WHOLE-CLUSTER FERMENTATION & CARBONIC MACERATION
Here are Erik’s study notes for a masterclass he gave on Carbonic Maceration and Whole Cluster Fermentation in wine. Dive into the science of glycolytic enzymes, catabolism of malic acid, and esterification of ethanol.
Here are my (Erik) study notes on Whole Cluster Fermentation and Carbonic Maceration.
WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION
The stems consist of a rachis (the main stem), pedicels (connecting the berry to the rachis), and a peduncle (connecting the rachis to the vine). The stems remain green and photosynthetic until late in the season when lignan is deposited between cellulose walls, turning the stems brown and more brittle. Stems account for 3-7% of total bunch weight.
Process:
- Historically, all wines were either direct pressed or fermented with the stems
- Earliest technologies to destem were either by hand or using screens like the Chilean zaranda method
- Destemming now is mostly done by machines.
- Machine harvesters only harvest grapes, not stems
- Destemming a small number of grapes into the tank first can prevent the development of volatile acidity and brettanomyces because alcoholic fermentation kicks off quicker
- Stem inclusion has both a chemical and a physical impact on fermentation
- Fermentation continues after pressing thanks to juice stuck inside intact berries
Factors:
- Different flavours are extracted in an alcoholic solution (i.e. more is extracted post-fermentation)
- Many producers are now advocating for the tasting of stems – sweet and tender should be used, bitter and fibrous shouldn’t
- Temperature greatly affects flavour extraction – pre-fermentation cold-soak vs post-fermentation maceration
Outcomes:
- Stems can add freshness in a hot vintage and softness in a cold one
- Some winemakers claim stems can give a false sense of complexity and terroir
- Ferments are generally cooler; this extends fermentation which may be a factor in complexity but can also make the wine susceptible to spoilage.
- Wines pressed off whole cluster ferments tend to be cleaner thanks to the filtering effect of the stems – this means fewer rackings are required, and yields are higher at lower levels of pressure
- Whole cluster ferments are harder to punch down, which means less extraction
- Stems absorb colour
- Potassium in the stems combines with tartaric acid to precipitate out, lowering the overall acidity of the wine
- Stems in organic vineyards tend to have less potassium thanks to their fertilizer and compost regimes
- Stressed fermentations tend to create more glycerol which improves mouth feel; the slow introduction of sugar by berries popping during cap management helps extend fermentation
- Flavours can be cited as earthy, mulchy, herbal, cinnamon, tea
- Mould on stems (powdery mildew or botrytis) seems to be even more noticeable
- Stems have tannin, which can contribute to volume
carbonic maceration
Carbonic Maceration refers to a process in which intracellular fermentation occurs in intact grapes where malic acid is converted to ethanol via glycolytic enzymes. Invented by Michael Flanzy in 1934, it is now a popular technique used around the globe.
Process:
- Traditionally, whole clusters of grapes are used, although there is some argument for gentle modern destemmers keeping berries intact enough to carry our carbonic maceration
- The clusters are added to a tank which is then filled with CO2
- Environment needs to be less than 5% oxygen and over 50% CO2
- Typical air is 21% oxygen and less than 1% CO2
- CO2 can be created naturally by crushing some of the berries and allowing for alcoholic fermentation or adding fermenting juice to the bottom of the vat
- Typically, CO2 is pumped in from a compressed gas tank
- In this environment the living grapes transition from respiratory to fermentative anaerobic metabolism
- It is theorized that grapes developed this ability to stay alive in harsh conditions, making them more appealing to potential seed distributors
- The enzyme Malic Acid Dehydrogenase makes ethanol, succinic acid, and aminobutyric acid
- Catabolism of Malic Acid into ethanol without the production of lactic acid
- Malic acid is converted to pyruvate
- Pyruvate is decarboxylated to acetaldehyde
- Acetaldehyde is reduced to ethanol
- Temperatures of ~30º are recommended for a speedy fermentation
- This process can take from 2-10 days depending on a wide variety of factors (temperature, variety, acidity, etc)
- Once the grape reaches 0.5-2% ABV, the cell membrane is disrupted, causing death
- Grapes will eventually need to be crushed to undergo yeast fermentation
- This pressed juice tends to be particularly susceptible to bacterial spoilage because acids have dropped, and saccharomyces populations are still low
- Typically only takes 2-7 days
- If possible, malolactic conversion should be delayed until after alcoholic fermentation
Outcomes:
- A small amount of alcohol is created (0.5-2%)
- Malic acid is reduced by 15-75%, which equates to a pH increase of up to 0.6 units
- Dry extract, fixed acidity, and residual sugars are lower in Carbonically Macerated wines
- Phenolic compounds can be higher or lower depending on maceration times
- Polyphenol and Polysaccharide ageing is similar between traditional AF and CM
- Aromatics and polyphenols (anthocyanins, etc) are diffused from the skin into the pulp
- There’s an argument for amplified varietal characteristics in certain cultivars
- C6 Aldehydes responsible for herbaceous qualities are greatly reduced by CM
- Creates Isoamyl Acetate: bubble gum, banana, pear, shoe polish
- Volatile Acidity and Brettanomyces are hard to prevent
o Oxygen between the stems
o Struggling ferments due to low sugar availability making room for spoilage organisms
- Greater production of glycerol which improves mouthfeel
- Amino acids are liberated from grape solids which form flavour precursors
o Cinnamate: strawberry/raspberry via the esterification of ethanol
o Benzaldehyde: cherry/kirsch
o Vinylbenzene: plastic
Anecdotes
- Dujac claims stem use increases complexity and makes tannins silkier
- Eric Texier has seen that the conversion factor is lower for whole cluster fermentation, which means lower alcohol levels controlling for sugar
- Jules Chauvet believes the initially dominant aromatics will subside quickly, revealing more regional differences between wines
- Claus Preisinger doesn’t destem in hot vintages because the stems are dried out and brittle, causing them to shatter which actually increases the surface area, making wines more stemmy when destemmed
- Alex Craighead finds that oftentimes, more is less, meaning higher stem inclusion percentages can seem more cohesive
- Franz Weninger finds the risk of VA really high but will still use 10-20% for Blaufrankisch. Any higher and he finds the wines too Glou Glou
NOVEMBER 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our November wine selections, featuring Thibaud Capellaro’s Zero, Domaine Breton’s Trinch, and Louis-Antoine Luyt’s Pipeño.
WINE ONE: PIERRE & CATHERINE BRETON TRINCH!
About: This cuvée is made entirely from Cabernet Franc. These twenty-year-old vines are located in the commune Bourgueil on gravelly clay and limestone. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on skins for 18 days in large wooden tanks. After élevage in the same tanks, the wine is bottled with minimal SO2.
Taste: This wine is medium ruby in the glass with purple inflections. The nose is immediately familiar, the absolute archetype of both the region and variety. You’ll find aromas of black raspberry, currant leaf, gunpowder, violets, graphite, fir, black cherry, and anaheim peppers. The palate is perfectly balanced with saturated fruit flavours, a deceivingly silky texture, fine-grained tannins, and a long finish; You’ll find further flavours of blackberry, oolong tea, tarragon, cola nut, and dried roses.
Pairing: This is a bistro wine. It deserves to be on the table, especially at lunchtime. The ideal pairings include steak frites with some herby compound butter or boeuf bourguignon with those delicious little egg noodles. Sure, you can deviate from tradition, but why bother when these classics work so well?
WINE TWO: THIBAUD CAPELLARO ZE-RO
About: This wine is made from Syrah (70%) and Viognier (30%), grown in the Northern Rhone near Chavanay, just south of Condrieu. Soils here are a combination of granite and clay-limestone. Most of the grapes were whole-cluster co-fermented for a week, but a small amount of Viognier was direct pressed. Élevage took place in large format neutral oak and sandstone amphora. No SO2 was added at bottling.
Taste: This wine is an electric ruby in the glass. The nose is immediately joyous and spunky, full of youthful energy and anarchy. You’ll find aromas of strawberry, sage, flint, damson, dried rose, pink peppercorns, and nutmeg. The palate is fresh with tangy acidity, delicate tannins, light but well-rounded body, and a sustained finish. It makes me want to get up and dance! You’ll find further flavours of schizandra, lavender, candied cranberry, tonka bean, aleppo peppers, angelica, red plum, and rosemary.
Pairing: Crique Ardéchoise is a local dish you’ll definitely want to indulge in. It’s essentially two eggy, garlicky fried potato pancakes stuffed and topped with Picodon cheese. It is diabolically rich and hearty, so a crunchy light red wine like this is the ideal pairing.
WINE THREE: LOUIS-ANTOINE LUYT PIPEÑO
About: The País for this project comes from 200+-year-old vines planted in Maule. The iron-rich clays are punctuated by quartz and granite. The grapes are hand destemmed using the traditional zaranda method. The wine ferments in open-top lagares for two weeks before being pressed into traditional pipas for a brief élevage. The wine is then settled in tank before bottling - sometimes with minor filtration and a pinch of SO2.
Taste: This wine is light ruby in the glass with orange inflections. The nose is precocious and wild with aromas of prickly pear, rooibos, blood orange, honeybush, geranium, gochugaru, watermelon, and volcanic rocks. The palate is zingy and chaotic with prickly acidity and modest rocky tannins. It carries its alcohol fiendishly well, achieving near weightlessness. You’ll find further flavours of sour cherry, balsam, caraway, red apple, anko, tamarind, and nori. My head is spinning!
Pairing: I admit to liking pineapple on pizza. I don’t know why it works for me, but it does. Get yourself a Hawaiian pizza and a bunch of friends and crush this 1L bottle of wacky wine while arguing the merits of non-tomato fruits in savoury dishes.
OCTOBER 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our October featured premium wines: Testalonga’s I Am The Ninja, Christophe Mignon’s ADN de Meunier Champagne, and Kindeli’s Luna Llena.
WINE ONE: TESTALONGA I AM THE NINJA
About: This wine is made from Craig’s oldest Chenin Blanc vines. Planted in 1961, this little vineyard lies on decomposed sandstone next to a small river in a secluded valley. It is part of the Piketberg foothills near Redelinghuys, making it a really interesting mesoclimate. Thanks to the delicacy of fruit and lower pH, Craig opted to make this wine sparkling. It ferments at cool temperatures (8ºC) with constant racking to remove heavy sediment. The wine is bottled while still fermenting (35g/l r/s), resulting in vigorous carbonation. The wine was hand disgorged and topped with the same wine after ten months on lees. No SO2 was added at any point. Eight hundred twenty-five cases were produced. 6.5 TA, 3.19 pH, tSO2 20ppm
Taste: This wine is bubbly silver in the glass. The nose is immediately charming with aromas of yellow apple, candied lemon peel, steel, honeysuckle, river stones, guava, and pancakes the second they touch the cast iron – a hint of butter, batter, and char. It’s playful and complex all at once. The palate is dry with tangy acidity, surprising intensity, and near weightlessness – it goes down as easy as an Old Style Pilsner. You’ll find additional flavours of daffodil, clean wool, pine nut, alpine honey, gooseberry, yellow plum, and white currant. This wine is on heavy rotation at my house.
Pairing: If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: sparkling wine and fried chicken are friends. I’m not talking about that Nashville heat or saucy Korean vibes, just simple battered and fried chicken. The salt and fat need acidity to cut through, and the carbonation leaves your palate refreshed, making every bite taste as intense as your first.
WINE TWO: CHRISTOPHE MIGNON ADN DE MEUNIER
About: This cuvée is made exclusively from Pinot Meunier, grown in the towns of Festigny and Le Breuil. The 45-year-old vines sit in the Marne’s typical silty clay-limestone soils. After a gentle pressing, the juice is fermented in stainless steel. The low pH and cool temperatures help prevent malolactic conversion. After five months on lees, the plots are blended and bottled with some reserve wine that has spent a year on fine lees. After at least 36 months on lees, the wine is disgorged according to the lunar calendar. This year contains equal parts 2017 and 2018.
Taste: This wine is frothy pale gold in the glass. The nose is immediately captivating in its tranquillity, like staring into a piece by Agnes Martin or listening to Juliana Barwick with your eyes closed. I can’t help but feel the first snowfall – hesitancy, nervousness, and electricity. You’ll find aromas of quince, early-season nectarine, apple blossom, oyster shells, quinine, juniper, angelica, porcini, clean linen, and lemon juice. The palate is direct and focused – almost stinging with fizz and acid. It is chiselled and angular. It is light in body but with persistent flavours that make for a deceivingly long finish. You’ll find further flavours of white tea, spearmint, gunpowder, asian pear, starfruit, and button mushroom.
Pairing: Has anyone told you it’s soup season yet? Soup is notoriously impossible to pair with wine, but there is a sneaky exception: creamy soups and champagne. Whether you’re going for cauliflower, cream of mushroom, potato and leek, or trying to recreate the lettuce velouté from Beast in Portland that still haunts my dreams a decade later, this wine is your friend.
WINE THREE: KINDELI LUNA LLENA
About: This brand new cuvée from Alex is made from a field blend of Syrah (50%), Malbec (30%), Merlot (10%), and Pinot Noir (10%). The grapes were mostly destemmed for fermentation in amphora. The wine is then pressed off for élevage in amphora. As with the rest of their cuvées, this wine is bottled without fining, filtration, or SO2.
Taste: This wine is medium purple in the glass. The nose is immediately reductive, so we suggest a strong decant (you can also add a penny to your glass for a second or two – the copper will combine with the volatile sulphur compounds created by the yeast during fermentation, making for a fruitier, more pristine wine). It is unruly with aromas of black sesame, black garlic, boysenberry, mulberry, clove, cola nut, geranium, beet, gunpowder, pu-erh, and kombu. The palate is bright and juicy, showing none of the reduction of the nose. It's got refreshing acidity, fine-grained tannins, and Syrah’s signature savoury finish. You’ll find additional flavours of rosemary, black pepper, black currant, raspberry leaf, tea tree, black mustard seeds, and black trumpet mushroom. Not for the faint of heart!
Pairing: There’s something about the fruit profile in this wine that makes me dream of game. Elk sausage, bison burgers, and wild boar bacon are all ideal for this dark-fruited wine. Don’t be afraid of going heavy on the umami; soy sauce, garum, hozon, tamari, and other fermented flavours will negate some of this wine’s funk.
OCTOBER 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for the our October wine selections, featuring Laurent Saillard’s Ça Se Discute, Domaine de la Garreliere’s Cendrillon, and Craven’s Pinot Gris.
WINE ONE: DOMAINE DE LA GARRELIERE CENDRILLON
About: This wine comes from older Sauvignon Blanc vines, averaging between forty and fifty years old. The vines are planted in aeolian sand over silex. They invigorate the soils by burning the pruned canes, mixing their ashes with water, and spraying it on the vineyard. The grapes are lightly pressed into tank to settle. It is racked once before fermentation starts. 1/3 is aged in neutral 500L barrel before assemblage, light filtration, and bottling.
Taste: This wine is pale gold-green in the glass. The nose is uplifting with aromas of lime leaf, green apple skin, gooseberry, hops, nettle, fennel seed, star fruit, and cucumber. It almost tricks me into thinking I’m doing something healthy, like eating a fresh salad from my garden or treating myself to a vegetable-based facial – it’s crisp and cool and revitalizing. The palate is surprisingly full with maximum flavour intensity and an oily texture beautifully balanced by fresh acidity. It morphs into something riper with flavours of mango, galangal, ginseng, papaya, jackfruit, and flower stems on the long finish.
Pairing: I can’t help myself when it comes to Loire valley Sauvignon Blanc; I just want goat cheese. Valençay, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, Selles-Sur-Cher, or Crottin de Chavignol are all on heavy rotation in my kitchen. Something about the tangy, grassy quality of these cheeses tames the herbal elements in Sauvignon Blanc.
WINE TWO: LAURENT SAILLARD ÇA SE DISCUTE
About: The grapes for this new cuvée are grown by Julien Moreau of Domaine de Cambalu. His vineyards are located next to Le Cher, a tributary of the Loire just east of Tours, on clay-limestone. This cuvée is made from Pineau d'Aunis and Pineau d'Aunis Teinturier fermented whole-cluster for five days. After a five-month élevage in flex-tank, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with 10ppm of SO2.
Taste: This wine is vivid medium ruby, with glass-staining saturation. The nose is precocious and mischievous with aromas of fresh violets, black peppercorns, pomegranate juice, blood orange, cranberry jam, balsam, and sage. I’m immediately transported to all my favourite natural wine bars in France, guzzling litre after litre on the stoop, surrounded by cheerful scarfed drinkers in berets smoking cigarettes. The palate is electric and imminently drinkable with soft tannins, electric acidity, and a weightless gauze-like texture. It lets the sun shine through. You’ll find additional flavours of red apple, chokecherry, Rosette de Lyon, dried roses, wild raspberries, buckwheat, and gochugaru.
Pairing: Despite this wine’s complexity, poise, and energy, it isn’t demanding. It doesn’t ask much from the drinker and is here to please. It is best with simple foods, eaten outdoors, preferably while standing. Cured meats and olives would be my ideal situation, but roasted eggplant on baguette would also be lovely.
WINE THREE: CRAVEN PINOT GRIS
About: Pinot Gris is not widely planted in Stellenbosch, making this a relative rarity. These young vines are planted on an interesting sedimentary rock, cemented into a duricrust by iron oxides. Locally this red soil is called Koffieklip or Coffee Stone. These are usually the first grapes to come into the winery in early January. Their first vintage of this wine was made exclusively for personal consumption, but fortunately, they have expanded. The grapes were destemmed and fermented in vat on skins for six days with occasional pump-overs and punch-downs. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage.
Taste: This wine is a luminous combination of orange, pink, and copper in the glass. The nose is frisky with aromas of sea buckthorn, clementine, Mediterranean oregano, peaches, grapefruit juice, verbena, and sunflower seeds. The palate is tangy with refreshing acidity, beautifully integrated chalky tannins, and a savoury finish I associate with iron-rich soils. It isn’t a pushover despite its modest weight. You’ll find further flavours of physalis, guava, nectarine, cloudberry, charred orange rind, sandalwood, and white pepper.
Pairing: Like many lighter-bodied orange wines, this one is incredibly flexible. The first thing that comes to mind is a mild paneer-based curry. The aromatics of turmeric with the saline cheese would be ideal with this refreshing yet textural wine. In the same vein, tandoori chicken, with its tang and spice, would play seamlessly with this energetic Pinot Gris.
SEPTEMBER 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our September featured premium wines: Testalonga’s The Dark Side, Ursa Major’s Syrah, and Maloof’s Wax On, Wax Soif!
WINE ONE: TESTALONGA THE DARK SIDE
About: Craig gets his Syrah from a 0.75ha vineyard planted in 2001. The higher proportion of clay in the soils here helps with dry farming, and they intentionally leave lots of leaves and shoots on the vines to keep ripeness in check. Whole clusters were fermented in open top tank for eight days before being pressed off into neutral puncheons. A small amount of SO2 was added a month before bottling. One hundred twenty-five cases were produced. 4.74 TA, 3.65 pH, tSO2 12ppm
Taste: This wine is a vivid purple in the glass. The nose is poised yet wild like a stealthy jaguar, ready to pounce, adorable and deadly all at once. You’ll discover aromas of violet, blackberry, plum skins, graphite, charcoal, wild blueberry, tarragon, dried mint, coriander, and black truffle. The palate is electric, alive, and buzzing. This hum contains a saline acidity, modest weight, silty tannins, and luxurious length. This wine has an opalescent, crystalized, shimmering, mesmerizing quality, like seeing stars in a black gemstone. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of niçoise olive, sweet licorice, jerky, black currant, white pepper, ginseng, and iris. Drink one now, cellar one for later.
Pairing: Nothing goes with Syrah quite like lamb. Similar qualities in the meat somehow cancel out the peppery, gamey attributes of the wine. Syrah in this style has enough acid to cut through the fat and umami without getting dominated. For sides, we’d suggest lentils and mushrooms to play off the earthiness.
WINE TWO: URSA MAJOR YO, I THINK THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT YOU
About: This wine is made from a blend of Syrah (85%) and Viognier (15%). The thirty-year-old organically farmed vines are deeply rooted in the Black Sage Bench’s sandy loam soils. After their earliest pick on record, the Viognier was direct pressed over destemmed Syrah berries. After a six-day co-ferment, the wine is gently basket-pressed into barriques to finish primary fermentation. The wine spent nine months on lees before being racked and bottled without fining or filtration, and only 25ppm of SO2.
Taste: This wine is bright purple in the glass. The nose is wide-eyed, attentive, awake, and alert, with zingy flavours of strawberry, peach pit, saskatoon berry, charred maple, rhododendron, ripe watermelon, sweet sage, and cubeb. The palate is vibrant and juicy with tangy acidity, gentle plum-skin tannins, and a savoury edge. It reminds me of a black lab, menacing from a distance but docile up close. You’ll find further flavours of blackberry, rosemary, sarsaparilla, warm lilac flowers, Ethiopian coffee, cocoa nibs, and cranberry jam.
Pairing: I’m currently in Germany helping with the harvest at Brand Bros. In the beginning, they needed some help in the kitchen, cooking for a team of thirty pickers. Luckily, the scheduled dish was Shepherd’s Pie, something I make for myself often when I desperately need leftovers. The combination of spiced beef (I usually add lamb or some sort of game meat as well), mirepoix, creamed corn (it’s my family’s tradition), and buttery mashed potatoes would be ideal with this wine. Let us know what your version looks like. (We also made a vegetarian version with sauteed chard stems; it was superb)
WINE THREE: MALOOF WAX ON, WAX SOIF
About: This site was planted by Herb Quady, Applegate Valley’s legendary organic farmer. At over 1400 feet above sea level, the juvenile vines sit in granitic soils. The wine is made from Grenache Blanc (30%), Marsanne (30%), and Viognier (40%). The grapes were direct pressed into neutral barrel for both fermentation and élevage. The wine is racked and bottled, unfined and unfiltered with 30ppm of SO2. Only 103 cases were produced.
Taste: This wine is pale lemon-green in the glass. The nose is crisp and taught like a cool spring morning. There are aromas of fresh cotton sheets, mountain meadows, blown-out candles, white grapes, meyer lemon peel, nectarine, green plums, fennel seed, and pine nuts. The palate is crunchy and breezy with an angular minerality, powdery tannins, perky acidity, and a luminous finish. You’ll find further flavours of dewy grass, pomelo, lanolin, apricot pit, green apple flesh, plantain, and winter wheat.
Pairing: Last week, I got a reservation at Golden Inn before the owners retired forever. My friends ordered an off-menu steamed clam dish I think would pair perfectly with this wine. The earthy, meaty quality of the clams would be easily chopped by this wine’s freshness and drive.
SEPTEMBER 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our September wine selections, featuring BK’s Carte Blanche, Cantina Marilina’s Sikele Nero d’Avola, and Kindeli’s Blanco.
WINE ONE: KINDELI BLANCO
About: This vintage was made from Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and a small splash of Viognier. Various fermentation techniques were used, including direct press, skin contact, and carbonic maceration. The components were fermented and aged in multiple vessels, including totes, stainless steel, and neutral oak. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2.
Taste: Decant this wine vigorously for maximum enjoyment! This wine is lemon-green in the glass. The nose is wild and unruly with earthy aromas of green onion, ginger, cuca melon, green papaya, sawtooth herb, granny smith apples, lime leaf, galangal, eucalyptus, green peppercorns, gooseberry, and struck flint. The palate is equally electric with zesty acidity, a tiny bit of tannin, and billowy texture. You’ll find additional flavours of fried garlic, chayote, green pineapple, serrano, snap peas, Brazil nuts, grilled corn, and tiger lily on the palate. Adventures anyone?
Pairing: You don’t always think of white wine as a beef pairing, but for me, this wine demands meaty dishes. Bo La Lot is a Vietnamese dish that features beef wrapped in betel leaves grilled over the coals. Kkaennip-jeon, a Korean dish, also fills this niche with a lightly battered perilla leaf stuffed with savoury ground pork.
Pairing: This region is home to Ita Soba, slightly thicker cut unpolished buckwheat noodles. Traditionally, the noodles are served alongside a soup in which you dip these deeply aromatic (thick, nutty and warm) noodles. This broth is usually made from the irrefutably delicious combination of kombu, katsuobushi, mirin, and soy sauce – the delicate combination of sweet, smoky, and umami make it sing with this wine.
WINE TWO: BK WINES CARTE BLANCHE
About: Every year, Brendon gives himself the creative freedom to compose a wine that’s less about terroir and more about the process. This year’s rendition is primarily Chardonnay from atypical single vineyard barrels. The remainder is Savagnin, Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner, and some unrevealed secrets. Lees from other fermentations were also added, which promotes a rich texture. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO2.
Taste: This wine is pale green-gold in the glass. The nose is soft and heartfelt with aromas of bruised apple, fresh bay leaf, yellow plums, baked lemon, macadamia nut, heather, honeysuckle, grilled zucchini, and mace. It’s warm and generous, welcoming in its calming demeanour. The palate is supple with bevelled acidity and the faintest hint of tannin. There’s a waxiness to this wine, oily despite being so vibrant. The fruit profile is yielding instead of crunchy. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of dried pineapple, anjou pear, cucumber skins, chaga, and ginseng.
Pairing: I’ve never really been a fan of cooked zucchini, but recently, a friend of mine tossed some on the barbeque with a little salt and pepper, and shockingly, I was addicted. Similarly, I love grilling greens. I grilled some lightly steamed choy sum and added a little soy, rice wine, and black vinegar for the perfect afternoon vegetable boost. Essentially, this wine enjoys herbal and vegetal foods with a strong current of umami.
WINE THREE: CANTINA MARILINA SIKELE NERO D’AVOLA
About: This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir (40%), Dornfelder (30%), and Cabernet Franc (25%), with a few anonymous grapes marking up the remainder. The vines are 50 years old and are planted on their typical loess and loam with high concentrations of limestone. After 10-14 days of carbonic maceration in stainless steel, the wine is pressed off into tank and neutral puncheon for élevage.
Taste: This wine is an electric ruby in the glass. It has a punchy nose jam-packed with currant, wild raspberry (leaves and all), plum skin, violet, sage, cherry blossom, licorice whips, candied rose petals, and graphite. It is nearly weightless on the palate, demanding you take another gulp almost immediately. It is charming and honest, and infinitely lovable. The acidity is bright, the fruit is forward, and the tannins play a gentle but precise supporting role. You’ll find hints of black trumpet mushroom, blueberry, beets, acai berries, and dahlia on the finish. You’re going to need a second bottle.
Pairing: Saumagen is made by stuffing pork, potatoes, onions, carrots, and spices like nutmeg, marjoram, and white pepper into a pig’s stomach. After cooking, the sausage-like terrine is sliced and fried until golden and crispy on the outside. Historically it was served next to mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, but modern interpretations include delicious-looking sandwiches. Either way, the umami and richness of this dish will be brilliantly countered by such a fresh wine – especially if served with a little chill.
LINK TO PODCAST: MP3 | SPOTIFY (Featuring Juanita Roos, co-owner of Color de Vino!)
AUGUST 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our August featured premium wines: Les Lunes’ Astral Blend, Peter Wetzer’s Blumenthal Kekfrankos, Le Grappin’s Aligoté ‘Skin’, and Dormilona’s Yokel Verdelho.
WINE ONE: LES LUNES ASTRAL BLEND
About: This wine comes from sites Shaunt & Diego farm themselves: Kimberly, Bottage, Bruce, and Marcheschi Vineyards. Through a combination of thoughtful cover crops and composting to increase organic matter, they’ve been able to reduce watering drastically, with the ultimate goal being dry-farming. This wine is made from Pinot Noir (30%), destemmed, and fermented on skins for five days in open top tank with gentle cap management. Zinfandel (30%) sees three disparate treatments: direct press, destemmed and macerated on skins, and as a co-fermentation with Sangiovese (10%). Chardonnay (24%) was partially direct pressed and partially skin fermented for two weeks before being pressed off. The final component is made from short-macerated Syrah (6%). The wines are all aged independently in tank and barrel until blending and bottling (unfined, unfiltered, 18ppm SO2) in January.
Taste: Are you ready to ascend to a higher plane? Are you ready to leave your corporeal form behind? Are you ready to exist as pure consciousness? Are you ready to dislodge yourself from space and time? Are you prepared for an interdimensional voyage? Take a sip of this iridescent Kool-Aid and follow the light. The flavours defy logic, swirling from nibs and watermelon to dragon fruit and pomegranate. The acidity is frisky, the tannins are feathery, and it glides over your tongue weightlessly. The finish offers flavours of red gooseberry, nectarine pit, blood orange, basil seeds, and cherry juice. Keep all limbs inside the spacecraft.
Pairing: Get yourself a cast iron skillet and make some fried chicken. Sides should include watermelon salad with mint and smoked mac n’ cheese. Keep it simple, it’s too hot out!
WINE TWO: PETER WETZER BLUMENTHAL KEKFRANKOS
About: This cuvée comes from a small plot in Sopron called Blumenthal. The vines are 50-60 years old and were planted with old massal selection. Soils here are slightly richer loam with gravel and limestone. The grapes are nearly all destemmed before being fermented in open-top wooden vats. After a couple of weeks of maceration, the wine is pressed off into neutral barrel. It tends to be the richest, most bombastic cuvée he releases.
Taste: This wine is vivid ruby in the glass. The nose is familiar and polished with brilliant aromas of red cherries, rooibos tea, pomegranate, fresh roses, peppercorns, sweet tobacco, crushed stones, and raspberry jam. The palate is expansive with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. It’s not imposing, but it is sturdy. You’ll find silky tannins and cool acidity backed up by warmth from the moderate level of alcohol. The finish shows notes of cedar, damson, violets, juniper berries, sweet sage, carraway, and red currants. You’re going to want one to drink, and one to cellar.
Pairing: I asked Mark what he’d like to eat with this wine, and he immediately said either sausages or a stew. Since it’s 31º out today, I’m going to lean towards the sausages – preferably grilled and beef forward. It can definitely hold up to some spices as well, in particular, ample paprika.
WINE THREE: DORMILONA YOKEL VERDELHO
About: Surprisingly, Verdelho is the classic grape of the Swan River Valley. These 80-year-old dry-farmed vines reside in the Lamonts Vineyard in the upper valley. The grapes were crushed and macerated on skins briefly before being pressed off into large format oak and tank for cool fermentation. After élevage on full lees, the wine is racked and bottled with minimal SO2.
Taste: This wine is a medium hazy green-gold in the glass. The nose is flamboyantly aromatic with aromas of white peach, cucumber skins, nectarine, agave, dried pineapple, daisies, green peppercorns, and kombu. The palate is mouth-wateringly juicy. It is dry, but the ripe fruit and fleshy texture trick you into imagining sweetness where there is none. On the finish, there are flavours of chamomile, lovage, green grapes, dill seeds, dried papaya, fresh apricots, angelica, and coriander seeds.
Pairing: I love cooking whole fish. Whether they’re steamed in a banana leaf and topped with lime and fish sauce, or deep fried with chillies and soy, there’s a certain level of culinary theatre I can’t get enough of. Either way, this wine is going to make a great table mate.
WINE THREE: LE GRAPPIN ALIGOTÉ ‘SKIN’
About: This cuvée comes from the lieu dit of Perelles le Haut in the Mâcon. The vines are over 80 years old, producing low yields of concentrated fruit. The grapes were fermented whole-cluster in a small tank for a week before being pressed off. The wine finishes fermentation in neutral barrel before a nine-month élevage on full lees.
Taste: This wine is pale gold in the glass. The nose is stoic and contemplative, wise and introspective. There are aromas of yellow apple, anjou pear, nutmeg, oyster shells, lion’s mane mushroom, candied lemon, ginseng, and white tea. It is intense but so tightly knit you need to really focus to pull apart each flavour. The palate is muscular like a ballerina; lean but powerful, slender but strong, fleet and surefooted, somehow weightless and grounded simultaneously. There are tea-like tannins, nervy acidity, and a detailed texture – bas-relief on weathered stone. The finish yields flavours of quince, powdered ginger, peach pit, sassafras, marcona almond, cornflower, meringue, marmalade, and sweet oats. Wonderous.
Pairing: We’d suggest making yourself a proper lobster roll as a pairing. You’ve earned it. You work hard all week; you deserve a decadent sandwich from time to time. My sneaky tip is a couple of pieces of pickled celery, and a few celery leaves to ramp up the freshness. Serve with a chilled potato salad.
LINK TO PODCAST: MP3 | SPOTIFY (Featuring Sharla Swanson from Metro Vino, Bridgette Bar, and Lulu Bar)
AUGUST 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our August wine selections, featuring Grape Republic’s Dela Fresca Frizzante, Intellego’s Pink Moustache, and Brand Bros’ Red.
WINE ONE: GRAPE REPUBLIC DELA FRESCA FRIZZANTE
About: This wine is made exclusively from Delaware grown in Nanyo, Yamagata. Some of the grapes were crushed and left on skins for a twelve-hour maceration, while the rest was direct pressed into tank. When the wine has fermented to 12g/L residual sugar, the wine is bottled, resulting in a classic petillant naturel.
Delaware: The origins of this variety are shrouded in mystery, but the most told story traces its roots back to a Swiss immigrant fleeing persecution in Europe, smuggling grape vines from Burgundy, and crossing them with local varieties in Frenchtown in Delaware County, Ohio. Until it undergoes DNA profiling, we can only guess. This finicky variety has small pink berries that ripen early. Unlike many of its hybrid brethren, it has low yields, low foxiness, and is susceptible to phylloxera.
Taste: This wine is pale lemon-yellow in the glass. The nose is sassy with aromas of guava, juicy white grapes, green banana, wildflowers, candied lemon, tonka bean, orange blossom, candied fennel seeds, and coriander. It is exuberant with plenty of youthful verve. The palate is gently frothy with tangy acidity and a juiciness that defies the wine’s lack of actual sugar. It has an impressive texture despite its modest alcohol. You’ll find further flavours of lovage, coconut water, white peach bubble gum, geranium, nectarine, and peony on the finish. Such a treat!
Pairing: This region is home to Ita Soba, slightly thicker cut unpolished buckwheat noodles. Traditionally, the noodles are served alongside a soup in which you dip these deeply aromatic (thick, nutty and warm) noodles. This broth is usually made from the irrefutably delicious combination of kombu, katsuobushi, mirin, and soy sauce – the delicate combination of sweet, smoky, and umami make it sing with this wine.
WINE TWO: INTELLEGO PINK MOUSTACHE
About: This light red is made from Syrah (38%), Cinsault (48%), and Mourvèdre (19%) planted in the Swartland. The Cinsault sees drip irrigation, but the Syrah is dry farmed. Soils range from Oakleaf gravel to Ferricrete and Shale. The Cinsault undergoes whole cluster fermentation for four days while the other two varieties are direct pressed. The wine is then racked into stainless steel for an additional six weeks before bottling.
Taste: This wine is a vibrant shade of pink and ruby in the glass. It toes the line between two styles with aromas of cranberry, wild cherry, raspberry, thyme, eucalyptus, nutmeg, flint, pink peppercorns, and carnations. The palate is zippy with a saline edge. It reminds me of tonic in how it leaves you feeling refreshed and hungry. It quenches. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of red currant, marjoram, cinchona, sweet grapefruit, watermelon rind, and cubeb.
Pairing: Honestly, who even needs food? I’m usually such a stickler for the perfect pairing, but this time, I’m abandoning all reason and suggesting you drink this while floating down the river on the largest inflatable flamingo you can afford. This wine is for cannonballs, belly flops, and swan dives. It’s for sandy elbows, geometric sunburns where you couldn’t reach, and beach snacks consumed mainly by ants.
WINE THREE: BRAND BROS RED
About: This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir (40%), Dornfelder (30%), and Cabernet Franc (25%), with a few anonymous grapes marking up the remainder. The vines are 50 years old and are planted on their typical loess and loam with high concentrations of limestone. After 10-14 days of carbonic maceration in stainless steel, the wine is pressed off into tank and neutral puncheon for élevage.
Taste: This wine is an electric ruby in the glass. It has a punchy nose jam-packed with currant, wild raspberry (leaves and all), plum skin, violet, sage, cherry blossom, licorice whips, candied rose petals, and graphite. It is nearly weightless on the palate, demanding you take another gulp almost immediately. It is charming and honest, and infinitely lovable. The acidity is bright, the fruit is forward, and the tannins play a gentle but precise supporting role. You’ll find hints of black trumpet mushroom, blueberry, beets, acai berries, and dahlia on the finish. You’re going to need a second bottle.
Pairing: Saumagen is made by stuffing pork, potatoes, onions, carrots, and spices like nutmeg, marjoram, and white pepper into a pig’s stomach. After cooking, the sausage-like terrine is sliced and fried until golden and crispy on the outside. Historically it was served next to mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, but modern interpretations include delicious-looking sandwiches. Either way, the umami and richness of this dish will be brilliantly countered by such a fresh wine – especially if served with a little chill.
LINK TO PODCAST: MP3 | SPOTIFY (Featuring Pearlic Leng, manager and wine director of A1 Café
JULY 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our July featured premium wines: Strekov’s Heion and Frankovka, and Grape Republic’s Rosso.
WINE ONE: STREKOV 1075 HEION
About: This wine comes from some of Zsolt’s best Welschriesling planted on clay loam. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. Daily hand-plunging of the cap prevents excess volatile acidity (although there is some) while gently extracting flavours and tannins. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage. The puncheons aren’t topped, which encourages the development of flor and allows for gentle oxidation. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2 right before the next vintage. Less than 100 cases are made annually.
Taste: This wine is medium hazy orange-ochre-teak in the glass – you’re immediately intrigued. The nose is awe-inspiring in its expansiveness. Aromas extend endlessly in every direction, with vertigo-inducing depth and a flavour spectrum that is somehow all-encompassing and indescribable. My best attempt goes something like this: sun-warmed peaches, caraway-infused butterscotch, beaver pelts, tamarind, flax seed oil, dried mango, roasted hazelnuts, sweet parsnips, lily of the valley, green coriander seeds, patchouli, kabocha, dried yellow apple, chamomile, white pepper, and so on. The palate has a surprising amount of weight and density, considering its modest alcohol level. The tannins are present but not overwhelming, balanced by ripe fruits and a glycerous texture. The finish is infinite – I tasted it two weeks ago, and it still lingers thoughtfully. Prepare to be astounded – for better or worse.
Pairing: Remember back in the day when Model Milk had that amazing, charred cabbage dish with the Mimolette cheese and the jalapeño creme? That would be my dream pairing for this wine. Liptauer, a Slovak spreadable cheese infused with paprika, generously dolloped onto Lokše, would also make a memorable afternoon snack.
WINE TWO: STREKOV 1075 FRANKOVKA
About: Zsolt grows the grapes in his biodynamic vineyard planted on clay loam and loess. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel until right before the next harvest. The wine is gently bottled by gravity without fining, filtration, or SO2.
Taste: This wine is deep purple in the glass. After thirty minutes in a decanter, the wine blooms into a symphonic menagerie of black plums, gunpowder, blueberries, hot iron, cocoa powder, violets, blackberry, balsam, worn leather, and sweet tobacco. The palate is wonderfully focused, crafted, smithed, utilitarian but meaningful and heartfelt. It has chiselled tannins that make for a clean and mineral finish. The acidity is fresh and cool. There’s a salinity that reminds me of black licorice candies. On the finish, you’ll find further flavours of black currant, chipotle peppers, cubeb, lavender, and resin.
Pairing: Kapustnica is a Slovak soup made from sauerkraut, fatty pork sausages, and dried mushrooms. With aromatic spices like clove, nutmeg, and paprika, it has the intensity and fat to get along with this robust yet refreshing wine. The traditional accompaniment is bryndzové halušky, a Spätzle-like dumpling with tangy sheep’s cheese.
WINE THREE: GRAPE REPUBLIC ROSSO
About: This cuvée is made from co-fermented Steuben (61%) and Niagara (10%) that spends eight days on skins, blended with a co-ferment of Steuben and Delaware (29%) that spends six days on skins. After a short élevage in stainless steel, the wine is bottled.
Steuben: This hybrid of Vitis Vinifera and Vitis Labrusca was first created in 1925 at Cornell in New York but didn’t make its commercial debut until the 1940s. The vine is incredibly productive and overcropping (dilute grapes) can be a problem if yields aren't controlled. It is resistant to most vineyard blights like mildew and has extreme cold-hardiness (-29ºC).
Niagara: This Concord offspring was bred in 1866 in western New York. It displays the often overstated ‘foxy’ characteristic typical of American hybrids. The berries grow in large bunches where their thin skins make them particularly susceptible to rot and mildew. The vines are somewhat resistant to cold, but it’s a wonder this variety has been so prolific.
Delaware: The origins of this variety are shrouded in mystery, but the most told story traces its roots back to a Swiss immigrant fleeing persecution in Europe, smuggling grape vines from Burgundy, and crossing them with local varieties in Frenchtown in Delaware County, Ohio. Until it undergoes DNA profiling, we can only guess. This finicky variety has small pink berries that ripen early. Unlike many of its hybrid brethren, it has low yields, low foxiness, and is susceptible to phylloxera.
Taste: This wine is electric, orange-tinted ruby in the glass. The nose is frisky with aromas of grape jelly, blue raspberry freezies, sour cherries, cotton candy, blood orange marmalade, cranberry sauce, sweet grass, sakura, sandalwood, and black cardamom. The palate is dry with crisp, tangy acidity. The tannins are all but undetectable, making the wine fabulously drinkable. The finish is equally chaotic with flavours of wild raspberry, currant leaf, bubble gum, kola nut, and red papaya. Truly an adventure!
LINK TO PODCAST: MP3 | SPOTIFY (Featuring Kirtyana & Thomas Von Matt of Switzerland’s Brisket, Yardbird, La Brea, and Bite restaurants!)
JULY 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our July wine selections, featuring Séléné’s Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay, A Sunday In August’s Pinot Gris, and Succès Vinicola’s La Cuca de Llum Trepat.
WINE ONE: SUCCÈS VINICOLA LA CUCA DE LLUM
About: This cuvée is named for the fireflies they’ve seen in the vineyard. The grapes come from 40-year-old Trepat vines in Conca de Barberà, the variety’s ancestral origin. Trepat has an unusual combination of thick skins and light pigmentation giving it structural similarities to Italy’s Nebbiolo. Its early budding and late ripening make it susceptible to weather events at either end of the season, especially spring frost. The grapes are crushed and fermented on skins for 35 days before being pressed off into stainless steel and fibreglass tank for élevage. Roughly 2000 cases are made annually.
Taste: This wine is bright ruby in the glass. The nose is ethereal with aromas of squished strawberry, dried roses, prairie sage, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, and raspberries. It is charming and stalwart. The palate takes you in two directions at once; it is bright and refreshing but physical and grounded. There’s a rustic edge, an attractive unkemptness, an amiable naïveté; we will be friends. You’ll find further flavours of juicy red plum, clove, cherry skins, chicory root, and nasturtium.
Pairing: Coca de Recapte is a Catalan flatbread topped with eggplant, escalivada, and tomatoes. Coming from a few towns over, this dish is the ideal vegetarian pairing for Trepat’s red fruit flavours. Romesco, the classic local condiment, is made from ñora (sundried peppers), tomatoes, and onions combined with a combination of dried and roasted nuts (pine nut, almond, and hazelnut). Although it originated as a sauce for fish, it is an ideal pairing for grilled spring onions.
WINE TWO: A SUNDAY IN AUGUST PINOT GRIS
About: This wine is made from certified organic Pinot Gris (75%) and Gewurztraminer (25%). The grapes are co-fermented semi-carbonically for five days in tank. After being pressed off, the wine finishes fermentation and malolactic conversion in stainless steel before being bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and with less than 30ppm of SO2. Claire Milbrath does the label art. One thousand cases were produced.
Taste: This wine is copper-salmon-ochre goodness-knows-what. The nose is quirky, eclectic, and eccentric with aromas of papaya, cherry blossom, passionfruit, white gummy bears, cinchona, angelica, cinders, starfruit, mangosteen, oxalis, and sea buckthorn. What even is this?! The palate features tangy acidity, a nibble of tannin, and a confounding combination of freshness and weight. Despite its low alcohol content, it has viscosity. You’ll find additional flavours of raw pumpkin, cloudberry, persimmon, pink gooseberry, taro, licorice root, orris root, charcoal, and peach. Intergalactic.
Pairing: Mike Schindler, proprietor and winemaker, suggested pairing this particular bottle with” 1. Gazing into the eyes of your lover, and 2. A tennis court, some cute shorts, and a hop in the pool.” It seems reasonable to me!
WINE THREE: SÉLÉNÉ BEAUJOLAIS BLANC
About: Sylvère got his hands on a small Chardonnay vineyard five years ago and has been farming it organically ever since. Soils here are typical for southern Beaujolais, consisting of richer clay loam. The grapes are whole cluster pressed into concrete for fermentation and élevage. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with 10ppm of SO2.
Taste: This wine is pale silver-gold in the glass. The nose is instantly familiar, an archetype, flawless, majestic, and regal. It has aromas of crunchy apple, lemon peel, crushed stones, almond paste, white flowers, white truffle, sea salt, and beeswax. The palate is expansive and precise with zesty acidity, modest weight, and a mineral finish. It is tense but also generous. The finish provides flavours of nectarine, white tea, quince, fresh bread dough, and glacial rivers.
Pairing: Sauce Nantua comes from the eponymous city just east of Beaujolais. This take on Béchamel is infused with crayfish butter and often accompanies Quenelles de Brochet, small football-shaped pike dumplings. The decadent combination is the ideal pairing for this fresh yet bevelled mineral-driven white.
JUNE 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our June premium featured wines: Maloof’s No Clos Radio Pinot Gris and Rouge de Gris, and Rigour & Whimsy’s Into The Darkest Wood Syrah.
WINE ONE: MALOOF ROUGE DE GRIS
About: Johan Vineyard is planted in the cool Van Duzer Corridor Sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley. Achieving Demeter Biodynamic certification in 2010, this site features marine sediment and granite. The Pinot Gris grapes were treated as you would Pinot Noir. 70% was destemmed and fermented on skins for 17 days with quotidien punch downs to ensure the cap stays moist. 10% was fermented carbonically and the remainder was direct pressed. Élevage was completed in neutral barrels before bottling unfined and unfiltered eight months later. 299 cases were produced.
Taste: This wine’s colour is nearly impossible to describe – almost like steeped oolong: amber, ochre, rust. The nose is warming with aromas of clove, persimmon, black cardamom, Ethiopian coffee, orange rinds, patchouli, rosehips, dried apple, nutmeg, and red plums. The palate is tactile and toothsome with modest tannins and a woodsy texture on the finish. Bright acidity helps balance the fruit. Despite being a comfortable middleweight, it has ample viscosity and presence. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of candied pumpkin, cranberry, allspice, fig, peach, and almond.
Pairing: For me, Munster cheese is borderline offensive, yet I can’t seem to help myself when the perfect pairing appears. Alsace’s Feuilletés au Munster are little savoury, cheesy pastries that wrangle the stink flawlessly. Alternatively, I’d suggest making yourself a Tarte à l’Oignion. This relative to quiche highlights the incredible sweetness of browned onions alongside smoky bacon and fragrant thyme. Rumour has it that the best chefs add a little white anchovy to their egg custard filling to make all the flavours pop. Our final Alsatian suggestion is Fleischnacka, a pasta spiral stuffed with the incredibly savoury meat leftover from a Pot Au Feu – a traditional beef stew.
WINE TWO: MALOOF NO CLOS RADIO PINOT GRIS
About: This site is in the newly recognized AVA of Tualatin Hills, west of Portland. The isolated vineyard is surrounded by forest and features typical Jory and Loess, as well as pisolitic iron and manganese. It was originally planted by Harvey Shafer in the 1970s, but Ross & Bee were able to purchase the site in collaboration with their friends Jenny & Jim of Fossil & Fawn. The vines are own-rooted and dry farmed. Although the vineyard was being farmed sustainably, its new stewards are pursuing organic certification. The Pinot Gris was direct pressed into neutral barrel for fermentation and élevage on full lees. No batonnage is done. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 30ppm of SO2. Only 69 cases were produced.
Taste: This wine is a pale lemon yellow in the glass. The nose is coy and bashful with aromas of fresh pear, meyer lemon, sourdough, ylang ylang, caraway, pine nuts, summer savoury, fresh linen, and nectarine. The palate is ethereal and weightless; it seems to float like mist – edgeless. There’s a minerality on the finish, adding tension. The acidity makes the wine feel clean; it has a restorative property I can’t pin down. You’ll find additional flavours of lemon balm, poppyseed, raw sesame, quince, celery leaf, pastry dough, plantain, and verbena.
Pairing: Carpe Frite Sundgauvienne is a traditional Alsatian dish where carp is marinated in white wine (we’d suggest Pinot Gris) and then is battered in semolina and fried until crispy and tender. It’s usually served alongside frites and a healthy dollop of mayonnaise. No cutlery required, only a large mug full of Maloof’s No Clos Radio Pinot Gris.
WINE THREE: RIGOUR & WHIMSY INTO THE DARKEST WOOD
About: The grapes for this cuvée come from an organic vineyard in Osoyoos. After a rather late harvest on October 25th, the grapes were placed into fermenting bins whole-cluster. Because of the cold temperatures, fermentation didn’t kick off for nearly a week. They foot-crushed the grapes, and the wine was pressed off into barrel after a month on skins. After a sixteen-month élevage, the wine was gently racked and bottled. 3.84pH, 6.99g/l TA, 1.56 g/l VA
Taste: This wine is bright purple-ruby in the glass. The nose is as whimsical as the name would suggest, immediately pulling you into an adventurous storyline: blackberries, wild raspberries, lichen, prairie sage, cubeb, bresaola, violets, balsam, embers, and frankincense. The palate is skittish and nervous. It fidgets between ripe red fruits and an acidity full of static electricity. The tannins are well integrated, backed up by the spice of smoke and a granitic minerality. You’ll find further flavours of red cherries, coal, rosemary, iodine, heliotrope, and redwood.
Pairing: With seemingly endless rain coming down, I crave comfort food. Rounding out our Alsatian-themed pairings is Baeckeoffe, a rustic stew that features mutton, beef, and pork marinated in white wine and juniper. The name translates from the Alsatian dialect as ‘Bake Oven,’ which refers to the tradition of cooking the stew overnight in the village baker’s oven as it cools down. A length of dough would be wrapped around the edge of the casserole dish to keep the lid tight and the meat moist. It typically features potatoes, onions, leeks, parsley, and marjoram, although the recipe varies from family to family.
JUNE 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our June wine selections, featuring Laurent Cazotte’s Marcotte Rouge, Broc Cellars’ Love Rosé, and Strekov 1075’s Bob Portugieser.
WINE ONE: STREKOV 1075 BOB (PORTUGIESER)
About: This nouveau-style wine is named after Zsolt’s beloved donkey, Bob. The decade-old vines are planted on richer clay loam with a limestone subsoil. He employs his typical single-stake training method. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on skins for two weeks with gentle hand-plunging of the cap. The wine is then pressed into stainless steel for a short settling period before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2. It is bottled under crown cap to preserve its delicate spritz.
Taste: This wine is a tumultuous purple in the glass with pomegranate overtones. It is as brash, charmingly gangly, and energetic as a foal. It kicks up dirty, stumbles without fear, and sprints to and from everything. You’ll find aromas of squished raspberries, red cherries, candied beats, sweet sage, gunpowder, damp roses, and iron. The palate is boisterous with supremely vivid fruit flavours, tangy acidity, and modest, fine-grained tannins. Despite its small stature, it packs a punch. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of rhubarb compote, blood orange, ripe strawberry, nettle, pumpkin seeds, and allspice.
Pairing: This wine seems like the ideal pairing for all things beets. Whether you’re indulging in a hearty bowl of borscht, or opted for an elegant beet salad with goat cheese and pine nuts, or if you’ve gone entirely off the rails and like thinly shaved pickled beets on your hotdog, this is your wine. Have I mentioned Donna Mac does a Beet ‘Pastrami’?!
WINE TWO: LAURENT CAZOTTES MARCOTTE ROUGE
About: This cuvée is made from a blend of Duras, Braucol, and Syrah. The former is a dark-coloured, peppery indigenous variety grown almost exclusively in the Tarn. Braucol, also known as Fer, is a traditionally tannic grape variety domesticated from a wild source in the region over three centuries ago. The grapes are harvested early and treated gently to make a more quaffable rendition.
Taste: This wine is a charming medium purple in the glass. Can you tame the wilderness? The nose walks a fine line between the domestic (black plums, blackberries, black cherries, violet, lavender) and the feral (white peppercorns, sweet leather, fallen pine needles, rockslides, licorice roots). The palate is equally deceiving; where you’d expect grit and stone, you find a wafting and ethereal wine that hints at its rustic roots but sits nicely polished – purple gemstones gleaming. There’s a direct acidity and crunchy little tannins like salt grains. You’ll find wild bay, lilac, saskatoon berry, oxalis, and spruce on the finish.
Pairing: My ideal pairing for this wine involves game meat prepared simply—grilled venison, moose, or if you’re less adventurous, lamb chops. These proteins' earthy, iron-rich, umami character will get along famously with the dark fruit and minerality in the wine.
WINE THREE: BROC CELLARS LOVE ROSÉ
About: The grapes for this cuvée come from three different vineyards: Rosewood (Mendocino), Wirth Ranch (Solano), and Arrowhead Mountain (Sonoma). This vintage is a blend of Valdiguié (97%), Zinfandel (2%) and Trousseau (1%). The grapes are foot stomped and left on skins for 12 hours before being pressed into stainless steel for fermentation. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered shortly after the new year.
Taste: This wine is a jubilant pink in the glass. The nose is immediately frisky, smacking bubble gum in your face, striped socks pulled high, SPF one-billion worn like war paint on cheeks modestly shaded by a bucket hat held in place by an under-chin strap. You’ll find aromas of cherry blossom, fresh watermelon, schizandra, white tea, hibiscus, and white strawberries. The palate is electric with tingling acid, lightweight, but plenty of flavour. It finishes both bouncy and frosty. You’ll find further flavours of grapefruit pith, sugar-free cream soda, blushing peach, and pink lemonade.
Pairing: I’m craving some classic fried chicken! Nothing spicy, just simple salty, fatty, crispy fried chicken with some salad on the side (watermelon, radishes, slaw, potato). The wine absolutely tastes best on a hot Sunday afternoon with friends.
MAY 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our May featured premium wines: Daydreamer’s Jasper, Echo Bay’s Cabernet Franc, and Populis’ Sauvignon Blanc.
WINE ONE: DAYDREAMER JASPER
About: This cuvée comes from a vineyard in Osoyoos, farmed without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. It is a blend of Merlot (61%), Cabernet Franc (23%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (16%). The grapes are fermented on skins for ten days before being pressed off into both new and neutral barrels. It is bottled after eighteen months with minimal SO2. 3.81 pH, 6.3 g/L TA
Taste: This wine is deep ruby-purple in the glass. The nose is quintessential with aromas of cocoa nibs, cassis, graphite, dried violets, black plum skins, vanilla bean, eucalyptus, and cedar. The palate is just as classic with rich dark fruits balanced by velvety tannins and modest acidity. It is a gentle giant, not unlike Marcus, its maker. You’ll find further flavours of clove, blueberry, sweet tobacco, oxalis, sweetgrass, saskatoon berry, and mahogany.
Pairing: I know the weather is getting nice, but I’d love this wine with some braised beef cheeks. Get a little more inventive with your mash - parsnips, celeriac, cauliflower! I’d also suggest sauteed greens instead of a fresh salad; creamed spinach is always a favourite but I’d also be more than happy with some collards.
WINE TWO: ECHO BAY CABERNET FRANC
About: Echo Bay Vineyard is located right above Skaha Lake, minutes north of Okanagan Falls. This steeply sloped site faces southwest from within a large gully. Farmed organically with additional biodynamic preparations by Kelsey and her family, the vines are getting healthier each year. This year, Kelsey bottled almost every grape variety she works with as a monovarietal offering, showing of the breadth of their small farm; in this case, we have Cabernet Franc. The grapes were destemmed, crushed, and fermented in open top tank. The wine spent fifteen months in barrel (40% new) before being bottled with 30ppm of sulphur. 152 cases produced.
Taste: This wine is deep ruby in the glass. The nose is comforting and familiar with aromas of red plum flesh, strawberry coulee, damp roses, sage, dark chocolate, sandalwood, tonka bean, and fresh bay leaf. The palate follows suit with voluminous silky tannins, a rich texture accentuated by alcohol warmth, and a satiating and prolonged finish. It’s a wine to wrap yourself in. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of pomegranate, Costa Rican coffee, water mint, redwood, and rooibos.
Pairing: I’m not normally a tender steak kind of guy but this Cabernet Franc almost demands Filet Mignon. If you’re feeling ambitious, I’d suggest making a Sauce Foyot - it’s essentially a hybrid of Hollandaise and Demi. The combination is so decadent you’ll definitely need a post-meal nap. Mark (my business partner) suggested a creamy mushroom sauce and I can’t disagree.
WINE THREE: POPULIS SAUVIGNON BLANC
About: There are less than 10 acres of Cabernet Pfeffer left in the world. Ryan believes it may be Bordeaux’s long-forgotten Mourtaou/Mancin, but there are so many origin stories floating around in the literature, we’re not sure what to believe anymore. The grapes were grown in San Benito County at a few old vine vineyards including Wirz. The grapes were fermented in open-top redwood fermenters with roughly two-thirds stem inclusion. After two weeks the wine was pressed off into old barrel for a ten-month élevage. 245 cases produced. 6.3g/l TA, pH 3.79
Taste: This wine is deceivingly pale in the glass -transparent ruby with bricky edges. The nose is perfumed, the aromas waft, like essential oils or incense. You’ll find notes of red currant, cedar, cubeb, dried rose, blood orange, red plum skins, black tea, cinnamon sticks, and warm sandstone. The palate is equally paradoxical. It is medium-bodied but with sturdy tannins that immediately remind me of Barbaresco. The acidity is fresh but balanced by delicate fruits and a resinous finish. You’ll find additional flavours of sandalwood, gardenia, blonde tobacco, cranberry, cascara, patchouli, and nutmeg.
Pairing: I usually try to keep my pairings local, but in this case, I can’t help but suggest Carbonara. Something about this wine feels so Italian to me even though it’s made from a French grape grown in California. I’d replace the guanciale with lamb belly if you can find it; the extra bass notes and umami will lift this wine even further. Don’t cheap out on the cheese here; you want something old that has a nutty sweetness, again, allowing this wine to really shine.
MAY 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our May wine selections, featuring Le Grappin’s Macon-Villages, Dormilona’s Tinto Shiraz, and Milan Nestarec’s Okr orange wine.
WINE ONE: LE GRAPPIN MACON VILLAGES
About: South of Uchizy and North of Pouilly-Fuissé, this plot of thirty-year-old Chardonnay is in the town of Azé. Soils here are a combination of limestone and clay. In early September, the grapes were harvested and pressed into stainless steel without any added SO2. After a short cold settling to eliminate the gross lees, the juice was moved into 350L and 400L barrels. After seven months on fine lees without batonnage, the wine is lightly filtered and bottled.
Taste: This wine is medium gold in the glass. The nose is comforting, wrapping you up in fleece and merino wool. You’ll find aromas of yellow apple, steeped chamomile, macadamia nut, tahini, angelica, yellow plums, brioche, and nectarine. The palate is supple and fresh in equal measures. You’ll find citrusy acidity balanced by a gentle creamy finish. It is properly medium-bodied with warmth from its modest alcohol. You’ll find further flavours of lemon shortbread, silver needle tea, sun-warmed limestone, egg tarts, and white peach.
Pairing: This is one of my top-rated breakfast wines of all time. The perfect combination is probably a quiche with caramelized onions and leeks, but I’m sure it wouldn’t shy away from a traditional eggs benny either. If you’re a little slower moving in the morning, I’d suggest a simple croissant or sourdough toast with a big oozy slice of Crémeux du Jura.
WINE TWO: MILAN NESTAREC OKR
About: This wine is named after Ochre, an orange pigment made from earth - a perfect personification of what’s in the bottle. Although Milan has moved away from skin contact for the bulk of his portfolio, he wanted to remain faithful to his roots with this new orange wine. It is made from Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewurztraminer. The fruit was fermented as whole berries in tank with minimal cap management for about a week before being pressed off into stainless steel and large neutral barrel for élevage. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2.
Taste: This wine is medium orange in the glass. The nose is explosive with aromas of ripe peach, orange blossom, steeped clove, passion fruit, clementine, papaya, dried ginger, and rambutan. I’m overwhelmed with joy; it reminds me of the laughing gas they give you at the dentist - you can’t help but feel fabulous. The palate is bright with the roundness of freshly squeezed fruit juice. It’s got oolong-like tannins and a modestly savoury edge. You’ll find flavours of licorice root, caracara, candied carrot, sea buckthorn, and tamarind on the finish. An absolute thriller!
Pairing: I recently ordered from Rajdoot in Calgary and was reminded why I love this place. Every dish is so aromatic and unique, providing endless pairing opportunities. Their Daal Makhani Bhukhara, in particular, would go sensationally with Milan’s Okr.
WINE THREE: DORMILONA TINTO
About: Jo wanted to make a Nouveau style Shiraz from organic grapes from Osmington. She harvests the grapes early in the morning, fermented whole-cluster in open-top tank, then basket-pressed before full dryness. After malolactic conversion in tank and a short settling period, the wine is bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and with minimal SO2.
Taste: This wine is an intense, translucent purple in the glass. The nose is flamboyant, gregarious, and zany. You’ll find outlandish caricature-like aromas of wild blueberry, mission figs, boysenberry, cassis, spearmint, candied violets, and pink peppercorns. The palate is just as bouncy and playful with no real sign of tannins, dangerously integrated alcohol, and a supple, velour texture. I dare you to find anyone who isn’t immediately infatuated with this wine. You’ll find flavours of grape jelly, sarsaparilla, peony, and black plum skins.
Pairing: There’s something about juicy shiraz that makes me desperately want a burger and some French fries. I’m not even asking for anything fancy here, make something from Shake Shack? Even though this wine has zero grams of sugar, its fruitiness makes it the ideal foil for classic condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish - all of which balance sweet and sour.
APRIL 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our April featured premium wines: Charles Dufour’s Bulles de Comptoir, Kamara’s Pet-Nat, and Ryan Stirm’s Cabernet Pfeffer.
WINE ONE: CHARLES DUFOUR BULLES DE COMPTOIR
About: This wine comes from Charles Dufour’s organic vineyard in Landreville, a village in Champagne’s southern Côte des Bar. Classic Kimmeridgian chalk soils merge with heavier clay marls leading to an intermingling of poise and power. This release is a blend of Pinot Noir (60%), Chardonnay (30%), and Pinot Blanc (10%). 80% of the wine comes from the 2018 vintage, and 20% comes from vintages as far back as 2010. He ferments three-quarters of his wines in barrel while the remainder ferments in stainless steel. Both primary fermentation and malolactic conversion are done with indigenous microorganisms. After bottling, the wine spends 15 months on lees during secondary fermentation. It was disgorged in January 2021 and sees an extra-brut dosage (<3g/l). No additional SO2 was added.
Taste: This wine is medium gold with small bubbles. The nose is visceral, immediately playing at your emotions; joy and sorrow all wrapped into one. You’ll find aromas of chaga, white asparagus, praline, parchment, church candles, button mushroom, fresh wholewheat bread, dried yellow plums, candied almonds, sandalwood, pear, daffodil, caraway, and white pepper. It’s easy to get lost in this wine - it doesn’t seem to have any corners or even any defined edges, it just keeps expanding in every direction, like being lost in a cloud. There’s a real warmth as well; it’s inviting and kind. It may be a silly comment, but it smells ‘real’. It doesn’t feel like something that was made - just a beautiful place that exists, distortions and all. On the palate, the wine is dry with a rich, savoury, modestly oxidative finish. I like to drink this wine over two days, watch it expand and evolve.
Pairing: Champagne is the world's easiest wine to pair with food. Here’s a quick list of my favourite combinations: fried chicken, mapo tofu, oysters, white asparagus, sashimi, hotdogs, pho, Cantonese chow mein, scrambled eggs, croissants, and so forth.
WINE TWO: KAMARA PET-NAT
About: This wine is made from a blend of Assyrtiko and Malagousia. The grapes are direct pressed into tank where the juice spontaneously ferments. It is kept at extremely cool temperatures and is racked off its gross lees. The following year, the wine is bottled with a small amount of unfermented Xinomavro for secondary fermentation. The wine is released undisgorged at roughly 5 bars of pressure.
Taste: This wine is somewhere between peachy-pink and sunset-orange; I’m sure someone out there can send me their best Pantone approximation. The nose is energetic with aromas of mandarin orange, pink strawberry, nectarine, wildflowers, sweet sage, pumpkin, allspice, and oolong. The palate is frothy and supple with a juicy and vinous texture. Although the wine is bone dry, it has the illusion of sweetness. In the context of sparkling wine, it is medium-bodied with plenty of length. You’ll find further flavours of candied ginger, rambutan, cantaloupe, peach blossom, angelica, and cara cara peels.
Pairing: The first restaurant I ever took a date to was The Broken Plate in Kensington. To my teenage eyes, it looked equal parts classy and approachable, the ideal location to show off my worldliness and seasoned palate (two descriptors that are anything but accurate). The only thing I can really remember about the date was the calamari. I had never had squid before but in the heat of the moment, I ordered us a plate to start. Forgetting my youthful fear of seafood (common amongst landlocked Canadians) I confidently dove in. Crispy batter, bouncy toothsome squid, zesty tzatziki, magma hot cherry tomatoes, and a little squeeze of lemon to brighten the whole thing. It may be a kitsch dish now, but it will always have a soft spot in my heart. Order some calamari, crush this wine, and feel youthful infatuation and wonder.
WINE THREE: RYAN STIRM CABERNET PFEFFER
About: There are less than 10 acres of Cabernet Pfeffer left in the world. Ryan believes it may be Bordeaux’s long-forgotten Mourtaou/Mancin, but there are so many origin stories floating around in the literature, we’re not sure what to believe anymore. The grapes were grown in San Benito County at a few old vine vineyards including Wirz. The grapes were fermented in open-top redwood fermenters with roughly two-thirds stem inclusion. After two weeks the wine was pressed off into old barrel for a ten-month élevage. 245 cases produced. 6.3g/l TA, pH 3.79
Taste: This wine is deceivingly pale in the glass -transparent ruby with bricky edges. The nose is perfumed, the aromas waft, like essential oils or incense. You’ll find notes of red currant, cedar, cubeb, dried rose, blood orange, red plum skins, black tea, cinnamon sticks, and warm sandstone. The palate is equally paradoxical. It is medium-bodied but with sturdy tannins that immediately remind me of Barbaresco. The acidity is fresh but balanced by delicate fruits and a resinous finish. You’ll find additional flavours of sandalwood, gardenia, blonde tobacco, cranberry, cascara, patchouli, and nutmeg.
Pairing: I usually try to keep my pairings local, but in this case, I can’t help but suggest Carbonara. Something about this wine feels so Italian to me even though it’s made from a French grape grown in California. I’d replace the guanciale with lamb belly if you can find it; the extra bass notes and umami will lift this wine even further. Don’t cheap out on the cheese here; you want something old that has a nutty sweetness, again, allowing this wine to really shine.
APRIL 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our April wine selections, featuring Le Grappin’s Beaujolais Fleurie Poncié, Meinklang’s Prosa Sparkling Rosé, and Paradise Grapevine’s Golden Hour Orange Wine.
WINE ONE: LE GRAPPIN BEAUJOLAIS FLEURIE PONCIÉ
About: This vineyard is planted on a ridge high above the village of Fleurie. This warm south-facing site tends to yield wines with similarities to Moulin-a-Vent. In an email exchange, Andrew was particularly excited about this cuvée. Being a traditionalist, Andrew used Jules Chauvet’s vintage notes from 1972 as winemaking inspiration. The wine is fermented whole cluster for three weeks before being pressed off into neutral foudres. No crushing, pumping, or plunging was performed during this time. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Taste: This wine is deep purple in the glass. The nose is saturated with aromas of blueberry, boysenberry, pink peppercorns, violet, crushed granite, cinnamon, black cherry cola, and oxalis. It is rich and satiating but with a lifted mid-palate. The saline acidity backs up a dense fruit core. The finish is silky but not lacking in phenolic structure. You’ll find additional flavours of saskatoon berry, black liquorice, concord grape, graphite, and lilac. No wonder Andrew was so excited - this is as classic as they come.
Pairing: I hope you’ve already given up on your new year’s diet because this pairing is a doozy. Truffade is a French dish invented somewhere near where this wine is grown. It consists of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in goose fat and then topped with Tome Fraiche, or Gruyere. Rumour has it some hedonists like to add lardons which I can’t help but recommend. Treat yourself.
WINE TWO: MEINKLANG PROSA
About: This sparkling rosé is made from a combination of Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, and Blaufränkisch. The grapes are direct pressed into stainless steel to ferment. The charmant method is used to trap CO2 and render the wine bubbly. It is loosely filtered and stabilized with 70ppm of Sulphur before bottling.
Taste: This wine is medium pink in the glass. The nose is immediately celebratory with aromas of strawberry, pink grapefruit, cherry blossoms, pink salt, mountain glaciers, and hibiscus tea. The palate is silly with tangy acidity, bouncy fruit, low alcohol, and just the faintest whisper of sweetness. The bubbles are soft and frothy. You’ll find further flavours of rainier cherry, hubba bubba, spray rose, and red currant—instant happiness.
Pairing: Burgenländischer Krautstrudel is a local dish consisting of a pastry wrapped around a slightly sweet cabbage spice with pepper, caraway, and nutmeg. The whole thing is rolled up and baked until golden brown, resulting in a sweet-savoury pinwheel of pure joy. The Austrian’s nail this combination with other regional dishes like Twestchen Knödel, a potato dumpling wrapped around whole damson plums, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried in butter. This wine is incredibly useful for these tricky pairings.
WINE THREE: PARADISE GRAPEVINE GOLDEN HOUR
About: This wine is a blend of several skin-fermented wines. Sauvignon Blanc sees ten days on skins, while Riesling and Chardonnay Musqué spent over 150 days gently macerating without cap management. The Chardonnay was affected by botrytis which tends to slow fermentation and increase glycerol resulting in a richer wine. Inspired by the Jura, some barrels were filled to 2/3rd to allow gentle oxidation.
Taste: This wine is as gold as the name would suggest. The nose is warm and inviting with aromas of grilled peach, honeysuckle, dried pear, marcona almond, agave nectar, breadfruit, fried plantain, nectarine, and sesame. The palate is expansive and comforting with a viscous texture, subtle tannins, and pronounced flavour intensity. It rolls along merrily, sedate, humming. You’ll find further flavours of yellow plum, apple blossom, crystallized ginger, cardamom, and sassafras.
Pairing: I won’t get into the history here but get a classic Halifax Donair. The combination of spiced beef, a hodgepodge of lukewarm veggies, and the confoundingly delicious sweet sauce, all conveniently wrapped in a grilled pita, should have you all salivating immediately. If you’d prefer day drinking, this wine loves breakfast. Get yourself a classic Montreal bagel (sesame seeds, duh), toast it, butter it, and top it with a thick layer of cretons - my actual kryptonite.
MARCH 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our March featured premium wines: Peter Wetzer’s Spern Steiner Kekfrankos, Koppitsch’s Perspektive Rot, and Maloof’s Scrambled Sticks.
WINE ONE: KOPPITSCH PERSPEKTIVE ROT
About: This wine was made to emphasize the characteristics of limestone. Grown in Neuberg just north of Neusiedl, this south-facing slope features limestone soils predominantly but with some schist. It is made from Sankt Laurent (30%) and Blaufrankisch (70%) from vines planted in the early 2000s. The grapes are mostly destemmed (90%) and crushed, spending ten days on skins before being pressed off into old barrel. After twenty-two months in barrel, the wine is bottled, unfined and unfiltered. No SO2 was added to this vintage. Two hundred cases were produced. 5.5 g/l TA
Taste: This wine is pale ruby in the glass. The nose is whimsical and spritely, immediately pulling me into an enchanted forest. You’ll find aromas of beets, sour cherries, lichen, geosmin, dried lavender, damp earth, and cherry tomato. It has a crunch and snap. You’ll find modest tannin, prickly acidity, and weightlessness on the palate. It’s got a real saline, crystal, glimmering quality - like finding a precious stone amongst the riverbed's rocks. You’ll find further flavours of violet, crunchy purple carrots, black tea, graphite, plum skins, and underripe blueberry. So much vigour!
Pairing: Since Koppitsch is located only a few kilometres from the Hungarian border, I feel like they’ll forgive me for suggesting a dish from their neighbours. Lecsó is a stew made from peppers (wax peppers, banana peppers, etc.) cooked in bacon fat with tomatoes and a generous helping of paprika. This rich vegetable dominant stew had precisely the right vegetal notes to complement this wine.
WINE TWO: PETER WETZER SPERN STEINER KEKFRANKOS
About: Steiner Vineyard has been called western Hungary’s grand-cru since the 15th Century. This east facing site features primary mica schist and gneiss. This site is warm and dry but low yielding due to extremely low levels of soil nutrients. This wine was fermented in open-top wood vats with a tiny amount of stem inclusion. After several weeks on the skins, the wine is pressed off into neutral barrel. It is released later than the rest of their red cuvées to allow the tannins time to settle. It’s been nearly three years since our last allocation.
Taste: This wine is deep ruby with purple highlights. It is sturdy, built from stone with a solid foundation, unshakable, impervious. On the nose, you’ll find commanding aromas of black plums, wild bay, warm dates, dynamite, cherrywood, dried rose, cinnamon sticks, capocollo, and black currant. The palate is structured with mouth-coating tannins, a base driven acidity that hums along behind this wine’s unctuous texture. The alcohol adds a warming spice and carries the wine long after you’ve swallowed. You’ll find further flavours of candied beet, clove, paprika, stewed strawberry, oud, and prairie sage. Tempestuous, brooding.
Pairing: This is a sausage wine. Fortunately, Hungary has a couple of local specialities I think would pair nicely. Májas Hurka is made with pork offal (lungs, kidneys, liver, tongue, heart) and rice. Its pungent savouriness makes it an ideal foil for this wine. Véres Hurka is their rendition of blood sausage, another personal favourite. There’s something about wines from hard rocky soils pairing well with these more rustic dishes; get adventurous, you’ll be blown away by the synergy.
WINE THREE: MALOOF SCRAMBLED STICKS
About: This cuvée comes from the famed Johan Vineyard. Since 2007 this cold site has been farmed biodynamically. Their location in the Van Duzer corridor, a depression in the coastal range that permits cool oceanic winds to enter the Willamette Valley, adds to the site's uniqueness. Soils here are marine sediment and granite. This wine is a blend of Ribolla Gialla (35%), Pinot Gris (30%), Tocai Friulano (20%), and Chardonnay (15%). Some of the Pinot Gris was fermented on skins for nine months in an amphora made by Andrew Beckham. Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano were also direct pressed into an amphora for both fermentation and élevage. The rest of the wine combines direct press and skin-fermented wines aged in neutral barrel. Two hundred sixty-nine cases were produced this year.
Taste: This wine is pale sunset orange in the glass. It is immediately exuberant, eccentric, eclectic. You’ll find flavours of tangerine, passionfruit, peach fuzz, grapefruit, sea buckthorn, tiger lily, candy necklace, dill seed, and quinine. The palate is pricky and salty, and tangy. It jolts you awake and makes your hair stand on end. This wine rolls down grassy hills with abandon. On the palate, you’ll find papaya, cantaloup, prickly pear, tiger tail ice cream, young apricot, and flint—surrealist wine at its finest.
Pairing: Spam Musubi has been a favourite of mine for years. The combination of umami slices of fried canned ham, glazed with soy and mirin, on toothsome sushi rice, wrapped in nori, really sings to me. Gua Bao, the ubiquitous pork belly steam bun, would also work perfectly. Five-spice powder, peanuts, and pickled mustard greens will get along beautifully with this aromatic wine.
MARCH 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our March wine selections, featuring Les Lunes’ Cosmic Blend, Dormilona’s Yokel Grenache, and Ryan Stirm’s Kick-On Riesling.
WINE ONE: DORMILONA YOKEL GRENACHE
About: These bush vines were planted in the 1950s in the middle Swan River Valley and are dry farmed. The grapes are destemmed into open-top tank for fermentation with minimal cap manipulation for up to seven days. It is then pressed off into tank for élevage on lees before racking and bottling with minimal SO2. The label always features an illustration of the Western Australian Swamp Tortoise, one of the most endangered species on the continent. Josephine donates money from every bottle of Yokel sold to help with their conservation. In 2020, a vast swath of their habitat was burned down in wildfires. To commemorate the brave firefighters that helped save them from the brink, this year’s tortoise is dressed like a turn of the century firefighter.
Taste: This wine is pale ruby in the glass. The nose is youthful with plenty of verve. You’ll find aromas of fresh grape, strawberry, nibstm, hibiscus, cascara, and honeybush. It’s a blushing cherub, innocent and pure. The palate is glossy and polished; it has the sheen of 90s lip gloss. It is medium-bodied with tea-like tannins, a supple texture, and a warm finish. You can feel the Australian sunshine. You’ll find additional flavours of redwood, red apple skins, cherry blasters, and candied rose petals.
Pairing: As you know, I love diving deep into a country’s food culture to find unsung dishes I think would compliment each wine. During my research for this pairing, I discovered an alarming combination I can’t help but share here: The Hamdog. Some guy from Western Australia created an ingenious bun shape that allows you to have both a hamburger and a hotdog simultaneously. This engineering marvel must be one of this country’s crowning culinary achievements. Conveniently, it would pair sensationally with grenache. You’re welcome. (Don’t believe me? Google it.)
WINE TWO: LES LUNES COSMIC BLEND
About: This wine is Shaunt & Diego’s take on a classic Bordeaux Blend. The Cabernet Sauvignon (74%) comes from four different vineyards around Sonoma: Stone Barn, Locke, Coplan, and Millen. The Merlot comes from Pyaleh Vineyard in Carneros, a cooler sub-region of the valley. They farm these sites using organic methodologies: dry-farming, compost and manure as fertilizer where needed, cover crops to increase soil health and biodiversity, and spraying according to the moon cycles. The remaining grapes (3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Zinfandel, 3% Chenin Blanc) are farmed by their friends using equally sustainable practices. The bulk of the grapes were hand destemmed and fermented on skins for between 4-14 days before being pressed off. A small percentage was made as rosé to add delicacy to the final blend. Each grape/site was fermented and aged separately, only blended after a seven-month élevage in neutral oak and tank. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with 15ppm of SO2. Seven hundred sixteen cases were produced this vintage.
Taste: This wine is medium purple in the glass. The nose is expressive and lifted with aromas of blueberry, plum skins, dried violets, wild mint, prairie sage, cola nut, and lava salt. It’s wildly energetic and fresh. The palate is equivalently uplifting with tightknit tannins, a salinity that balances the fruit, crispy acidity, and a sustained finish. The finish yields blackberry jam, lilac, black tea, black currant leaf, saskatoon berry, and oxalis. It’s a modern classic, quintessential, archetypal.
Pairing: Did you know the French Dip sandwich was invented in LA? The fable goes something like this: A police officer is in a hurry to grab a sandwich from Philippe the Original; Philippe Mathieu, the proprietor, in a mad dash to get him his food quickly accidentally drops the sandwich in a pan of drippings; the police officer was unfazed and liked it so much he brought the rest of his crew in the following day for a repeat. Essentially, it’s shaved beef, some mustard and horseradish, and maybe a slice of swiss cheese, dipped in a concentrated broth. I adore this pairing.
WINE THREE: RYAN STIRM KICK-ON RIESLING
About: Kick-On vineyard is located 16km east of the ocean in Los Alamos Valley, just north of Santa Barbara. This is an offshoot of the transverse range; the valley runs west-east, which means oceanic breezes cool the vineyard daily. Ryan’s vineyard block is planted mostly on windblown sand with just a pinch of clay and chirt cobbles. Strong winds cause the vines to close their stomas, resulting in incredibly delayed ripening. The grapes were macerated as whole clusters for two days before being pressed off into stainless steel. After three days of cold settling, the juice was racked into a tank for wild fermentation. No Sulphur was added until after malolactic conversion. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration. One hundred twenty cases were produced. 3.29 pH, 6 g/l TA
Taste: This wine is pale gold in the glass. The nose is contemplative, thoughtful, charming in a classic way. It has aromas of pear flesh, lime oil, maldon, yellow plums, dried mango, apple blossom, and kerosene. The palate is defiant with viscous weight, the illusions of sweet fruit despite being void of sugar, and a phenolic edge adding tension to the finish. It paradoxically sends you to the tropics and the arctic simultaneously. The palate reveals notes of pine nut, beeswax, chamomile, fennel pollen, yellow apple, candied lemon, and meringue. What a treat!
Pairing: Invented in 1923 at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel, Green Goddess Dressing is undergoing a significant revival. This herbaceous mixture features salty anchovies, tarragon, chives, parsley, garlic, and tons of lemon, making it as fresh as it is savoury. Sour cream gives the whole thing a creamy tang making it the ideal dip for raw spring veggies. I’m a huge fan of asparagus, yellow peppers, and breakfast radishes with this wine. It’s the perfect way to start a leisurely Sunday lunch.
FEBRUARY 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
All the information you’ll need for our February featured premium wines: Intellego Syrah vs Craven Firs Syrah, and Intellego Chenin Blanc vs Craven Chenin Blanc.
WINE ONE: INTELLEGO CHENIN BLANC
About: This wine is a blend of two dry-farmed sites, one planted in 1980 on decomposed granite and the second planted in 2002 on Oakleaf gravel. The two plots ripen three weeks apart, complementing each other wonderfully. They were each whole-cluster pressed into neutral 228 and 500l barrels. After ten months of élevage, the wine is racked and bottled.
Taste: This wine is pale gold in the glass. The nose is uplifting with aromas of lime leaf, coriander, meyer lemon, yellow apple, pink salt, guava, daffodil, and ginger. The palate is zesty with citrusy acidity, medium weight, and brilliant flavour intensity. It soars - swooping, gliding on thermals, weightless but muscular. On the finish, you’ll find anjou pear, yuzu, perilla leaf, river stones, gooseberry, sunflower seeds, yoghurt, and shiso. It is wonderfully focused and expansive.
Pairing for both Chenins: Since you’ve already fired up the braai, we might as well keep grilling! Crayfish are often marinated in Malay Curry, a sweet and savoury blend of fruit, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry powder, hot chillies, and then grilled over the coals. Serve them next to a big pile of geelrys, turmeric and raisin infused rice. Peri-Peri Chicken’s history is far too convoluted and controversial for me to delve into here, but it would also make a phenomenal pairing.
WINE TWO: CRAVEN CHENIN BLANC
About: The grapes from this vineyard were historically sold off to Distell, the prestigious creator of Two Oceans. Fortunately, when the son of the previous owner took over, he opened up sales to smaller producers instead. Despite this history, the 35-tear-old radial-bush-vines were never chemically farmed. The east facing site features typical granitic soils. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed into neutral puncheon where they slowly ferment for months. After additional lees ageing and racking, the wine is bottled.
Taste: This wine is medium gold in the glass. The nose is comforting and calming with aromas of cashew, baked apple, silver needle tea, white chocolate, lemon marmalade, fresh apricot, warm stones, chamomile, and bee’s wax. The palate is equally soft and pillowy. The acidity is held in check by an oily viscosity and nougaty texture. It is technically bone dry, but sweet fruits give it a deceiving unctuousness. On the finish, you’ll find macadamia nut, yellow plums, saffron, warm fleece, sultana, quince, and honeysuckle.
WINE THREE: INTELLEGO SYRAH
About: After working in Cote-Rotie, Jurgen fell in love with Syrah. This was the first cuvée made under his own label and has become their flagship. The fruit comes from vines planted in 2003 on the Paardeberg’s granitic soils. The southwest-facing slope helps mitigate the summer heat. Whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration was carried out in tank for eleven days before the wine was pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage.
Taste: This wine is a vivid purple-ruby in the glass. The nose is truly an ode to the Northern Rhone with aromas of blackberry, pink peppercorns, gunpowder, violets, black tea, raspberry, and fennel seeds. The palate is equally historic with moderate grainy tannins, focused acidity, a linear mouthfeel, and a persistent finish. It is fully saturated but not overbearing. The interplay between warm rocks and cool fruit keeps me enthralled for hours. On the finish, you’ll find additional flavours of niçoise olive, charred birch, wet rose, volcanic salt, red currant, oregano flowers, and plum skins.
Pairing for both Syrahs: South Africa has a long tradition of grilling. A braai (barbeque) is a communal affair, a celebration of sorts and an excuse to gather around, share stories, recipes, and more recently, wine. A few favourites include coils of boerewors, a rich spiced sausage; sosaties, skewers of lamb marinated in tamarind and curry leaves, punctuated with apricots; or smileys, whole lambs heads. You’ll need a side of roosterkoek (a grilled bread) and phuthu (a cornmeal porridge) to sop up all the sauces. Blatjang, the traditional braai condiment, is a chutney made with stone fruits, spice (allspice, ginger), nuts and vinegar. If you plan on having it with this wine, I suggest opting for a slightly less sweet rendition to allow the wine to shine through.
WINE FOUR: CRAVEN FIRS SYRAH
About: The Cravens found this site in the Devon Valley, planted on richer red clay instead of the traditional granite. The vines are really vigorous, but they feel like they’ve achieved balance because of the warmer sub-climate. At twenty years old, these vines are really coming into their own. Whole-clusters are gently foot-tread several times per day during fermentation, trying not to disturb too many bunches. After nine days, the wine is pressed off into old puncheon for a ten-month élevage. 3.79 pH, 4.7 TA
Taste: This wine is a concentrated purple in the glass. The nose is intense and brooding with aromas of black currant, rosemary, cocoa nibs, lightly roasted gesha, dried roses, thippili, black figs, and binchotan. The palate is ripe with luxurious tannins, a rich mouthfeel despite its modest alcohol level, and a bevelled acidity. On the finish, you’ll find further flavours of date, black cardamom, clove, balsam, plum flesh, blueberries, and rooibos—lots of oomph; barrel-chested.
FEBRUARY 2022 FEATURED WINES
All the information you’ll need for our January wine selections, featuring Cantina Marilina’s Currivu Rosso, Lightning Rock’s Elysia Pinot Noir, and Louis-Antoine Luyt’s Pipeño Blanco.
WINE ONE: CANTINA MARILINA CURRIVU ROSSO
About: This wine is made from a blend of Nero d'Avola and Merlot grown near Noto on white calcareous soils. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on skins for just over a week before being pressed off into concrete tank. The wine is lightly filtered for large sediment and bottled.
Taste: This wine is medium ruby in the glass. The nose is quintessentially Italian with bright red cherries, rose petals, sweet sage, warm leather, wild raspberry, black cardamom, and liquorice root. It toes the line between refined and rustic. The palate is fresh with tart, fruity acid, sandy tannins, and a buoyant texture. It is charming, a loyal friend. You'll find further flavours of red apple, incense, warm clay, red currant, angelica, and graphite.
Pairing: If there ever was a wine for pasta and red sauce, this is it. It doesn't ask you to grow your own tomatoes, create your own seasoning blend, or hand roll the noodles; it just wants you to be happy. So buy that jar of sauce, boil some store-bought dried pasta, and call it quits.
WINE TWO: LIGHTNING ROCK ELYSIA PINOT NOIR
About: The fruit for this cuvée comes from their exposed granitic home vineyard high above the lake in Summerland. They played around with different percentages of whole clusters, ranging from 25-75% inclusion. After 21 days on skins, the wine was pressed off into neutral barrel. The wine underwent an eight-month élevage before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Taste: This wine is medium ruby in the glass. On the nose, you'll find classic aromas of black cherry, red plums, cedar, dried rose, gunpowder, sandalwood, and cigar box. It is witty, well-kempt, compelling but not a try-hard. The palate is perky with jolly acidity, focused tannins, and a silky mouthfeel. There's no grit despite its rocky flavour profile; the edges are bevelled. You'll find further flavours of raspberry, currant leaf, prairie sage, liquorice whips, graphite, and tonka bean.
Pairing: I seldom deviate from the classics when it comes to Pinot Noir. Maybe I'm stuck in my habits, but roast chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, and a caesar salad are all I need when Pinot is involved. If you feel extra ambitious, you can brine the bird first. I'd also suggest dry ageing it for two+ days in the fridge if you'd like extra crispy skin. It's worth the extra effort.
WINE THREE: LOUIS-ANTOINE LUYT PIPEÑO BLANCO
About: This wine is made from a blend of Torontel, Corinto (Chasselas), Cristalina (Semillon) and Muscat d’Alexandria. The vines are over 100 years old planted in sandy soils. The grapes are hand destemmed using the traditional zaranda method. The juice then ferments on skins for up to three weeks in open-top wooden vats. The wine is then settled in tank before bottling - sometimes with minor filtration and a pinch of SO2.
Taste: This wine is a cloudy lemon-green in the glass. The nose is outlandish, sassy, frivolous, with aromas of peach iced tea, tangerine pith, lime leaves, candied ginger, raw turmeric, guava, honeysuckle, and white currant. The palate is electric with crunchy acidity, rocky tannins, and a sustained finish. Despite its low alcohol, the phenolics and flavour intensity make it appear fuller-bodied than it is. You'll find additional flavours of aloe, yellow beats, green banana, castelvetrano olive, lemon balm, and nectarine.
Pairing: Our Edmonton employee, Mark Couchot, connected with his Chilean roots for this month's paring. He's even included convenient links with recipes if you plan on trying them out for yourself.
"Pipeño is often the first offering of the season, and a hearty dish of porotos granados offers plenty of sweet squash and hearty beans to play off the floral but not delicate aspect of this wine."
"Sopaipillas pasadas is a sweet pancake street food that is a pleasing pairing for the fruit notes of this wine but just as versatile as pipeño it can also be served savoury with fresh pebre, both make great party snacks for this large-format wine."