October Wine Club
No Brainer
Zeit-Rosé
A 100% zweigelt rose from lower Austria. Fritsch is a historical family estate, turned biodynamic by Karl in 2006. The winery is a founding member of Respekt Biodyn, an association of leading Austrian and German growers who share the biodynamic cultivation philosophy. The name means “time” in German and was inspired by the slowly passing time of the unusual year 2020. It was coined by Toni Silver, an artist and Austrian wine promoter who also designed the Bauhaus-inspired label.This wine is light in color, with notes of fresh plums, and sour cherries on the nose. Bright with pleasant acidity on the palate. A great aperitive wine, enjoyable on its own or with a wide variety of finger food and light dishes.
Rimbert-Ugni Glou
Made from 100% Ugni Blanc, also known as trebbiano in italy. Based in the village of St. Chinian of Provence.The wines are renowned for offering a pleasurable experience, more on the fruit and freshness than spice and power, a balance that the winemaker Jean-Marie achieves by only gentle extraction of the grapes. In the vineyard the producer is certified organicUsually ugni blanc is used in France for cognac and armagnac. However this wine is much lighter and more approachable as a daily drinker. The wine is fermented with skin for 2-3 days at controlled temperature with the natural yeast, then aged in tanks, lightly filtered and fined, and bottled the following spring without the addition of sulfur. So while the wine itself has more texture than a conventionally produced white wine. It still posses a wonderful acidic backbone with notes of white peaches, provincial herbs and a touch of salinity. It would pair well with rich seafoods like brandade, roasted mushrooms or white sauce pizza.
Azimut-Negre
A red natural wine made from a blend of 40% Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), 20% Garnatxa, 20% Monastrell, 10% Syrah, and 10% Samsó (Carignan). farmed organically in Penedes, Catalonia, Spain.The winery focuses on sustainability in all aspects. For example, the glass bottles are generally sourced within 100 km from the estate, and the winery has installed solar panels covering a big part of their electric supply.Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts, aging in concrete tanks for 8-15 months for malolactic fermentation. Azimut Negre Red is unfined and goes through a soft paper filter to remove tartaric particles. Minimal sulfites at bottling. The result is a medium-bodied mouthful of lip-smacking black cherry, blackcurrant, and mulberry, with hints of tobacco leaf, humidor, and smoldering campfire. Refreshing acidity and well-integrated tannins cleanse the palate after every sip. Even though the wine itself is vegan it would go great with bronco burgers, pork belly ramen and red chile enchiladas.
Bottle Popper
Deux Anes-L'Enclos
50% Grenache Noir, 20% Carignan, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah. “Deux anes” means “two donkeys”, after the real animals that live among the vines and help to prune and naturally fertilize them. (Now there’s actually three: Riquita, Pinocchio, and their mom Lolita)The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed. The fruit undergoes a pigeage—submerging the floating cap of skins in the vat thus allowing L’Enclos to maximize the flavor and color of the grapes. Natural yeasts are employed and the juice undergoes four to five weeks of maceration. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks and the wine sees time in used oak and stainless steel tanks before it is bottled without fining or filtration.Blue-black in the glass with a deep purple rounding the rim. Scents of red and black fruit intermingle with Blueberry ink, a warm note of garrigue, pine, and pounded limestone. The palate is a delectable expression of juicy plum, blackberry, black cherry, and deft flavors of sweet herbs. A buoyant note of minerality emerges near the finish and that is given a nice boost by the wine’s silken acidity. L’ Enclos will age gracefully for more than a decade, however, it drinks beautifully in its relative youth. This wine would pair well with fall classics like hearty stews, roasts, leg of lamb or a sweet potato casserole.
Filarole-Rosso
This wine is a blend of 80% Barbera, 15% Croatina, 5% mixed indigenous grapes from Emilia Romania in north western Italy. “Filarole” means “a couple of rows, a small vineyard” in the local Piacenza dialect – a very fitting name for this small-scale family project. This self-taught husband & wife team has chosen to work with old vines only, saved after years of neglect, and co-planted, as was the traditional custom in the area. The vines for this wine range from 40-100 years old. Grapes are hand-picked in small crates, selected, then crushed, and fermented using only indigenous yeast. Maceration takes 20 days with frequent punch-downs. Aged in fiberglass tank until bottling in spring. No fining, filtration, or sulfites added (total SO2 under 10ppm).
An easy-drinking red with distinct acidity, typical of the Barbera grape. Medium body, dry tannins. The perfect everyday wine going well with snacks, cold cuts, tomato-based pasta dishes, savory pies, or lasagna.
Savvy Sipper
Fedellos do Couto-Bastarda
Trousseau is a wine of many names. In Galicia, it goes by Merenzao, Maria Ordona, or Bastardo. Under any name, however, it is very rare to find a single varietal bottling of this grape from the terroir of Ribeira Sacra is not as ancient as you might think. What little flat land that may have once existed here was submerged with the damming of the Sil and Miño well over 40 years ago. During that time Spain was also witnessing a mass migration from rural areas into the cities, so in places like Ribeira Sacra, only the warmest and driest vineyards remained cultivated – those with southern and western exposures. As the valleys were transformed into lakes however the microclimate here gradually changed. Morning fogs became more common, nighttime temperatures increased and the amount of light reflecting off the water made the formerly "best" spots just a little too warm for the indigenous varietals of the region. Recently several young growers started looking to those long abandoned,From the the moment it is poured this is clearly Trousseau: ruddy, iron red in hue, the wine has aromas of violets, strawberries, salt, and earth. The palate is light but framed by pretty tannins that lend great structure: the palate leans towards tart red berries, orange peel, earth and granitic spice. If you're a fan of Jura Trousseau, this is a relative value and a fascinating expression of the variety; if you're enamored of the Mencia-based reds of Ribeira Sacra, this is an intriguing and satisfying refraction of that terroir through the lens of a very different grape.
Muster Grafin
100% sauvignon blanc from Austria. According to the winemaker “Our 22 hectare estate is located in southern Styria, near the Slovenian border. We, Sepp and Maria Muster, happily live and work here. We do most of our work by hand, which is difficult on such steep ground, but we operate from a bio-dynamic viewpoint. In 2003 we became members of the Demeter Association, an international biological community for those devoted to bio-dynamic work of the land. Our experience speaks to the fact that we only grow lively, vigorous vines from healthy soil. This, in turn, ensures the production of quality wine. In order to preserve the vitality of the grapes, we see ourselves more as companions of the process than winemakers. We adhere to our motto of, “Less is more.” We focus on letting the wine transform itself. This tradition gives the wine room to express itself and makes the use of chemical additives almost unnecessary.”As far as this particular wine goes Grafin means “countess” in German, the female counterpart of Muster’s Graf range.Grapes are hand-harvested and partly destemmed. They are fermented in 2400-liter wooden casks with indigenous yeast. The grapes macerate on the skins for between 2 and 4 weeks before they are transferred to 2400 and 1200-liter oval wooden tanks for elevage for about 23 months. Bottled without fining or filtration, no sulfur added. Sauv blanc edge meets maceration roundness. Wonderfully balanced between lush fruit, smoky and herbal notes and acidic backbone. Perfect pairing wine offering so much to play with.