine Cellar is the creation of Roberto Paris, a childhood friend of Alberto Avalle’s from the small town of Foligno, Umbria. He draws on his knowledge of history, language, travel and people to introduce customers to new discoveries and imaginative pairings. The selection of over 400 wines is dedicated to small lesser-known producers of artisan wines that are expressions of the soils and cultures that produce them, most notably Sagrantino di Montefalco, which we offer from various producers in numerous vintages. In addition, we feature wines from some of the world’s most renowned wineries. Roberto has been an integral part of the il Buco family for more than 11 years and has recently passed the torch of day to day operations to our current Wine Director and Sommelier Paul Lang.

Paul's resume is impressive. He impressed restaurateurs George Germon and Johanne Killeen of Al Forno Restaurant in Providence, RI and Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park in Boston, MA. He was quickly trusted wherever he was needed: managing the wine cellar, purchasing cheeses, training the staff.

Paul later moved to Italy and became the personal chef for the Count and Contessa Contini Bonacossi of the Capezzana Estate, he cooked for nobles at a Medici villa in the hills of Florence. Paul returned to America eager to utilize his experiences. He worked as sommelier with Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich at their flagship restaurant, Babbo. During Paul's tenure, Babbo received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Service.

After two years Paul started his own company – A Casa - hosting personalized wine dinners. Specializing in the traditions of the Italian table, A Casa creates a singular, fine dining experience free from the formality of a restaurant. Mario Batali calls it "One of the best food and wine experiences you'll have..."

Paul joined il Buco in March of 2009 and his passion for small artisanal wines give him the perfect background to fill the shoes of founding Sommelier Roberto Paris and further build upon relationships with vintners from around the world.

Paul has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, Time Out New York, Bene Magazine and Food and Wine Magazine. Recently A Casa has been praised in Boston Magazine, Daily Candy, Men's Health Magazine, Boca Magazine, and Japan's Cuisine Kingdom.

Il Buco 47 Bond St # 1 New York, NY 10012-2450 (212) 533-1932

http://www.ilbuco.com/