Life is weird. This wine is fitting - because it's weird too. Embrace the weird and find some good, somewhere - maybe in your glass?
Val di Sole - Amos - 2015
Valdisole is born out of curiosity and can seldom be described as "traditional". Unlike most Italian wineries - this is not a family run operation. A few friends with a passion for wine and a shabby plot of Nebbiolo decided to make wine a few years ago. Spoiler alert - they've gotten pretty good. One thing is consistent, nothing but grapes to make wine - strict to follow natural practices without using synthetic chemicals. They've even declassified their wine to make room for experimentation and doing things the way they want.
This Nebbiolo is wild. If you like the smells of mushrooms, truffles and big red fruits - this is a crazy expression of what Nebbiolo can taste like. Not funky - but different and weird. The way we like it. Also a weird 500ml bottle. (Don't worry we'll make up for it)
Val di Sole - Aura - 2018
Nesterac - Bel
Remember Milan from Czech Republic? Well this is his entry-level cuvee bottled with a blend of organic white varieties. Done in a litre bottle (told you we'll make up for it) with a low dose of sulfs at bottling similar to his other wines. Wild yeast fermentation with no filtering and or fining. Aromatic and bring - super easy to drink. Enjoy with some fish, greens, or even go for some spicy thai or indian dishes - let me know what you think!
Nesterac - Nach
Another litre bottle of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt (an Austrian hybrid grape no dissimilar to Pinot Noir). Again, farmed and fermented in the way we like with low intervention and acute attention in open topped wooden vats. No fining or filtering. Stemmy and peppery. A lovely red to enjoy all day or night.
Marabino - Don Paulo - 2018
Probably the least Glug Klubby of the bunch - does not mean this wine is not super delicious, biodynamic and natural. I've been enjoying some bigger, deeper wines with my long nights as of late. Marabino is another family run winery that does Nero d'avola in a completely different way than the Nero above. Located in the south-eastern part of the island, Marabino produces 100,000 bottles of wine and 2,000 bottles of olive oil each year. This wine is elegant and graceful, with big noses of dark red fruits and currants. Silky smooth.
