Rose de Syrah, Smith-Chapel, 2021
A Rose, made from Syrah, grown in Beaujolais!
These are not three things that are usually associated with each other, but in the hands of Smith-Chapel, the result is sublime. Fresh cherry juice, white pepper, and mineral. This is bone dry and operates somewhere between a serious rose, and classic provencal style. Delicious on its own but with enough stuffing to go with roast chicken or spicy pork noddles.
Sketta Grecanico, Cantina Marlina, 2023
A lovely introduction to the world of orange wine, with light skin contact, textural richness and savoury notes of spice.
Cantina Marilina is based 45km South of Syracuse and run by sisters Marilina and Federica Patern, who have been farming organically since the vineyard was established in 2001. Their philosophy is simple: absolute respect for the earth. The climate in Sicily makes working with as little intervention as possible favourable, along with traditional winemaking techniques such as concrete tanks, drying grapes out in the sun and extended skin maceration for the white wines.
Certified organic wine.
Riesling Kabinett, Sybille Kuntz, 2022
Exceptional. Proper, proper Riesling. Really starting to hit its stride. Complex and intense on the nose. On the Palate its multi-layered, with the trademark freshness and vibrant minerality you would expect from top-Mosel Riesling.
Certified organic & biodynamic wine.
Aligote, Smith-Chapel, 2023
A very fine mineral expression of Aligote - there's salty freshness, lots of citrus and lively minerality. Perfect on its own, with a lovely goat's cheese, or fresh fish.
Beck Ink, Judith Beck, 2021/22
Judith Beck crafts some of the best value wines known to mankind in Burgenland, Austria. All farming is done organically and the wines are perfect examples of the fact that you don't need to spend silly money to get some of the finest wines, carefully crafted with love, care and attention.
Beck Ink is Zweigelt and gives plenty of richness on the nose - think bramble fruit and spice, but lots of freshness on the palate.
Versatile with food try with foods where you need good flavour but also freshness to cut through fat like sausage & mash or crispy pork belly.
Certified organic wine.
Weissburgnder, Judith Beck, 2023
Judith Beck crafts some of the best value wines known to mankind in Burgenland, Austria. All farming is done organically and the wines are perfect examples of the fact that you don't need to spend silly money to get some of the finest wines, carefully crafted with love, care and attention.
Weissburgunder is Pinot Blanc and this is a perfectly balanced white wine, not too rich, not too fresh - just spot on. Crisp apples, light spice, a bit of texture and a little mineral lift.
Versatile with food, try with salads, chicken or fish.
Certified organic & biodynamic wine.
Gavi 'Fornace', Cinzia Bergaglio, 2023
Classic Gavi here but with a good deal more to it than your supermarket plonk.
Bright floral, fresh citrus and pitch perfect mineral length.
Benufet Garnatxa Blanca, Herencia Altes
The fruit for Benufet comes from very old vines and ages in concrete tanks for 6 months. The wine is bright and salty, with a clear mineral freshness, yet with a weight and texture that gives the wine extraordinary mouthfeel. Perfect with rich seafood dishes.
Nuria Altes is the proprietor and winemaker at Herencia Altes. The winery is based in Terra Alta, Catalunya. Situated high up on the start of the central plain, the winery boasts limestone and clay soils—both factors that help imbue a sense of freshness into a white wine grown in this very warm cimate.
Garrigues Blanc, Chateau de Lascaux
A lovely wine combing the richness of Marsanne, with a dash of floral aromatics from Viognier, and a pinch of Vermintino for freshness. A great alternative for fans of Picpoul.
Chateau de Lascaux is run by the brilliant team at Chateaux de Lascaux, where the current winemaking team is the 16th generation of the family to make wine in Pic st Loup. You might say they not what they are doing!
Certified organic and Biodynamic wine
Las Jaras, Fuentes del Silencio, 2020
This is a field blend of Mencia and Prieto Picudo from ancient vineyards on the banks of the Jamuz river, in north-west Spain. Marta Ramas is the winemaker here, and she's exceptionally passionate about re-discovering the potential of the local vineyards. This is juicy and ripe, with notes of plums and milk chocolate with a velvet texture on the palate.
Rosso Toscano, I Mandorli
Sometimes, I taste a wine and wonder where it's been all my life! This is one of those moments—I should have been sipping this for years. This wine perfectly combines the ripe fruit of Cabernet and Sangiovese with the mineral-rich soil and the fresh breezes of the Mediterranean. Bright, floral, and expressive, yet rich and captivating. Notes of ripe black cherry, watermelon, mint and fresh cranberry.
Cultivated since 2002 by Maddy Pasqueti using biodynamic methods, the vines thrive at 280m altitude. Native yeast fermentation and absence of sulfur underscore purity.
Wines made like this have just a little more energy, a little more life, a little more personality. Cant get enough of this one.
Vermentino Bianco, Il Torchio, 2023
Labelled as a ‘bianco’, we can think of this more like an orange wine – with notes of apricot, citrus, touches of dried mango and hints of nutmeg and white tea. Marvellously complex, yet soft and mellow. Proximity to the sea gives this a saline edge that brings it all together perfectly.
Truly a joy to drink, and a versatile food paring wine. Try it something trad like roast chicken for Sunday lunch – or just as at home with something more spicy like a fragrant Thai curry.
Il Torchio, nestled in Liguria, Italy, is a family estate helmed by siblings Gilda and Edoardo. Embracing natural winemaking and organic viticulture, they uphold their grandfather's legacy. Their dedication to handcrafted techniques and indigenous yeasts produces wines that defy convention, reflecting the region's terroir with elegance and depth.
SP68 Rosso, Occhipinti, 2023
This is silky and juicy with a mineral hit. Smells like fresh-red fruit interwoven with freshly ground white pepper.
Cotes du Rhone, Domaine Chanssaud
Domaine Chanssaud serves as the family estate of Elodie Jaume. Over the past 8 years, she has led the estate, spearheading a quality revolution for this small winery. The farming has been converted to organic and a lighter touch in the winery gives more finesse and definition to the wines. So impactful has her influence been that starting from 2023, all wines will bear the new name of the winery – Domaine Elodie Jaume – signifying the evolution in style.
A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, this wine embodies the classic Southern Rhône blend: juicy, rich, and ripe, with layers of flavour reminiscent of cherry, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Aged in concrete tanks, the wine remains untouched by oak influence. True to Elodie's vision, the focus here lies on the purity of the fruit.
Oniric Brisat, Entre Viynes, 2023
Light skin-contact orange wine from Penedes in Spain - this is a great introduction into the world of orange wine. Theres stone fruit aromas and light savoury spice. Its a light, easy going orange wine thats elegant and balanced.
The wine sees 14 days of maceration with the skins of Xarel-Lo, after which it is pressed into clay amphoras (giant clay pots), where it rests for six months prior to bottling.
Certified organic wine.
Oniric Pet Nat, Entre Viynes, 2023
Super juicy and fresh pet-nat from Mediterranean Spain.
Think ripe stone-fruits, with lots of lemon zest and a high drinkability factor.
Certified organic wine.
Vieux Gamays Arkose, Les Chemins De L'arkrose, 2020
Beautiful old-vine Gamay with a slight mountain influence. Bright and fresh, with notes of wild strawberry, white pepper and warm earth.
Il Frappato, Occhipinti, 2022
World class wine from the volcanic soils of Sicily - we have Frappato in the hands of the amazing Ariana Occhipinti, one of our all-time favourite winemakers.
It's full of energy with an electric acid line and bags of red fruit and smokey minerals.
We love drinking this simply, with a plate of prosciutto and olives - its about as perfect as it can get.
Il Frappato, Occhipinti, 2022
World class wine from the volcanic soils of Sicily - we have Frappato in the hands of the amazing Ariana Occhipinti, one of our all-time favourite winemakers.
It's full of energy with an electric acid line and bags of red fruit and smokey minerals.
We love drinking this simply, with a plate of prosciutto and olives - its about as perfect as it can get.
Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay, Tesselaarsdal, 2022
Tesselaarsdal is an incredible story. The small village of Tesselaarsdal in the Overberg, 24km north-east of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is named after East India Company settler Johannes Tesselar. On his death in 1810, he bestowed the land to his freed slaves and owner/winemaker Berene herself is a descendant on one of those very slaves.
Berene started working at Hamilton Russell winery when she was 19. After becoming part of the winemaking team, Berene has been responsible for producing some of South Africas top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for many years.
In 2014 Tesselaarsdal was born and the first vintages were made at Hamilton Russell with fruit sourced from trusted growers in the region. In 2019 Berene bought some land in Tesselaarsdal which will house the cellar, tasting room and vineyards. For now, the wines will still be made at Hamilton Russel, while here vineyards mature.
Curtido, Folias de Baco, 2022
Portuguese skin contact loveliness.
Made from the grape variety Moscatel Galego, this wine spends four months with its skins, but considering that its a relatively soft skin-contact/orange wine.
Moscatel brings ripe stone fruit with floral aromatics. The skin contact adds a savoury texture to the palate - a super-interesting counter-point between fruit and savoury notes. Try with dishes that have this interplay - tagine and biryani, for instance, are great matches for this wine.
Moscatel Galego, Folias de Baco
We love the wines of Tiago Sampaio, winemaker at Folias de Baco. For a region where the wines are usually rich and concentrated reds, these vibrant whites offer a refreshing alternative.
Moscatel Galego is related to the French variety Muscat, although here in Portugal (and indeed Galicia), the grape has developed a following for producing dry wines, whereas the French often make this grape variety into a sweet dessert wine.
Offering a heady mix of floral aromas, pithy citrus fruit, and Tiago's trademark salinity - Moscatel Galego is a vibrant fresh and unique take on Muscat. Perfect with salads, fish, or indeed on its own.
Riesling M, Weingut Schmitt, 2021
This is a very special wine - a truly vibrant explosion of aromatics! Here, Riesling is produced in contact with the skins, amplifying Rieslings natural aromatics to a new level. The wine bursts out of the glass with freshly pressed apricots, ripe peaches, mango, blossom and spice, all woven together with Rieslings trademark mineral-zing.
Bianka and Daniel Schmitt started their small winery in 2012, and have quickly grown to be one of the leading lights of Germanys natural wine scene and masters of skin-contact winemaking. Their vines are all farmed and certified biodynamic with little or no additions in the winery.
Certified organic wine.
Wild Pony, Weingut Schmitt, 2021
Aromatic, salty, textural and refreshing. - all at the same time! Sublime and beguiling stuff from Bianka and Daniell Schmitt
Think ripe stone fruit, floral notes, a cranberry twist and minerals
Certified organic & biodynamic wine.
