Innovative and always experimenting, the guys at Cantina Indigeno are obsessed with making primal/wild wines.

Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts without temperature control. Skin contact for 8 days in open vats, followed by ageing on the lees for 8 months in fiberglass tanks.

Foggy orange-gold in colour, very aromatic with grapefruit, lemon zest, sea spray, musk, baked pear, clover honey, wildflowers.

Lightening tanginess and racy acidity fuse with apple, lemon, grapefruit and nectarine.

Nuttiness accents the saline mineral finish.

Cantina Indigeno ‘Bianco’ Vino Bianco 2020

 Innovative and always experimenting, the guys at Cantina

Dedicated to organic and biodynamic methods, childhood friends Marco Giuliani and Davide Gentile are constantly experimenting and learning.

From a 1 hectare vineyard with vines 25 years in average age, with clay/limestone soils. Hand-harvested, destemmed, overnight maceration with the skins, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in stainless steel, aged in stainless steel, unfined, unfiltered, no added SO2.

Pineapple, peach, green apple, basil, lemon, orange, nutty trace, drizzle of honey accented by tangy acidity and gauzy green tea tannins.

Lemon zest, nectarine, and thyme infuse the crisp mineral finish.

 Uva e basta [100% Grape] 💥 Dedicated to organic and

Antonio and Daniela di Gruttola save indigenous, old vineyards in Irpinia that were at risk of being abandoned or uprooted.

Grapes are from a 70 year old vineyard located 450 meters in elevation. Spontaneous fermentation on the skins with wild yeasts for a couple of days, followed by 1 year in chestnut casks. Unfined, unfiltered, no added sulphur. ➖

Intricate tiers of grapefruit, peach, nectarine, plum, lavender, clover honey, saline minerality flanked by green tea tannins and tangy acidity.

Pear, white pepper, ginger, wildflowers, smoky earth infuse the salty finish. Dynamic, vibrant, compelling.

Cantina Giardino ‘Paski’ Coda di Volpe Campania IGP 2018

 Antonio and Daniela di Gruttola save indigenous, old

Another ♦️from iconic Alsace winemaker Christian Binner

‘Si Rose’ was inspired by Roman winemaking in which white wine was made with macerated grapes, along with the increasing temperature in Alsace, causing difficulties with slow ripening varieties.

Grapes are from are from 2 consecutive vintages, from south facing hillside vineyards with limestone soils.

20% macerated for 8 months, 80% macerated for 8 days, bottled in autumn 2020. Unfined, unfiltered, no added So2.

Bright coral-orange in colour, very aromatic; with mango, rose water, melon, grapefruit, nutmeg, orange. Delicate Bergamot black tea tannins and tingly acidity accent layers of blood orange, strawberry, peach, grapefruit, mango, nectarine, lavender, candied ginger.

Thyme, orange and citrus zest infuse the crisp, mineral finish.

Domaine Binner ‘Si Rose’ Vin de France NV

 Another ♦️from iconic Alsace winemaker Christian Binner ‘Si

Anneliese and Werner Michlit live in harmony with nature, agriculture and viticulture in the middle of a World Heritage Site in Seewinkel, on the eastern side of Lake Neusidl in Burgenland

Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts with skin maceration for about 20 days in concrete eggs, aged on the lees for 1 year

Orange, pink grapefruit, apricot, apple, mango accented by tingly acidity.

Green tea tannins fuse with peach, mango and citrus zest on the crisp mineral finish.

Field Blend of Gewürztraminer, Gelber Traminer, Roter Traminer

Meinklang ‘Konkret’ Weiss Burgenland 2016

 Anneliese and Werner Michlit live in harmony with nature

Melding experimentation with minimal intervention and organic viticulture in Abruzzo...

Grapes are from a north-facing cru vineyard in Atri, at 400 meters in elevation. Destemmed and soft pressed, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, 7 day maceration on the skins, aged in fiberglass tanks

A gleaming fusion of mango, orange, lemon, sea spray, candied ginger, hibiscus, grapefruit, super light fizz framed by green tea tannins and citrus acidity.

Apricot, lemon, nuts linger on the salty finish.

Cantina Indigeno ‘Calanchi’ Vino Bianco 2020

 Melding experimentation with minimal intervention and

A collaboration born from a unified commitment to preserving the land, grapes, traditions and people behind the wines.

La Viranda dall’Alto Cooperativa in Monferrato and Valli Unite Cooperativa in Alessandria, A Vita is in the Cirò hills of Calabria.

Golden layers of fig, pear, nectarine, delicate fizz glossed by citrus acidity. Light, green tea tannins fuse with herbs and citrus zest on the crisp finish.

Blend of Cortese, Pecorino, Timorasso, Chardonnay

Il Collettivo Strade Sterrate ‘Bolle senza Frontiere’ Vino Bianco Frizzante

 ‘Bubbles without Borders’ A collaboration born from a

𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒎, 2018

Umbria might not be the biggest and most famous appellation in Italy, but with many upcoming names focusing on biodynamics and low intervention wines, the future seems bright.

Fongoli, run by Letizia and Angelo, has worked organically since the beginning of the winery’s history in 1927. Their portfolio of wines range from the more classic to the more juicy and “fun” wines - all made with care and nature in mind.

• The local Trebbiano Spoletino, used here, is distinct from Trebbiano Toscano by, most often, producing wine with a richer texture and more overt and deep fruit and having a less bright acidity.

• Spontaneous fermentation in open vats

• Aged in steel tanks for a few months on the lees

The aromas are very expressive. Heavy and fresh at the same time, offering notes of warm apple juice, tangerine peel, canned peaches, dried apricot, mango puré, honey and chamomile with hints of spray painting, sweet liquorice and asphalt.

The palate in rich with fine grained tannins and a medium acidity and a prickling minerality. Nice crunchy mouth feeling.

Semidried apricot, bitter orange jam, grilled pineapple, pepper and herbs on the tongue. Walnut and salt on the finish.

Nice, but gets a bit mousy pretty quick, though.

 ⭐️88+/100⭐️ 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒎, 2018 📍Montefalco, Umbria, Italy🇮🇹 🍇

Another rebel in the pioneering Lazio wine movement is Marco Colicchio. He revitalized tiny, old, abandoned vineyards of native grapes at the foot of the volcanic Colli Albani [Alban Hills] in Castelli Romani, about 12 miles southeast of Roma.

Malvasia Puntinata vines are in predominantly calcareous soils, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts on the skins, unfined, unfiltered, no added SO2

Lemon, thyme, sea spray, jasmine, yellow apple, saline minerality glossed by super light, green tea tannins and fresh acidity.

Citrus zest accents the smoky finish. Refreshing and lively.

100% Malvasia Puntinata [Malvasia del Lazio]

Marco Colicchio ‘DeLiCa Bianco’ Vino Bianco 2020

 Another rebel in the pioneering Lazio wine movement is

Acquiring small, abandoned vineyards along Lake Bolsena in Lazio, Massimo Antonuzi and Patrizia Montanari revitalized old [70+ years], un-grafted native vines, saving them from extinction or being ripped out.

Organic and biodynamic cultivated vines are in volcanic soils [a mix of tuff/sand/rock], 400-550 meters above sea level. Hand harvested and destemmed, crushed by foot. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeast with 10 day skin maceration in fiberglass tanks. Aged in old oak and chestnut barrels for at least 1 year. Unfined, unfiltered, no added SO2.

Vivid blood orange, apricot, apple, honeysuckle, sea salt glossed by citrus acidity and supple green tea tannins. Orange zest infuses the smoky mineral finish.

85% Procanico, 10% Trebbiano, 5% Malvasia

 Acquiring small, abandoned vineyards along Lake Bolsena in

Where Lazio and Umbria meet, dedicated to the native grapes found there.

Fully sustainable, certified organic and carbon neutral, members of FIVI, the Independent Winegrowers Italian Federation.

From a single vineyard, Vigneto Cerquabella, planted in 2010 with volcanic and alluvial soils. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, skin contact, ageing in stainless steel.

Lime zest, lemon, basil, pignoli, sea salt, drizzle of wildflower honey flanked by light green tea tannins and citrus acidity. Citrus zest underscores the smoky mineral finish.

With Polpettine di ceci e menta and ricotta di bufala e miele al tartufo [chickpea and mint balls and buffalo ricotta with truffle honey]

Trebotti ‘Incanthus’ Tuscia DOP 2020

 “Volcanic, independent, organic.” Where Lazio and Umbria

2019 Big Table Farm - Pinot Gris (90 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Pinot Gris from Rivenwood Vineyard in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Pinot Gris, as the name implies, actually has quite a bit of skin color (grayish-blue). They fermented this wine on the skins for ten days that looks more like a rosé than a typical skin contact white wine (aka orange wine). The wine went through complete malolactic fermentation and spent ten months in neutral French oak. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

👃 Pronounced intensity on the nose. Aromas of Earl Grey tea, rosewater, ripe persimmon, peach skin, candied orange, kumquat, elderflower, and cherry blossom.

👄 The wine is dry, medium acidity, faint tannins, medium alcohol (13%), and medium+ body. A medium length finish of persimmon, Earl Grey tea, and rosewater.

🔔 The best way to describe this wine is a "swanky candle" from a fancy store in liquid form. You know those candles that smell so good you want to try and eat them? Enjoyable floral and herbal flavor profile. The fruit is so concentrated that I thought there might be some residual sugar, but it is bone dry and has some heft to it on the palate. Pinot Gris makes compelling skin contact wines, and anyone that likes this style of wine should check this out. I slightly prefer the 2019 over the 2018.

 2019 Big Table Farm - Pinot Gris (90 pts) @bigtablefarm ℹ️

2014 Forlorn Hope - Dragone Ramato Pinot Gris (91 pts)

- Pale Ruby with an orangish tint. Medium intensity on the nose with apple skins, dried cherries, dried apricots, orange marmalade, dried flowers, and a definite chamomile tea note. The wine is dry, medium acidity, low soft tannins, medium- alcohol, and medium+ body. The palate sings of dried fruit (dried cherries, dries cranberries, and dried apricots), underripe apple, orange peel, and chamomile tea that dominates the medium+ length finish. This wine has a lot of texture due to the skin contact and really makes the wine on the palate. This wine gets an easy 2 point bump just for being thought provoking. The flavor profile of dried fruit and tea is very unique. I am a big Pinot Gris fan and this sets a new reference point for its potential in an orange wine style. Outside of the wine geek inside me, this wine is super tasty. If you drink it serve at room temperature otherwise the aromatics were quite closed.

 2014 Forlorn Hope - Dragone Ramato Pinot Gris (91 pts)

2015 Ryme Cellars - Ribolla Gialla Vare Vineyard (91 pts)

🙋‍♂️ What is your favorite Italian white wine grape variety❓·

ℹ️ A few weeks back, I stopped to visit Ryme Cellars. Ryan and Megan Glaab started Ryme in 2007. What I find the most interesting is their choice of obscure Italian grape varieties. They were inspired through their travels in Europe, but still manage to make something still Californian. This is 💯 Ribolla Gialla, fermented on the skins with a Maceration that last 6 months in Amphorae. Then aged 18 months in neutral oak barrels. Finally bottle aged for another year before release·

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of acacia, orange blossom, orange zest, cream, licorice, butterscotch, and orange creamsicle·

👄 The wine is dry, medium acidity, low sandy tannins, medium alcohol, and medium body. The wine has an excellent creamy texture throughout. The palate shows some spice, licorice, nutmeg, orange zest, and yogurt. The finish ends in a floral note of orange blossom and acacia. Medium length very clean finish·

🔔 A lot of new world orange wines are heavy handed, but this has a deft touch and elegance to it that is quite appealing. It has a lot of complex flavors, but isn't rich. Most importantly it makes you want to go back for more. I really want to see this in a few years as the nose changed a lot in the glass and I believe it will improve further. Ribolla Gialla is one of my favorite white 🍇 from Italy. Good stuff 👍·

 2015 Ryme Cellars - Ribolla Gialla Vare Vineyard (91 pts)

2015 Domaine Glinavos - Paleokerisio (85 pts)

- Probably one of the geekiest wines I have tasted in awhile. Medium onion skin color. Pronounced intensity on the nose. Aromas of yeast, marzipan, dried apricots, green olives, and peach fruit tea. The wine is medium dry, the bubbles are fairly faint but did help lift aromatics. The acidity was medium+, low alcohol, low tannins, and medium body. Palate was pretty straight forward peach fruit tea, almost Arnold Palmer (lemonade tea mix), dried apricots, sultana, and heavy yeast notes. Overall this was interesting and could be fun on a warm day. Imagine a sour beer had a baby with a skin contact natural wine fermented in an amphora, this would be it. Semi-Sparkling semi-dry orange wine from Greece. Yes this is how I choose to spend my 💰🤓! Made from Debina (white ~97%) and Vlahiko (red ~3%) grapes.

 2015 Domaine Glinavos - Paleokerisio (85 pts) #winereview -

2016 Vena Cava - Selección Privada Ambar (90 pts)

❓Have you ever tried a wine from Mexico 🇲🇽❓·

ℹ️ This wine is a skin contact Chardonnay from Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, Mexico. ⚠️ Baja California is a state in Mexico not a part of California, USA. This is the epicenter of the Mexican wine scene. Vena Cava itself is a winery to watch as they are focused on low production and trying to match Terroir with grape varieties. It was labeled by NPR's the Salt as the hippest winery in Mexico·

👁 Medium Amber color with a noticeable cloudiness and sediment·

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of kumquat, orange zest, tangerine, fresh squeezes orange juice, cheese rind, and chamomile tea·

👄 The wine is dry, medium acidity, medium- alcohol (not labeled), and full body. The palate is more intense. Flavors of orange juice, kumquat, pink grapefruit, orange zest, and yeast. There is an interesting sandy texture to the wine. The finish is medium+ length and shows the chamomile tea·

🔔 By far the most orange-y 🍊 orange wine that I have tasted. Is almost more like a still Pet Nat with the yeasty notes and the alcohol could be lower than I think. It's super geeky 🤓 and I like it. Tried their sparkling which I will post on soon·

 🙏 special thanks for delivering the wines to my resort·

 2016 Vena Cava - Selección Privada Ambar (90 pts)

2016 Anthesis Wines - Falanghina Alder Springs Vineyard

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Falanghina from the Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino County, California. Falanghina is a native grape of the Campania region in Southern Italy, so it is quite interesting to find an example in California. The Alder Springs Vineyard is at 2700 ft above sea level, allowing for long hang time to promote full physiological ripeness without high sugar levels. The wine undergoes whole cluster fermentation and skin contact for 30 days imparting a deep orange/amber color. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

👁 Deep orange color with noticeable haziness.

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of black tea, lemon zest, orange peel, dried apricot, chamomile, and earthiness.

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, low powdery tannins, medium alcohol (12.5%), and medium+ body. A lot of solids in the wine give a fair amount of texture on the palate. A medium length finish of lemon, black tea, and earthiness.

🔔 The wine is well made, and it is reminiscent of the skin contact "classic" producers in Friuli. However, I am not exactly sure what Falanghina from California should taste like because my experience with Campania is that the grape presents itself uniquely based on the vineyard site. There is a lot of passion for bringing this "classic" skin contact style of winemaking using grapes grown in cooler climate areas of California. If you are interested in exploring skin fermented wines in California, then add this to your list.

 2016 Anthesis Wines - Falanghina Alder Springs Vineyard

Orange wine aka amber wine aka skin-contact white wine aka skin-fermented white wine·

Obviously, it is not made from oranges, but I couldn't resist the emoji combination. Call it whatever you want, but please let me know if you ❤️ it or 💔 it in the comments below 👇·

 Orange wine aka amber wine aka skin-contact white wine aka

ℹ️ This wine is 💯Ribolla Gialla fruit from the Friuli region of northeast Italy. This a skin-contact or skin-fermented white wine. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed without the use of synthetic chemicals. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and native yeast fermentation. The juice is left to macerate on the grape skins for 3 months. The wines are aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for 3.5 years before being bottled. Bottling occurs without fining, filtering, or the addition of sulfur. The wines are aged an additional year in bottle before being released·

👁 Deep onion skin color, cloudy, and noticeable solids·

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of dried apricots, persimmon, dried apple, bruised pear, bruised nectarine, black tea, lemon zest, cinnamon, and bread dough·

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, low gritty tannins, medium alcohol (13%), and medium body. A lot of texture to the wine largely due to the grape solids still present. A long length finish of dried apricot, lemonade, and concentrated black tea·

🔔 This wine is thought-provoking. Look past the color and all.of the solids floating in the wine, even after decanting, and you have something quite intriguing. The nose is inviting and beats to a different drum. The palate is textured and layered. So many flavors are jumping out as you drink this wine. I know this isn't doing the wine justice, but it conjured up a memory of an Arnold Palmer (sun tea combined with lemonade), but a fancy version with exotic dried fruits and spices. The finish is long and pervasive. The vast array of food that could be enjoyed with this wine is impressive·

 2008 Radikon -  Ribolla Gialla (92 pts) @sasaradikon

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐚 (𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐨 & 𝐆𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐢) 𝒁𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒃𝒃𝒐 𝑩𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒐, 2014

📍Pantalleria, Terre Siciliane, Italy🇮🇹

🍇 100% Zibibbo (Muscat d’Alexandria)

In a former life Gabrio Bini was an eccentric architect in Milan. Now, he’s a an eccentric winemaker in a very eccentric place: the tiny volcanic island of Pantelleria, located just south—west of Sicily.

Since the foundation of Serragghia in 2000, Gabrio has become a legend - a cult figure when it comes to natural wine - because of his skills in the toughest natural environment, and because of his personality. Today, Gabrio and his son Giotto run the winery together.

+60 years old bush vines located on some of the highest vineyards on the island - extreme sun exposure balanced with the cool breeze from the ocean and the altitude. The vineyards have never seen any chemicals, are biodynamically farmed and tended by hand and horse

• Aged 7 months on the skin in Spanish amphoras, that are buried in the vineyards, and a few months in the bottle.

• Unfined, unfiltered and no added sulphur.

Wow!!! Extremely expressive on the nose and very tropical, offering notes of grilled mango and pineapple, orange oil, dried papaya, canned peach, dried apricot, rosemary and some undefinable herbs and a smoked/burnt scent.

The palate is almost vulgarly rich and “warm” with silky soft tannins and medium(+) acidity. On the tongue; sweet/sour unfiltered apple juice, kumquats in syrup, mango, passion fruit, candied citrus, almonds and yeast. The finish is long with lots of minerality - mainly salt.

 ⭐️92+/100⭐️ 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐚 (𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐨 & 𝐆𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐢) 𝒁𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒃𝒃𝒐 𝑩𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒐

Iconic, low intervention winemaker Christian Binner [of the legendary Domaine Binner] established ‘Les Vins Pirouettes’ label as a resource for organic and biodynamic grape growers to bottle their own wines, rather than sell their grapes to cooperatives.

Hand-harvested grapes, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, 2 days skin maceration, aged on the lees in tanks, second fermentation in the bottle. No added sugar or SO2, unfiltered, not disgorged.

Grapefruit, peach, nectarine, lemon, wildflowers and citrus acidity shimmer over a crisp mineral core.

Zippy fizz, a squeeze of citrus zest on the mineral finish.

Les Vins Pirouettes ‘Le PetNat de David’ Alsace 2020

 Iconic, low intervention winemaker Christian Binner [of the

Emiliano Giorgio and Arcangelo Galuppi passionately save old, abandon vineyards with native grapes in the Amaseno River valley of Lazio, in between Rome and Naples.

40 year old vines are in clay/limestone soils. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, about 5 days skin maceration, aged in stainless steel on the fine lees for 10 months. Unfined, unfiltered, no added SO2

Mango, peach, apricot, rose petal, lemongrass, green apple, drizzle of caramel flanked by green tea tannins and citrus acidity.

Ginger, pink grapefruit, nectarine and almond linger between each sunny sip. Vivid and zippy.

 Emiliano Giorgio and Arcangelo Galuppi passionately save

The driving force behind Alex Craighead’s winemaking is preservation of the biodiversity of the land on which he lives and makes wine.

Located in Upper Moutere, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, his 11 hectares of vineyards are certified biodynamic and organic.

Hand harvested, vines are in alluvial, clay and gravel soils. Spontaneous fermentation on the skins for 5-10 days in clay amphora, aged in clay amphora. Bottled by gravity, unfined, unfiltered, no added S02, corked by hand.

Tangy acidity and green tea tannins flank orange, nectarine, pink grapefruit, lemon, pear, citrus blossom and trace of yellow apple.

Orange zest, melon, trace of chamomile linger on the crisp finish.

50% Gewürztraminer, 40% Riesling, 10% Pinot Gris

 The driving force behind Alex Craighead’s winemaking is

Devoted to “wild wines”, 4 friends in Abruzzo meld experimentation with minimal intervention and organic viticulture.

Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, 3 days skin maceration, aged 6 months in fiberglass tanks, unfiltered, no added SO2

Spritely orange, lemon, pear, grapefruit, racy acidity glossed by super light fizz. Almond, hazelnut, orange zest infuse the salty finish.

Cantina Indigeno ‘Coco’ Vino Bianco 2020

 Devoted to “wild wines”, 4 friends in Abruzzo meld

Would love all Australian wineries to follow. My objective is to give simple wine reviews based on quality and value for money. We should all drink great wine, even on a Monday night. I would love to review your wines...simple...

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷.

 Would love all Australian wineries to follow. My objective

Rating: Strong Buy 🍷  2016 Iconique Barrique Pinot Noir by

This beauty is from Orange, NSW and been handpicked from the best Pinot available. Normally I choose a Pinot from the Mornington or Tassie but this wine has really made me look at wines from Orange (again). About $50 but well worth it. I’ve had Wines from Orange previously but this is next level and how much the Region has developed and killing the cool climate wines at the moment. Well done to

 Rating: Strong Buy 🍷  2016 Iconique Barrique Pinot Noir by

 Still working it out...not so simple... 🍷  Credit to

The Brutal wine cooperation (related to the cult Barcelona wine bar, Bar Brutal) is a loose cooperation of natural winemakers. To be “accepted” into the club, the winemaker has to make a “brutal” wine (in one way or another…) - super low intervention (natural) and only one barrel of it. It has to stand out as a funky or extreme wine - it can be some sort of experimental wine as well. In generel, the Brutal label looks the same, but in some cases, the winemaker is allowed to change the style a bit.

In this case, the rising start Johan Meyer’s “Mother Rock Brutal !” is vinified with 100% whole bunches of Chenin Blanc with 2 weeks of maceration in concrete egg.

The soils are granitic sands with Koffie Klip (iron-rich duricrust) over clay.

Compared with other Brutals I’ve had, this one’s less crazy but more approachable to most people (I guess). This is a juicy fruit bomb of a thirst-quencher. The nose is filled with heavy elderflower, pineapple, kiwi, apple, canned peach and a mild perfumed scent of sage and lychee. The palate is soft with medium+ acidity and a prickling minerality. Apple, canned pineapple, tangerine, white tea kombucha and white winegum on the tongue. Yes please - looking forward to next summer!

 ⭐️86/100⭐️ Mother Rock Brutal !, 2019 📍Swartland, South

📍Calce, Côtes Catalanes, Rousillon, France🇫🇷

Another one from one of my favorite natural wine producers.

And what a funky and funny, and yet elegant and delicious, wine from Tom Lubbe.

The old vines are harvested from a more than 110 year-old small parcel (0,5 hectares) with very low yield.

The grapes undergo 1 month of maceration in 1000 liter amphoras - afterwards matured 8 months in the same amphoras.

The wine looks, smells and tastes like Matassa. Seriously, look at that color!

It’s just the full Matassa power experience. It’s simply amazing!

Watermelon (juice and skin), rhubarb, nectarine, cranberry and wild strawberry, all followed by black pepper, bergamot and the almost “classic” complex Matassa funkiness.  It’s a nose to die for!

The palate is medium-bodied with a fine touch of chewy tannins balanced with a medium sharp volatile acidity. It’s got a crazy structure which, since my last try half a year ago, has integrated a lot more. It offers cranberry, fresh apricot, blood orange peel, peach and basil on the tongue with a white balsamic note. It’s super juicy and has a tiny sweet touch to it (a bit strawberry winegum-like and maybe some Fanta Exotic as well).

It still might benefit from a longer aging, but it’s already drinking superbly. ——

 ⭐️88/100⭐️ Matassa El Carner Rouge, 2018 📍Calce, Côtes

𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 (𝑾𝒆𝒊𝒔𝒔), 2020

📍Oggau am Neusiedler See, Burgenland, Austria🇦🇹

🍇 Field blend (should contain a lot of: Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder & Welschriesling)

Gut Oggau is a biodynamic wine project located in the small village of Oggau in Burgenland. Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe began the project back in 2007, when they bought and restored a 17th century winery, that had been abandoned for more than 20 years - vineyards included. The vines were standing untouched as long as the winery, which was perfect, as that allowed the Tscheppes to immediately begin working biodynamically with their viticulture. Today, they are fully Demeter-certified and one of the most well known austrian natural wineries.

One of the newer family members; first vintage in 2018 from newly purchased vineyards (not Demeter certified yet, hence the name “Maskerade”, but still biodynamically cultivated).

The grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed.  Fermented with a few hours maceration in used 1000 and 1500-liter barrels (elevage in the same barrels for about 8 months with no batonnage).  Bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero addition of sulfur.

The aromas are heavy and very expressive from the beginning with notes of mirabelle plum, apple juice, acacia honey, wet wood, elderflower juice, peach skin, dried apricot, yeast and sage.

The palate is rich and creamy with very low, but still slightly prickling, acidity offering nectarine, ripe pear, dried apricot, honey, tangerine and a hint of white pepper in the finish.

 ⭐️87/100⭐️ 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 (𝑾𝒆𝒊𝒔𝒔), 2020 📍Oggau am Neusiedler See

“Edmund” is extremely rare and limited with a tiny production - only 42 bottles are allocated to the UK, and I have no idea about how “many” there are here in DK..

It’s based on a field blend from limestone and slate vineyards, and since the Oggaus mainly work with the varieties of Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, Weissburgunder, Gewurztraminer, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch - let’s stick to them.

The wine undergoes 10 days of maceration before aging in big, old oak barrels.

The aromas came to life after some air and higher temperature, offering a mild nose of dried apricot, overripe pear, dried mango, black tea and pistachio.

The palate felt slightly oily with super low acidity and mild chewy tannins - really a funny texture. Again, apricot and mango all over with a hint of green olives.

I might have expected more complexity (also taken the price in consideration), but the more I think about it, the more I actually like it. Especially after tasting it again an hour later.

 for a lovely sunday-concept (and food such as  service).

 ⭐️91+/100⭐️ Gut Oggau Edmund, 2018 📍Oggau am Neusiedler See

𝑷𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒐, 2017

📍Arribes, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain🇪🇸

🍇 Malvasia / Godello / Palomino Fino / Moscatel / Albillo / Puesta en Cruz

In 2007, British Charlotte Allen founded her own small winery, Bodegas Almaroja, in a small remote village, Fermoselle, next to the Portuguese border in north-west Spain, after many years in the business from different perspectives.

Charlotte farms around 7 he of vineyards with 40 to +100 years old “pre-phylloxera” vines - all biodynamically and organically cultivated.

The winemaking approach is natural and “very low intervention”.

Hand-harvested from biodynamically cultivated vineyards (600-700 MAMSL) with vines of 40-100 years of age.

Fermented in steel tanks with 3 days maceration, and aged six months on the lees.