August Subscription Wines
Tenuta Foresto • Favonio • 2022 • Moscato Bianco • Orange • Piemonte, Italy
Aromatic but fruity orange with stunning balance. The Muscat grapes were hand harvested and crushed before three days of maceration, fermentation with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks, followed by ageing in old, neutral oak for 10 months before being bottled without filtration, fining or added sulphur. Lots of bright pink grapefruit acidity, juicy stone fruit, and a slight floral edge.
Organic, no so2
Food: Butternut Squash Risotto, Prawn Bun Salad, Yellow Curry
Preparation: Serve Chilled
Maurer Oszkar • Kovidinka • 2022 • Kovidinka • Orange • Fruska Gora, Serbia
This light and juicy orange wine is a great intro to Serbian wine. Made from the indigenous grape Kovidinka, the grapes are hand-harvested, de-stemmed and fermented on the skins for six days, followed by further ageing in large oak barrels for eight months, and bottling without fining filtration or the addition of any sulphur.Lots of refreshing acidity, alongside notes of stone fruit, quince, and spice.
Organic, zero SO2
Food: Feta Borek, Clam Pie, Sarma
Preparation: Serve chilled
Verdevique • Mil Pieles • 2022 • Vigiriego, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Jaen Blanco, Perruna • Orange • Andalucía, Spain
An orange marked both by depth and vibrancy. It’s a field blend of all the estate’s vines – including Vigiriego, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Jaen Blanco, and Perruna, which all grow on extremely high-altitude, steep vineyards – and spend 30 days fermenting on the skins to give the wine its richness and generosity. There’s a beautiful balance between oxidative nuttiness and fresh citrusy acidity.
Organic
Food: Manchego, Seafood Paella, Grilled Aubergine
Preparation: Serve chilled
Le Grappin • Beaujolais Villages Nature • 2022 • Gamay • Red • Beaujolais, France
A wonderfully juicy and refreshing Beaujolais from the brilliant Le Grappin. Made from Gamay grapes from 50-year-old vines grown on decomposed granite and schist in Les Raisses vineyard, which spend six months ageing in large oak vats, before bottling without fining, filtration, and only a small amount of added sulphur. Almost the definition of glou glou summertime juice, but it definitely offers some depth from the old-vines.
Organic
Food: Duck Salad, Brie, Grilled Chicken Skewers
Preparation: Serve lightly chilled!
Jaroslav Osicka • Rysak • 2022 • Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris • Light Red / Rose • Moravia, Czech Republic
A gorgeously light and zingy red-white blend showing why the Czech region of Moravia offers some of the best value natural wines around. It’s made from equal parts Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris which undergo just six hours maceration before co-fermenting in vat. To be drunk at rosé temperature, the wine still offers plenty of fruit concentration alongside the vibrant acids, with a particularly enticing flavour of wild strawberries & cream.
Preparation: Serve chilled
Food: Tomato Pasta, Grilled Prawns, Goat’s Cheese
Le Coste • Litrozzo Rosso • 2023 • Sangiovese, Montepulciano & Merlot • Red • Lazio, Italy
Big 1 Litre of deliciousness. A sharing bottle of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Merlot from Le Coste. Destemmed and then spending a few days on skins before being pressed off into cuve. This is a cooler vintage than others, showing a lighter, brighter profile with cherries and liquorice notes.
Food: Chips, Olives, Picnic, BBQ!
Preparation: Serve chilled
Guttarolo • Amphora Rosa • 2022 • Susumaniello • Rose • Puglia, Italy
Gorgeous rosato that is made for summer sunsets. The wine is made from Susumaniello grapes that spend 24 hours bleeding on the skins before being pressed off into terracotta amphorae for a short élevage, after which, the remaining liquid is bottled without filtration, fining, or added sulphites. Refreshing but intriguing, with notes of blood orange, sour cherry and Mediterranean herbs.
Organic, No added SO2
Food: Trout Crudo, Tomato Tart, Grilled Langoustines
Preparation: Serve chilled
Andi Mann • Müller-Thurgau • 2022 • Müller-Thurgau • White • Rhienhessen, Germany
A bright, easygoing and fun white that’s equally happy as an aperitif as it is late night party juice. The wine is made from Müller-Thurgau grown on limestone and porphyry soils, with the grapes whole bunch crushed and fermented on their skins for 10 days before pressing, followed by 9 months ageing in oak barrels ranging from 2400L to 4500L, and bottling without any filtration nor addition of sulphur. There’s tons of citrus, as well as tropical and floral tones that keep things exciting,
Organic, Biodynamic
Food: Clams, Vietnamese Grilled Pork, Roasted Sea Bass
Preparation: Serve chilled
Les Errances • La Baignade • 2022 • Chenin Blanc • White • Loire, France
Easygoing, fresh, and crisp Chenin with a beautiful saline minerality that lingers in the finish. The grapes are grown on compacted clay, schist and slate soils, and are directly pressed into stainless steel and concrete tanks where they ferment and age for 7 months, and are eventually bottled without fining, filtration or the addition of sulphur. The elegant aromas include freshly squeezed lemon, granny smith apple and elderflower.
Organic
Food: Scallops, Asparagus, Grilled Squid Salad
Preparation: Serve from ice
Olivier Cohen • Des Bulles • NV • Syrah, Grenache, Carignan • Sparkling Rose • Languedoc, France
Stunningly lively sparkling rosé from one of the most exciting producers in Languedoc. Produced from Cinsault, Syrah and Muscat according to the petnat method, with very light skin-contact to produce a bubbly wine with an attractive pink hue. There’s aromas of blood orange and wildflowers, and there’s a wonderful balance between fine bubbles, textural depth, and vibrant energetic acids.
Organic
Food: Charcuterie, Chevre, Roasted Beetroot
Preparation: Serve chilled
Strekov 1075 • Charlotte • 2022 • Chardonnay • Sparkling • Strekov, Slovakia
Vibrant, fresh and creamy petnat from one of the best natural wine producers in Slovenia. Produced from hand-harvested Chardonnay that’s directly pressed, and bottled – without fining, filtration or added sulphites – and before the fermentation process was complete to create the fizz in the bottle. It’s petnat but with a Champagne character, and there’s peach, biscuit and complex citrus notes.
Organic
Food: Sushi, Lobster Roll, Goat’s Cheese
Preparation: Serve chilled
