Shattered Wine Fair arrives in Kingston on January 19 with a clear, slightly insurgent mission: to elevate the profile of Central and Eastern European wines.
The fair is the creation of Sam Hewitt, a buyer at Kingston Wine Co. who has spent the past several years quietly building a following for wines from regions many American drinkers still find unfamiliar. Hewitt grew up in the Hudson Valley, returned to Kingston in 2019, and began working at the shop in 2021, learning the trade under then-owner Michael Drapkin. When Hewitt took over buying for Eastern Europe and New York cider and fruit wines, a personal curiosity became a professional focus.
“I didn’t connect with France or Italy at first—they felt intimidating,” Hewitt says. Instead, she gravitated toward what she calls the “underdogs”: Georgia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Many of these regions boast winemaking traditions stretching back centuries—or millennia—but are only recently regaining visibility after decades of Soviet-era suppression. Wine, for Hewitt, has become both a cultural expression and an economic tool, helping producers reclaim heritage and independence.
Shattered Wine Fair brings more than 30 wines from these regions into one room, poured by representatives from 11 New York-based importers. The format is intentionally intimate and unpretentious. Held in the (legit gorgeous) dining room at Restaurant Kinsley, the fair runs in two tasting windows—noon to 2pm and 2 to 4pm—to keep the crowd manageable and the atmosphere relaxed. Tickets are $25, plus tax, which Hewitt describes as “about the price of a glass or two of wine out.”
Attendees receive a tasting glass and are free to move at their own pace, chatting with importers, sampling wines, and grabbing food. Restaurant Kinsley will offer full lunch service alongside a casual gnocchi special ($8) designed to be eaten standing—another nod to keeping the experience social rather than stiff.
While the wines span diverse climates and grape varieties, Hewitt sees a shared thread. Many producers are rediscovering indigenous grapes and traditional methods—such as Georgia’s ancient clay qvevri fermentation—after generations of enforced uniformity. The result is wines that feel both ancient and newly alive. Hewitt points to Georgian producer Nasrashvili, newly imported to the US, and emerging Hungarian makers like Hoffmann’s Wines as examples of what’s ahead.
Just as important as the wine itself is the tone Hewitt hopes to set. Shattered Wine Fair is designed for people who may feel alienated by traditional wine culture—by jargon, blind tastings, or the fear of saying the “wrong” thing. “There are no wrong answers,” Hewitt says. “Do you like the wine? Are you having a good time with the people you’re with?”
That ethos—supporting underdog producers while welcoming underconfident drinkers—defines Shattered Wine Fair. For anyone curious about what’s happening beyond the usual French and Italian labels, it offers a low-pressure way in, and a reminder that wine, at its core, is meant to be shared, especially on holidays, and maybe in the afternoon as well.
