June Subscription Wines
Ajola • Vino Bianco #2 • 2022 • Procanico, Malvasia Tosaana, Verdello, Drupeggio • Orange • Umbria, Italy
The wine’s striking golden hue will immediately draw you in, and you’ll then remember it for its generously saline finish. Produced from 45-year-old vines of Procanico, Malvasia Toscana, Verdello and Drupeggio, whole bunches of the grapes are fermented on the skins for a week before being pressed to stainless steel vats for a year. Spritely acids and white-tea tannins combine to produce an intriguing wine with aromas of wildflowers, sage, and yellow plum.
Organic
Food: Coppa, Carciofi Alla Giudia, Pecorino
Preparation: Serve Chilled
Phinca Hapa • Blanco • 2020 • Viura, Garnacha Blanca • Malvasia • Orange • Rioja, Spain
An unbelievably complex orange wine from Rioja. It’s produced from Viura, Garnacha Blanca, and Malvasia, all grown biodynamically on white limestone soils, undergoing extended skin contact for two months, followed by pressing and one year’s ageing in 600L French foudres. It’s textured, creamy and rich with aromas of smoky minerals, orange peel and lots of ripe apricot and juicy tropical fruit.
Biodynamic
Food: Cod Brandade, Lobster Rice, Aged Manchego
Preparation: Serve Chilled
Les Rousilles • Le Matos • 2020 • Gamay • Red • Beaujolais, France
A silky, generous, and spicy red from budding winemaker Mattia Carfagna. Vinified half destemmed and half whole bunch with a maceration period of 10 days, it’s produced from old vines grown on volcanic soil, and has a vibrant minerality and lots of fruit concentration as a result. Light-footed yet complex Gamay showing you why Auvergne is one of the best value regions for natural wine lovers.
Organic
Food: Mushroom Tart, Chicken Tagine, Confit Duck
Preparation: Serve slightly chilled
Costadilà • Rosso • 2021 • Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Marzemino, Refosco • Red • Veneto, Italy
Crunchy, fragrant and juicy red that is perfect for chilling down on hot summer days. Made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Marzemino, and Refosco from thirty-year-old vines, the grapes are fermented and macerated on the skins for twenty days in stainless steel vats, followed by a period of ageing in the same vats, on their skins. Low ABV and a real crowd-pleaser.
Organic
Food: Charcuterie, BBQ Meats, Pizza
Preparation: Serve room temperature or chilled!
Rim • Contraban • 2021 • Garnatxa Negra, Muscat d'Alexandria • Rose • Emporda, Spain
A rosé of stunning depth and character. The wine is produced from two vineyards grown on slate soils — there’s 30 year-old Garnatxa Negra and 60 year-old Muscat d’Alexandria — and the grapes grapes are co-macerated for 36 hours, pressed off and fermented in stainless steel tanks, before resting on the lees for around six months before bottling. Full of energy and intrigue with an electric thread of acidity, and notes of blood orange, rhubarb, and raspberry leather.
Zero SO2, Organic
Preparation: Serve chilled
Castello di Monsanto • Sangioveto Rosato • 2022 • Sangiovese • Rose • Tuscany, Italy
A structured, floral and fruity rosé which has a surprising ability to age. Instead of the saignée method, Sangiovese grapes – from the youngest vines at the estate – are given a short period of maceration for 12 hours, before a soft pressing and ageing in stainless steel tanks, and a few months in bottle to settle. Full and rounded but balanced by really fresh acidity, with aromas of violet, blueberry and cherry, and a distinct flavour of blood orange on the palate.
Food: Tomato & Sausage Pasta, Vitello Tonnato, Grilled Red Mullet
Preparation: Serve chilled
Osika • Moravian Rhapsody • 2022 • Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muller Thurgau, Neuburger • White • Moravia, Czech Republic
A white wine that’s elegant and energetic, yet complex and deep. The wine is produced from a combination of Rhine Riesling, Pinot Gris, Müller Thurgau and Neuburger, which are are all destemmed and pressed, before ageing on the lees in a combination of oak and acacia barrels for 24 months, and zero filtration or fining. It’s full and generous in body and aromas, with a rich but balanced palate and the nose giving lemon tart, vanilla bean and buttered toast, as well as some herbal hints.
Organic
Food: Grilled Turbot, Roast Chicken, Spaetzle
Preparation: Serve chilled
Glow Glow • Weiss • 2022 • Bacchus, Muller Thurgau • White • Nahe, Germany
A bright wine full of energy and aromatic liveliness. Its produced from destemmed Scheurebe, Bacchus and Müller-Thurgau which all undergo a short period of 12 hours on the skins, fermenting and ageing seperately in large wooden casks, and blended before bottling with some residual sugar to create a touch of effervescence. It's light in colour and low in alcohol, making for an extremely drinkable pour.
Organic
Food: Goat’s Cheese, Oysters, Tinned Sardines
Preparation: Serve from ice
Valfaccenda • Vindabagna • 2020 • Arneis • Sparkling • Piemonte, Italy
Col Fondo, but not as you know it, and not just because it comes in a litre bottle. Produced from young vines of Arneis, this enticing fizz was produced with an infusion of 10% whole bunches during fermentation, spending two weeks in tanks before pressing and putting into bottle to finish creating its bubbles. Hazy in the glass, it’s bone-dry, salty, and unbelievably refreshing on the palate.
Organic
Food: Oysters, Salumi, Clam Pie
Preparation: Serve chilled
Domaine Bobinet • Summertime Le Ciel Est Bleu • 2022 • Gamay, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris • Sparkling • Loire, France
Generously fruity and aromatic coral-hued bubbles. Made from the pressed juice of Gamay, Grolleau, and Grolleau Gris, with some skin contact to give the colour its hue, the fizz is created in bottle according to the petnat method. So much going on the nose, with blueberry compote melding with rosemary, lemon and floral hints, whilst the palate is extremely fresh and lively, but also packs a flavour punch.
Organic
Food: Charcuterie, Soft Cheese, Bruschetta
Preparation: Serve chilled
Joan Rubio • Essencial • 2020 • Xarel-Lo • White • Penedes, Spain
A silky and dynamic beauty that shines a light on the versatility of Xarel-lo. The grapes are fully destemmed and macerated with their skins in stainless steel vats for 11 days, before being transferred to 500-litre barriques for the remainder of the fermentation, as well as a further six months ageing, followed by a final 6 months more in stainless steel vats. The wine has a wonderfully balanced floral character, and a beautiful freshness supported by impressive intensity and length.
Organic
Food: Mussels, Baccala, Manchego
Preparation: Serve lightly chilled
