March Subscription Wines
Yannick Meckert • Spicy • 2022 • Alsace, France • Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muscat • Orange
Yannick Meckert is making some of the most original wines in Alsace. Here Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir are blended with a touch of Muscat, all directly pressed, with a touch of macerated Gewürztraminer added before resting in tank for a year. A stunning hazy pink colour, the wine is as energetic and refreshing as you get, with notes of lime zest, sea salt and minerals.
Preparation: Serve chilled
Food: Mortadella, Oysters, Fried Calamari
Constantina Sotelo • Brutal • 2021 • Galacia, Spain • Albariño • Orange
Constantina Sotelo plays with Albariño like no other. Here, the grapes, planted over granite soils on a plot close to the sea, are crushed and pressed whole bunch before fermenting in 20-year-old chestnut barrels, and ageing in amphora for 18 months. A truly wild, acid-powered, complex wine with insatiable energy and an array of fruity, spicy and herbal aromas.
Organic, zero SO2
Preparation: Serve chilled
Food: Empanada Gallega, Seafood Pasta, Grilled Prawns
Farnea • Proganega • 2021 • Veneto, Italy • Procanico, Garganega • Orange
One for those who love their oranges with more brooding depth. The wine is produced from massal-selected Procanico grapes, which spend 3 weeks on the skins before eight months of ageing in concrete vats. Deep amber in colour, the wine’s smoky fine tannins are balanced by vibrant acids, and bright fruit in tangerine and apricot.
Organic, zero SO2
Food: Babaganoush, Pecorino di Picinisco, Grilled Octopus
Lé Thio Noots • La Dame Bleue • 2022 • Loire, France • Cabernet Franc • Red
Cabernet Franc from an 80 year-old parcel, showing you why old vines matter. Half de-stememd, and half whole-bunch, the grapes undergo a slow press, before 6 months ageing in neutral barrels. Insatiable energy and depth, brimming with lush dark fruits.
Organic, Zero SO2
Preparation: Serve at room temperature
Food: Grilled Peppers, Chorizo, Adana Kebab
Marie et Vincent Tricot • Les Milans • 2021 • Auvergne, France • Pinot Noir • Red
Vibrant, bright Pinot. The grapes are grown on clay, limestone and volcanic marl soils, undergoing spontaneous fermentation in barrique before a few months ageing in barrique, and bottling without fining, filtration or added SO2. Generous aromas of black raspberry and plum, with mineral and herbaceous undertones and an easygoing mouthfeel.
Biodynamic, Organic, no s02
Preparation: Serve at room temperature
Food: Lamb Shish, Grilled Mushrooms, Roast Pork
Domaine De Buis • De Toute Façon Le Vent Souffle • 2020 • Aveyron, France • Fer Sevadou, Cabernet Franc • Red
Pauline Broqua is relatively new to winemaking but already making a name for herself. Here she blends Cabernet Franc with local varieties Fer Servadou and Negret de Banhars, the wine is aged in demi-muids for 12 months after 10 days of maceration and long, whole-cluster pressing in vats. Elegant and fresh, but full of energy, with vivid notes of wild berries and black pepper.
Organic, no SO2
Preparation: Serve at room temperature
Food: Steak Tartare, Lamb Chops, Grilled Aubergine
Le Coste • Rosso • 2021 • Lazio, Italy • Sangiovese, Local Varietals • Red
Le Coste is one of the most celebrated natural wine names in Italy, and this red blend tells you exactly why.
A wine produced mostly from Sangiovese, blended with small amounts of Ciliegiolo, Colorino and Cannaiolo the grapes are completely destemmed, placed in wooden vats, where they are fermented with native yeasts and macerated on the skins for three weeks, before ageing for 12 to 15 months in oak and chestnut barrels.
Bursting with juicy sour cherries, layered by floral and herbal hints, it's quaffable and characterful in equal measure.
Biodynamic, zero SO2
Food: Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, Porchetta, Melanzana Parmigiana
Remi Poujol • Les Temps Fait Tout • 2021 • Languedoc, France • Carignan, Grenache & Viognier • Rose
Roucas Toumba • Rosé De La Roche • 2021 • Vaqueras, France • Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre • Rosé
A complex rosé with enough umami depth to drink all year round. The wine is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Mourvedre, all young vines grown on sandy soils, with two thirds vinified saignée method, and the rest directly pressed. Rich and rounded, with stunning aromatic depth and pitch-perfect acids to cut through, the wine offers generous aromas in ripe peach, melon and liquorice.
Organic
Preparation: Serve chilled
Food: Spanakopita, Roast Lamb, Salmon
Es d’Aqui • Conciliabule • 2020 • 2021 • Herault, France • Colombard, Grenache • Sparkling
The natural wine world is getting increasingly excited about co-ferments, and this wine shows you exactly why. Grenache and Colombard are whole-cluster co-fermented, and bottled petnat method, without any additions. A lively wine with a wonderful medley of flavour in tart cherry, raspberry, citrus and herbs – like Sangria if it was actually good.
Organic, Zero SO2
Food: Chorizo, Pan Con Tomate, Spicy Tuna Sushi
Christophe Lindenlaub, Je Suis Au Jardin 2022
Muscat, but not as you know it. The grapes, grown on clay, limestone and sandstone in Mutzig, are direct-pressed into stainless steel for fermentation and elevage. Restrained and delicate, with a refreshing fruit core and just a subtle hint of flowers.
Organic/biodynamic (uncertified), no SO2
Food: Seafood Salad, Sushi, Chicken Korma
