What better way to kick off the launch of a new web series than with an epic dance party? And because we’re all old now, that dance party is 2009 themed.

The show in question is Good Grapes TV, a brand new web program from Kristin Barnes (host) and Anette “Rocket” Roqueta (producer)—the very first episode, dedicated to natural wine in New York City, dropped on June 1st. Barns and Roquetta are celebrating the show’s launch on June 15th at Honey’s (93 Scott Ave, Brooklyn), going deep on the greatest hits of 2009, when Lady Gaga still wore her “Poker Face” (not a meat dress) and the music of Santigold fueled a thousand Prohibition cocktails.

But don’t worry, you’ll drink well at Honey’s, where the Good Grapes duo are set to serve up full glasses of nostalgia along with wines from the celebrated Zev Rovine portfolio. “The theme—’Party Like it’s 2009’—has been a long running joke between us,” Barnes tells Sprudge. She and Roquetta have been building this playlist together since at least the first Obama administration. “We met in 2008,” Barnes says, “the same year both wineries in our pilot episode (Red Hook Winery and City Winery) opened—an eery coincidence that could not be ignored.”

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Episode One of Good Grapes centers around wine making and the wine community in New York City, while taking time to introduce and explore critiques surrounding natural wine. It’s a lot to cover for a pilot, but Barnes and Roquetta are capable guides, and I never felt overwhelmed as a viewer. In particular, Roquetta’s original soundtrack and production design adds personality and cohesiveness throughout the episode. Good Grapes TV feels as much like a personal expression as it is an educational tool. I can’t wait to see how the show evolves.

Upcoming episodes include Noel Diaz of Purity Wine, Martha Stoumen, and Jared Brandt of Donkey and Goat (California), as well as Andy Young of St. Reginald Parish, Joe Swick of Swick Wines, and Thomas Monroe of Division Winemaking Company (Oregon), to name just a few. Follow Good Grapes on Instagram for updates and new episode drops.

And if you’re headed out to Honey’s on the 15th, well, get ready, because 2009 was just the worst. But also kind of the best! Feel free to tuck your skinny jeans into your open toe boots and dust off those Kanye glasses, because when you “Party In The U.S.A.” (specifically Williamsburg) “I Gotta Feeling” you can do “Whatever You Like.”

The Good Grapes TV launch party is Friday, June 15th at Honey’s (93 Scott Ave, Brooklyn). Visit the official Good Grapes website and follow them on Instagram for updates.

Matt Kuhr (@awkwardhaiku) is a freelance journalist and the publisher of Awkward Haiku Drink Zine. This is Matt Kuhr’s first feature for Sprudge Wine. 

Photos by Lyndsey Kamide.

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