Ava & Sophie Trilling: Rude Mouth
In 2020, Brooklyn-based sisters Sophie and Ava Trilling founded their new project, Rude Mouth; a digital page focused on decluttering the world of natural wine, offering “unstuffy and unpretentious” guidance towards the most delicious and often times environmentally-friendly wine on the market. The @rudemouthbk Instagram page explores vintners from across the globe, giving glimpse into winemaking techniques and processes, graciously highlighting bottles for specific occasions and pointing us towards their distributors in the Tri-State area! --- Introduction by Charly Araton
What are your full names, ages, and where are you from?
Sophie Trilling 28, Ava Trilling 23 (really tough age), Montclair, NJ (but also Manhattan)
What was growing up like for you and did wine have a large presence in your family dynamic?
We grew up in a tight knit family. Although both of our parents own their own companies and worked all the time, it was important for them that at the end of every day we sat down together for dinner, away from any distractions, and enjoyed a meal together. Before we could drink, our parents always had a glass of wine to accompany their dinner. Our dad would come back from a long day on set and he’d go right to the wine cooler, take out whatever wine went with the meal we were eating, pour a glass for himself and my mom and say “Ohhhh yeah, that’s the stuff”. It made it so appealing, and was probably our first glimpse into being interested in wine. When we think about it, Rude Mouth’s vision is really based on community and closeness within our little following. Those roots seem to be built from the intimate moments we experienced with our family and the memories we had watching our parents enjoy a beautiful glass of wine.
Tell us a bit about your venture. What are your roles and how did you get into this industry?
Rude Mouth is a project that centers around making info on natural wine available to all kinds of people in an environment that excludes prejudice, judgment, and stuffiness – our focus is about allowing everyone to feel comfortable learning new things about wine (specifically natural/organic/biodynamic). We both focus on researching, highlighting, and creating content around natural wine while putting a digestible spin on the facts of each bottle’s production and where to find it. Wine is so often an exclusive commodity; it can be extremely expensive and the majority of wine communities lack diversity. After one too many times being scoffed at at wine bars for asking simple questions, not being able to understand descriptions or jargon, and feeling like we needed an “in” to the wine world, we decided to create Rude Mouth so that everyone could enjoy natural wine with us and reap the benefits of a judge free space.
How has the pandemic affected you?
Rude Mouth was originally supposed to be a pop up venture. We wanted to put on a pop-up every couple of months that allowed people to enjoy natural wine at a fraction of the price it usually costs, and create a space where anyone and everyone could hang out, ask questions, and be more open to learning about wine. Obviously, that couldn’t happen when the pandemic struck. So we pivoted to a digital platform. We are hoping by this summer we may be able to go back to our original idea (crossing fingers).
What do you think working in this industry during this time has taught you?
It’s taught me (Ava) an amalgamation of things. First, it’s emphasized the city’s and government's utter lack of empathy and respect for small businesses and workers within the food & beverage industry. It’s forced small business owners to choose between protecting their employees and keeping their business afloat, as well as workers to choose between their health and being able to pay the bills. Most importantly, it has–personally–emphasized the deeply rooted social issues within the industry and my position in regards to that. Although I was aware of these issues before the pandemic, I’ve now come to be immensely critical of the industry, and it’s something I more continuously see flaws in. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’m coming to these realizations and altering the lens in which I view the wine industry (particularly low-intervention wine) during this pandemic where I am more directly exposed (and sadly late) to these vital and age-old conversations.
What's your fave wine to drink right now?
Recently Sophie had “Tutti Frutti de’Stehpane 2018” by Les Vins Pirouettes (a project by one of our fav producers, Christian Binner) and was mind blown.
Oh man I could drink Domaine Rouge Queues’ 2017 Rouge “Vigne Blanche” forever and ever and ever (or anything by them tbh). Biodynamic wine-making couple making the most delicious Burgundy imaginable. - Ava
Once it is completely safe to eat out again and socialize, where is the first place you're going out to eat at and what are you ordering?
Four Horsemen. That place is outstanding time and time again and the wine list is unbelievable. You never know what’s going to come out of the depths of their cellar or what additions have been added to the wine list. It’s the first place Sophie experienced natural wine and we’ll continue to go get amazing food & drink there till the end of time. Their menu changes often, but whenever we go we always get whatever is raw, a fresh salad, and hopefully their pork schnitzel (drool) - plus whatever they recommend we drink. Trust in them full heartedly.
Anything exciting coming up for you?
Lots of stuff! We’ve got interviews with some of the distributors we love and our go-to wine shops coming up, as well as a wine club... perhaps??? Merch… the whole shabang. Also in the works are some fundraisers with a few amazing organizations/mutual aids that are local to the BK/NY community that we are so excited for. All of that and more happening soon!
