“Don’t stop eating,” joked Nicolo Maltini, the U.S. Ambassador for Antinori, as we were leaning full bore into an excess of food, wine and family on a regular basis, without trying too hard—the kind you find in Tuscany, Italian households through the city and its suburbs, or Olive Garden.

Quite frankly, we'd like to know how the prestigious winery—now in its twenty-sixth generation, tracing back to 1385—has escaped alcoholism/obesity and the dysfunction that we assume would accompany it.

“Italian culture is to have wine with our food at our home,” explained Allegra Antinori, who deals primarily with the hospitality side of the family business. Through the pop up Cantinetta Antinori at the Mondrian Soho Hotel, “guests can understand better our lifestyle"—which is to say a real booze buffet.

What you’d expect for $160 per head.

A likely crowd of guests from the wine world indulged in Tignanello 2001 (Antinori is famous for its red wines), including Michael Yurch, President of Sherry-Lehman. Mr Yurch explained how his job went beyond supplying wines to the palates of New York, like the time he provided a live goat to a Sheikh after successfully sourcing a rare bottle of Chateau Margaux for him.

Wine wills the weirdest things.

It was therefore somewhat grounding when Allegra’s sister, Alessia Antinori, spoke about the “family culture and philosophy” related to this great produce and to Cantinetta Antinori, “a little restaurant where people came to sample products from the countryside,” that originated, and still exists, in Florence.

It has expanded since then though with concessions in Vienna, Zurich and Moscow. The pop up event is the first time it touches down on American soil.

The first time, also, for Chef Lorenzo di Martino. “This is the possibility to breathe Antinori,” he explained, “everything we cook has a meaning—represents a moment in history.”

With the help of  Kim Wiss, from the Antica Estate in Napa Valley, the pair hope that, for the price tag, guests will experience Italian history in the form of “really simple, fresh, original recipes” that represent authentic Tuscan food, and some of the finest Italian wines, amongst mini olive trees and candle light.

Teetotals and dieters need not apply.

It looks like a really excellent book because the author describes an experience very much like our own: of knowing Winehouse only from afar, of never having met her in person and of learning everything we know about her through television and celebrity gossip web sites. Or at least that's what we can glean from reading this excerpt of the introduction on somebody's blog:

Like many Americans, my first glimpse of Amy Winehouse was her 2007 appearance on Late Show With David Letterman. Of course, I had heard the song “Rehab” with its catchy chorus sung to a blues jazz tune, and a drum beat as modern as her pierced lip. I was familiar enough with the song that I often caught myself singing it, or tapping my feet to the music which played in my head. I was a fan of Amy Winehouse’s work without knowing anything about her, which is why I was thrilled to hear she would be performing on the show.

Before seeing her on Late Show With David Letterman, I had no preconceived notions about what Amy Winehouse looked like, dressed like, or how she behaved. I only knew two things about her—First, that she had an amazing voice, and second, that she was black.

It also looks like it might be part of a direct marketing scheme? We look forward to earning our "generous commission for promoting this book."

Breivick.

Two things tend to be givens in the modern-day 24-hour news cycle: One, that something sad and tragic will invariably happen; and two, that when something sad and tragic happens, someone with a large social media following will not hesitate to immediately crack an inappropriate joke about it. (Too soon? Never on Twitter!)

When Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s accuser, Sofitel maid Nafissatou Diallo, revealed her identity for the first time in Newsweek’s cover story, Esquire—ever the gentleman—took the opportunity to use the alleged rape as a jumping-off point for a service-y web post about oral sex. “As we’ve learned over the years ... a blow job need not be degrading or hurtful, for either party,” the magazine wrote in the article, which has since been deleted but which was teased on Twitter as “How to get a better blowjob than #DSK.”

Of course, that tactlessness pales in comparison to Glenn Beck’s reaction to the massacre in Norway last Friday, in which anti-Muslim right wing nationalist Anders Breivik set off a large bomb in Oslo and then went on a shooting spree at a Labor Party youth summer camp on a nearby island, killing in total at least 76 people (at last count). One would think that the guilty party in this scenario was obvious. And yet Mr. Beck, who regrettably still has time to pontificate on the radio between penning bestselling children’s books about itchy Christmas gifts, took to the airwaves Monday to compare the camp victims to Hitler youth. “I mean, who does a camp for kids that’s all about politics?” Mr. Beck asked. “Disturbing.” In related news, the Tampa Liberty School, a weeklong Tea Party day camp modeled after Mr. Beck’s very own 9/12 Project, recently finished its inaugural session.

Yet even more tragic than small children in Florida using hard candies to learn about the gold standard was the untimely death of Amy Winehouse at age 27, presumably from drug and alcohol abuse. Some fans cried; some—in a well-meaning but probably inappropriate vigil—left bottles of vodka and beer bearing hand-written messages outside of Ms. Winehouse’s north London home. Missouri congressman Bill Long, on the other hand, chose to use the singer’s death as a plea to resolve debt ceiling talks. “No one could reach #AmyWinehouse before it was too late. Can anyone reach Washington before it’s too late? Both addicted—same fate???” he tweeted on Monday, prompting international vitriol. (Esquire couldn’t resist an opportunity here, either. On Monday it published an appreciation of Ms. Winehouse’s ex, Blake Fielder-Civil, and his remarkable ability to remain stylish in the face of tragedy.)

Speaker John Boehner neglected to comment on the capitol’s sobriety, but did seem to drown his own sorrows in platitudes over the weekend, announcing to whoever would listen that President Barack Obama “wants a blank check” and “moved the goalpost.”

And speaking of goalposts, the NFL lockout is over, which means that football is back! Not that it ever really left, because we’re in the off-season. But still! It’s kind of like Bill Keller at The Times—even though he keeps on quitting, he never goes anywhere. Just four months after debuting as Hugo Lindgren’s controversial magazine columnist, Mr. Keller has announced that he will leapfrog over to the op-ed page in September, around the time that he cedes his executive editor desk to Jill Abramson. The difference between his old gig and his new one, presumably, will be that the op-ed rate of correction is somewhat more forgiving (Mr. Keller is currently averaging just over 41 percent, which WWD helpfully points out is about eight times worse than Jayson Blair).

Of course, even when good news seeps across the transom—just as raw sewage has been inconspicuously seeping out into the Hudson—someone tries to ruin it for everybody else. Case in point: one day after New York’s first legal gay marriages were performed at City Hall, a conservative group filed a suit against the New York state legislature, alleging that standard voting procedures were broken in order to pass the Marriage Equality Act. It’s unlikely to make an impact, but it’s distracting and destructive, serving as yet another reminder that sometimes, despite what the M.T.A. tells us, when we see something, we probably shouldn’t say anything at all.

Amy Winehouse. (Getty Images)

Over the weekend, the world learned of troubled chanteuse Amy Winehouse’s death—and a portion thereof took to Twitter to mediate a confusing set of feelings. Many Twitter users scolded one another for caring quite so much about Winehouse’s death in light of the recent tragic attack in Norway.

Ms. Winehouse was, said Maura Johnston, music editor of the Village Voice, “one of the first stars to experience the entirety of the gossip blog cycle. She was always in the papers for being this outsized persona who behaved erratically and referred to trauma in her music”—and thus a logical celebrity whose demise might be debated in strident, critical tones. “It’s easy to take a celebrity as someone who’s not a person but a consumable object—not post-human but almost abstracted in a way. That also happens when people who may only know each other from online interactions interact online!” Hence the Twitter ranting at one another only tangential to Winehouse’s death.

Past premature celebrity deaths hadn’t engendered quite the response as did Winehouse’s—thanks in large part, Ms. Johnston believes, due to the rise of Twitter as an easy method of posting instant thoughts. “The content of what people were saying,” in the past, said the editor, “was probably very similar, but the amplification—and the resultant shitstorms of someone saying ‘But how can you be sad about that after the tragedy in Norway’ was probably far less.”

Even though the death of Amy Winehouse occurred on a Saturday, the portable, smartphone-able Internet takes no days off. Said Ms. Johnston: “The reactions online to Amy Winehouse were almost as fast as the reactions to Murdoch!”

ddaddario@observer.com :: @DPD_

Gedalio Grinberg, chairman of the Movado Group (where he had worked since the '60s), died on Sunday in Manhattan at age 77. [WWD]

Women who have scored invitations to the inaugural balls have started "registering" their dresses on special websites to make sure no one else will be wearing their gown. [NY Daily News] 

Designer John Galliano has been appointed a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, previously bestowed upon Yves Saint Laurent and Azzedine Alaia. [WWD] 

Some obvious fashion casualties of the recession: young designers, celebrity lines, very expensive designer labels with limited distribution, and $20,000 handbags. [WWD] 

Alex Rodriguez split his Thanksgiving day between wife Cynthia's house in Miami (where his children live) and Madonna's house on nearby Star Island. Bonus: at some point, the pair met up with billionaire Jeff Soffer and Gwyneth Paltrow, who seems to have decided against spending the holiday with husband Chris Martin. [NYDN]

Amy Winehouse has started meeting with divorce lawyers to talk about officially ending her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil. [The Sun]

Sort of average girl Sam Durrani—an "actress and US Army reservist who claims to be descended from Afghan royalty"—claims she refused to invite Colin Farrell into her apartment after they split a cab home from Greenhouse, though the actor's rep says "[Farrell] does not know Sam Durrani and does not remember ever meeting her." [P6]

Amy Winehouse is back in the hospital after a bad reaction to medication. [Us Weekly]

Ann Coulter broke her jaw and had to have it wired shut. Really. [Page Six] 

Boy George is standing trial for false imprisonment after a male escort accused him of handcuffing him to a wall and beating him with a metal chain. [People]

Guy Ritchie may not have gone after ex-wife Maddona's $450 million in court, but he'll probably end up with at least $15,000 per month from her in child support if he is awarded joint custody of sons David and Rocco. [Full Disclosure] 

A memoir by former call girl Natalie McLennan includes claims of relationships with celebrities like Fred Durst and Lenny Kravitz, along with graphic details regarding the behavior of a then 19-year-old Ashley Dupre. [R&M]

Meanwhile, Eliot Spitzer is considering writing a book of his own, though it promises to be far less interesting. [NY Mag] 

State Liquor Authority head Daniel Boyle claims he was "intimidated" by the govenor's office into renewing liquor licenses for Cipriani-owned restaurants, including the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, Harry Cipriani at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel and Cipriani Wall Street. [NYP via Eater]

Michael Jackson has settled the lawsuit brought against him by a Bahraini sheik who claimed he had invested $7 million in an album Mr. Jackson never completed. [TMZ] 

Heatherette designer Richie Rich (real name: Richard Eichhorn) successfully sued former parent company the Weisfeld Group over his right to continue to use his adopted name as a designer. [Page Six Magazine, second item]

Ashley Dupre now travels with three bodyguards (does Eliot Spitzer even still have a security detail?). [R&M] 

Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who co-stars with Leonardo DiCaprio in the upcoming Body of Lies, may be barred from re-entering Iran because of her participation in the film. [R&M] 

One piece of good news on the Amy Winehouse front: She is not on an official suicide watch. [People]

Clint Eastwood horrified the crowd at the New Yorker Festival by implying that he thought Sarah Palin beat Joe Biden in last week's Vice Presidential debate. [P6]  

In a recent interview, Nicole Kidman told Elle that her love for current husband Keith Urban is "more deep and profound" than what she felt for Tom Cruise, adding: " I know he has the same thing with Katie [Holmes]. You move into a stage where you're able to be a more fuller person in your relationship...Really, for our kids -- they were amidst a lot of love. It wasn't bad. And now we're amidst a more evolved love." Meanwhile, Ms. Kidman's former Dogville costar, Lauren Bacall said "Tom Cruise is a maniac. I can't understand the way he conducts his life." [US Weekly] 

David Duchovny has completed his two month stay in rehab for sex addiction. [US Weekly] 

Like many of us, Charlize Theron does not understand the popularity of The Hills. "Why is it so big?" she asked a reporter. "It's about nothing!" [US Weekly]

Natalie Portman and musician Devendra Banhart have broken up. [People]

Richard Meier's 28-year-old son, Joseph, is claiming that the architect--who is "known for having an appreciative eye for beautiful women"--forced him into Mount Sinai Psychiatric Hospital when he discovered his famous father was gay. [P6]

Guest of a Guest has posted a map of the New York nightspots "where the coolest people are hanging out." [Guest of a Guest]

Amy Winehouse's husband Blake Fielder-Civil has rejected the opportunity to get out of jail early because he would have to go straight to rehab. [The Sun]