Helmut Christ | Silvaner | Nordheim, Franken, Germany | 2021
Maison Plantevin | Grenache/Mourvedre Rosé | Cote du Rhone, France |2021
We often see a recurring theme when it comes to vignerons who work naturally in Europe… Laurent-Arnaud Plantevin is a 6th generation winegrower who happens to be the first in the family’s lineage to make wine- the previous generations sold their grapes to local coop’s. Located in France’s Southern Rhone Valley, Maison Plantevin farms 16 hectares of vines dispersed among a myriad of microplots around the towns of Seguret, Sablet, and Plan de Dieu.
All of the vines are farmed organically. In the cellar, Laurent does as little as possible to let those 6 generations of meticulous farming shine in the glass. Here we see a slightly riper, fuller bodied rosé suitable for those last few al fresco dinners of summer.
🧑🤝🧑 Pair with: Mediterranean fare, summer watermelon salad, charcuterie, seared tuna steaks
🍇 Grape Variety: Grenache and Mourvedre, two principal grape varieties of Southern France
🌱 Farming: Organic
🍾 Winemaking: short maceration to extract tannin/body/color, followed by stainless steel fermentation to preserve freshness and keep the wine snappy and refreshing
🧑🏼🌾 Winemaker: Laurent-Arnaud Plantevin
🌎 Region: Cote du Rhone, France
🌡 Serve: Cold
Ziniel | "Zini" Coferment | Burgenland, Austria | 2021
Andi’s smiley baby face lights up with passion when he talks about his family estate, farming techniques, and wine. He attended Austria’s best viticulture school, and it shows…. Even his most experimental wines are clean, refined, and fundamentally sound.
“Zini” is certainly esoteric. A coferment of skin-macerated white and red grapes combine to create beautiful aromatics with plenty of freshness, vibrancy, and acidity- a perfect summer wine when you can’t decide to pull the cork out of a red or white bottle. As Andi describes, “my brothers and I are fun guys. Everyone in our hometown calls us ‘Zini,’ so we wanted to make a fun, unpretentious wine, in a big bottle.”
🧑🤝🧑 Pair with: Picnics! Grilled pork, kebabs, sausages
🍇 Grape Variety: Muskatellar, Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling (pinot blanc), and Zweigelt
🌱 Farming: Organic
🍾 Winemaking: Each grape variety is cofermented together in the same stainless steel vat on their skins for extra complexity and aromatics
🧑🏼🌾 Winemaker: Andi Ziniel
🌎 Region: Burgenland Austria
🌡 Serve: Cold
Mamaruta | Carignan Blend | "Cacahuète" | Languedoc, France | 2017
Marc Castan recovered his grandfather’s abandoned vines in Southern France’s Languedoc region and brought them back to life. The Languedoc has a reputation for mass-produced cheap plonk sold in bulk. However, in the right nooks and crannies, there are vineyards with amazing terroir with land at affordable prices. So young, hungry, up-and-coming winemakers are purchasing land there.
Marc’s vineyard site is on the Audois coast, so it benefits from a strong maritime influence. The terroir is rich and diverse with soil varying from pebbles rolled on the edge of a pond to limestone cliffs on the Mediterranean coast. The vines are surrounded by biodiverse vegetation- tamarind, pines, reeds, olives, almond trees, and scrubs of sage, lavender, and rosemary.
🧑🤝🧑 Pair with: Grilled Steaks, brisket, and other meaty meats
🍇 Grape Varieties: 45% Carignan, 45% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache
🌱 Farming: Organic
🍾 Winemaking: The grapes are sourced from a plot on clay-limestone soil. They were manually harvested in the morning at cool temperatures and undergo a 20-day maceration in wooden vats. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeast, and is finished in barrels. The wine ages for 10 months in barrels. Unfined & Unfiltered. No added sulfites. HARDCORE natural winemaking!
🧑🏼🌾 Winemaker: Marc Castan
🌎 Region: Languedoc, France
🌡 Serve: Room Temp