After spending years building the reputation around disrupting traditional wine culture, The Prisoner hosts an intimate dinner to bring that mantra to the table.
Bringing their acclaimed Napa Valley room concept to Manhattan, the brand took over Chinatown’s Chinese Tuxedo for an evening pairing their newest release with delicious dim sum bites. The night was co-hosted by Director of Winemaking Todd Ricard and Nashville-based visual artist Omari Booker who is the creator behind the latest edition of The Prisoner’s Corrections initiative.
The Corrections program sits at the core of the brand’s social impact efforts, partnering with formerly incarcerated artists to create original works for limited-edition labels while supporting prison reform organizations. Taking the floor, Booker spoke about the artwork he created for the bottle. He centered the piece on a small black bird that regularly visited the barred window of his cell during his incarceration. For Booker, that bird was a daily lifeline to the outside world, serving as a symbol of presence and persistence that now anchors the label.
Photo courtesy of The Prisoner Wine
To match Booker’s personal story, Ricard poured a curated lineup that showed off the range of the brand. The flight led off with The Prisoner Chardonnay, a pour that was ripe, rounded, and balanced. What made this Chardonnay special was that it did not carry that incredibly dry and tart taste you may find in traditional Chardonnay wines. It carried stone fruit and baked apple notes with a rounded mouthfeel that cut right through the richness of the dim sum starters.
From there, the table moved to the Corrections Red Release featuring Booker’s artwork. This pour leaned medium to light-bodied, opening with bright acidity, juicy stone fruit, and ripe cherry backed by gentle baking spices. The subtle tannins made it a natural partner for the heavier, savory braised dishes. To close out the flight, Ricard poured The Prisoner GRAIL Red Blend. This rare and highly coveted bottle delivered classic dark fruit, cocoa, and toasted oak, leaving a silky finish that rounded out the tasting.
The combination of Booker’s candid conversation about his incarceration and artwork inspiration, the Prisoner wine pours, and the steady parade of steamed and roasted plates from the kitchen made the dinner one worthy of remembering. It proved once again that wine experiences can be experimental and fun. All you need for a night are genuine stories, delicious wine, and a table of people who have a natural curiosity for each other’s lives.
