Wine has always been a part of Nikita Malhotra’s life. Born in New York to immigrant parents, Malhotra’s family had a rather unique relationship with alcohol. Her great-grandfather was a scotch importer with the British Raj in India, which led her family to embrace the convivial nature of eating and drinking early on. “My family was always very open—even my great-grandmother would ask for a nip of whisky whenever she was sick,” she laughed. 

Malhotra’s father, who had a construction company in India—along with a bio-physics degree—sold his company and moved to Cleveland for a lab job, though his dreams of owning something in America held firm. “The opportunity to purchase an existing business in New York presented itself, so he grabbed at the chance,” she said, and he ended up opening a wine and spirits store on New York’s Upper East Side. Using his base knowledge of spirits, Malhotra’s father eventually became a self-taught wine connoisseur, taking every opportunity possible to taste and learn—which eventually trickled down to Malhotra herself.

“By the time I was in my teens, my parents were pouring me glasses of wine and teaching me very basic things; wine had become such a big part of their lives,” she recalled, adding that a bottle was always present on her family’s dinner table. She studied philosophy, but then pivoted to the hospitality industry. After completing wine courses and various gigs, Malhotra eventually became a sommelier at Tribeca Grill, followed by a stint as wine director at Momofuku Ko. However, she craved the opportunity to expand her knowledge. “​​I wanted to go back to being a student,” she said. “I love being a mentor, but I think to be a good mentor, you have to acknowledge that there's also more to learn.” 

Enter Pressoir, the wine experience-focused company behind La Paulée, La Tablée, and La Fête du Champagne. Malhotra joined the Pressoir team as head sommelier in 2023 and never looked back. Here, she’s been able to greatly expand her knowledge of—and taste thousands of bottles from—Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhône Valley. Eventually, the hospitality bug pulled her back in. In conjunction with her role at Pressoir, Malhotra opened Smithereens, a New England-inspired, seafood-focused restaurant in the East Village, with her business partner, Nick Tamburo. At Smithereens, Malhotra keeps her list tight, but purposefully so. “I always knew it would be a small wine program because of the space constraints, but that was exciting for me,” she said, describing the restaurant’s list as her personal playground. 

In addition to the regular list, Malhotra incorporates a rotating theme, which changes every three to four months. Past themes have focused solely on Grenache, Champagne, and other specific regions/varieties. The end goal is to simply open her guests’ minds to new things. “I want to have a wine program that maybe in some ways gets people to think and engage,” she said. “That’s what’s leading the vision at Smithereens.” 

Below are few of Malhotra’s current favorites (edited for clarity and concision):

Champagne Etienne Calsac 2021 Avize Grand Cru ‘Clos des Maladries' 

I've enjoyed watching Etienne Calsac grow and progress through the years, and I have had the pleasure of visiting him and hanging out with him and his wife in Los Angeles (I have a great video of [them] singing and dancing). We have the 'Clos des Maladries' Grand Cru Avize 2021 on our list. The label features the illustration of a doctor during the Plague, a reference to the name of the vineyards. ‘Maladries’ is a term that comes from the Middle Ages, and the fruit here comes from vines that Etienne's grandfather planted in the ‘70s.

Lukas Hammelmann 2023 Pfalz 'Z' Zeikam Aus der Dorfen Chardonnay 

Lukas Hammelmann captured my staff's attention when he came in to dine last year, and his Chardonnays have me believing the many promises people have been claiming about German expressions of the grape. At Smithereens, we can't help but champion German wine. I'm glad to report it is not just me that is aligned on this, as the whole staff fully supports our German producers! We have Hammelmann's Chardonnay 'Z' 2023, a the village-level bottling (the ‘Z’ stands for Lukas’ hometown village of Zeiksam on loess and sandstone soils). This bottling is delicious. As with most German wine, be it Riesling, Syvaner, or even Chardonnay, there is a sense of energy that is expected, and this delivers. 

Domaine Mie Ikeno 2022 Yamanashi ‘Moonlight Harvest’ Chardonnay 

Mie Ikeno is considered one of the great winemakers in Japan, so of course I am excited to have any of her wines on the list. However, I am especially excited to have the 'Moonlight Harvest' Chardonnay 2022. As the name implies, the team harvests at night for this bottling. Most of us get into wine because it provides us the opportunity to be life-long students, and I certainly get that chance with wine from Japan, and her story of giving up her journalism career to go learn how to make wine in France reinforces the idea that we are constantly learning in the wine world.

Perkins-Harter 2024 Eola-Amity Hills Bracken Vineyard Pinot Meunier 

Shelby is a force, and her wines communicate a bit of that personality. I always love sharing her bottles with guests, and her Pinot Meunier offers such a great way to discuss the cool climate in Bracken Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. The wine is vivacious, balanced, and fun—and for a seafood restaurant, it is the type of red wine that meets any challenge a dish may present.

Quinta dos Pesos 1994 Carcavelos Vinho Generoso Fortified Wine (500ml)

We like to feature a couple of fortified wines at Smithereens, as an ode to how New Englanders drank many years ago in taverns [with] secret toasts against the British. The wines of Quinta dos Pesos present us with the almost lost wines of Carcavelos, Portugal’s smallest appellation, located just west of Lisbon. With the passing of Manoel de Boullosa in 2005, operations ceased and there is almost no production left in this region. We usually have a couple of vintages to pour, and at present we have the 1994.