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Léah Anglès - Divay

Léah Anglès Divay Collioure, Languedoc-Roussillon  2021 100% Grenache 

Winemaking: Whole bunch vinification with a short maceration. Minimum sulphur, low intervention 

When to drink: Can age up to 6-8 years, now is a great time to drink 

Langudoc Roussilon sits on the Vermillion Coast, just above Spain.

Collioure is where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean.

Léah is the first person in her family to go into wine. She has a BSC in chemistry and deciding winemaking would be more fun than wearing a lab coat all the time. She completed an oenology (science of wine making) degree at Montpellier.  This is not her first vinification here, she worked with a few vintages of Divay in the cellars of Coume del Mas since 2017. She is well versed in the harshness of the Collioure terroir and the very low yields.

Divay is a single cuvee, naturally farmed and is an electric take on the terroir Collioure has to offer. It pays homage to her grandmother.

Grenache flavour profile: stewed strawberries, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs, orange  Tasting notes: red fruits, blueberry on the nose, wild strawberry, earth notes and cherry and blackcurrant on the tongue.

Food pairing: grilled red meat, beef, lamb, thyme, rosemary 

Light, dry, fruit forward red, smooth but with a long finish

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Ciavolich

Fossa Cancelli

Abruzzo, Italy

2020

Trebbiano

Trebbiano is one of the most planted grape varieties and one of the top wine grapes of Italy and France (where it’s called Ugni Blanc). It accounts for a third of white wine produced in Italy. It’s high acidity make it important in cognac and Armagnac and balsamic vinegar productions.

The typical flavour profile for a Trebbiano is white peach, lemon, green apple, basil and seashell.

This is a dry, high acidity, medium bodied white from Central Italy known for its clean, light wines. In contrast, this Trebbiano offers a little more complexity. It is hand harvested from the oldest vineyard on the site. Aged in a mix of oak and terracotta it is fruit forward with notes of ripe pear, melon, almonds, salinity and pastries.

It is a very versatile wine that can pair well with a variety of foods.

Tasting notes: ripe pear, melon, almonds, salinity, pastries

Food pairing: veggie dishes, lean fish, pasta, goats cheese, truffle, poultry, pork

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Christian Tschida

Christian Tschida Himmel auf Erden Weiss Burgenland, Austria 2021 Weissburgunder, Riesling, Muskat Ottonel, Gelber Muskateller

Christian is a big dog in the wine world, coming from a family with a long-lasting legacy of Austrian winemakers. Whilst one of the biggest names in natural wine, he is also deeply passionate about art. This bottle was designed by a famous Austrian sculptor and friend, Alfred Hrdlicka. A fitting design for heaven on earth.

From Burgenland, this is an organic, natural wine from very old Pinot blanc vines blended with highly aromatic muscat and muskateller to give the wine a real lift. It spends two days on skins and is processed using a basket press for extremely gentle extraction. It then spends 10 months in barrels on lees.

It is said to be like biting into peaches and drinking ice cold lemonade at the same time - intensely refreshing. There are notes of apple, peach, honey dew melon, butter and quince.

Introduction to Austria Austria is considered by many to be one of the best-kept wine secrets in Europe. Its wealth of indigenous grapes and quality-conscious, small family producers make it a treasure trove.

Austria is situated on the same latitude as Burgundy. However due to it’s more central location in Europe it is in the transitional zone between the mild, damp Atlantic climate and the continental Pannonian climate, the latter bringing much greater variations in temperature.

This is the key factor for the development of aromatic wines that combine freshness, a good body and a fine character.

The region, Burgenland Lower Austria is Austria’s largest wine region, known for Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.

As you move south, the climate is a bit warmer where it's moderated by Neusiedlersee Lake in Burgenland. The warmer temperatures allow for high quality red wines including Zwiegelt, Blaufränkisch, and Saint Laurent.

Tasting notes: apple, peach, apricot, honey, honey dew melon, butter, quince

Pairing: pork, poultry, lean fish

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A Pedreira

A Pedreira Fulcro Rias Baixas, Galicia 2022 Albariño

Albariño is a grape originally from northern Portugal and is one of the grapes in Vinho Verde. The thick-skinned grapes thrive in the cool, windy climates of Galicia and northern Portgual, yielding intensely aromatic wines with typical aromas of almonds, white flowers, and stone fruits. It is high acidity, fruit forward and light bodied. It pairs well with Thai, Moroccan and Indian cuisine.

This particular Albariño spends time in a mixture of stainless steel and old wooden barrels, giving it complexity. The granitic vineyards lend the wine minerality. This crisp, textured wine transports you straight to a sun soaked afternoon in Spain.

Despite the winery being founded in 2009, wine maker Manuel is big into eco friendly viticulture so there is only minimal technology.

The region, Galicia Spain is the 3rd largest producer of wine with the largest land area dedicated to vineyards in the world.

In the north west corner, Galicia feels very unlike the rest of Spain. Lush green valleys in the mountains lead to cities along the water where the cuisine includes lots of fresh fish. Rias Baixas experiences annual rainfall that is three times the national average. It also enjoys dry summers creating ideal conditions for long, slow ripening and the production of complex wines.

Tasting notes: lime, salinity, white fruits

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Celler del Roure

Celler del Roure Les Prunes Blanc de Mando DO Valencia, Spain 2022 A pale pink, refreshing, fruit driven rosé with citrus notes and minerality. Owner Pablo Calatayud is committed to championing indigenous varieties of the region, most notably the Mando and Verdil grapes, both of which have been on the edge of extinction. The vineyard sits on a mixture of chalky soils and sands which add delicacy and freshness to the wines. Les Prunes is a biodynamic white wine produced from the red skinned Mandó grape, harvested early to capture the fresh and delicate Mediterranean style flavours. Soft pressing and cold fermentation to preserve the purity of the grape. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks and finished in old clay underground amphoras for 6 months.

The region Valencia is part of the Southern Mediterranean coast which produces fruit forward wines. Until 25 years ago it was known for cheap bulk wines but produces have recently turned to focus on the indigenous grapes of their native soils. Other grapes found in this region include Monastrell, Macabeo and Chardonay.

The winery Pablo Calatayud's father Paco, began making wines with international grapes that were in fashion when they bought their first property in 1996. Since then Pablo, inspired by the discovery of amphora in another one of his estates, began to study the traditional winemaking methods of the region with the help of neighbours who shared their knowledge, and vines, with him. Tasting notes: raspberry, apple, redcurrants, lemon Pairings: delicate fish, rice, pasta

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Frédéric Cossard

Frédéric Cossard Feel Good Jura 2020 Savagnin

A medium bodied white - rich, zesty and full of power. Made with 100% savagnin grapes from the south of jura. Natural, organic and manually harvested.

It is vinified in the Burgundian style but crucially swaps out oak to spend 1 year on lees in qvevris, large concrete eggs. Federic made this decision to maximise mineral content. It results in a white Burgundy that is unusually juicy and pure.

Jura A small wine region in Eastern france, sandwiched between Burgundy in the west and Switzerland in the east. Characterised by a landscape of wooded hillsides and twisting Jura mountains. The grapes in this bottle are from Southern Jura and they are vinified in Saint Romain, Burgundy hence why it is a Vin de France.

Tasting notes: salted nuts, green apple, white peach, chalk

Pairing: charcuterie, cheese, white meat

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Possa

Possa Cinque Terre Liguria, Italy 2022 Blend - Bosco, Rossesse Bianco, Albarola A wine from the steep Ligurian World Heritage Site slopes overlooking the ocean. Spends just 5 days on skins for texture rather than colour to accentuate the pure, dense fruit. A long saline finish and pronounced herbal character from a place famous for its basil. Aged in a mixture of small oak and acacia barrels and stainless tanks for 8 months. A fresh, light white that is savoury, intensely aromatic and mineral.

The region The regions of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley have intermediate to cool climates, meaning, the season is slightly shorter - thus, red wines tend to be more elegant, aromatic, and earthy in style. Whites sparkle with ample acidity. This region is typified by its high acidity, tart fruit and herbaceous flavours. Liguria is one of the smallest wine regions in Italy making this a rare find.

Regional wine production of Northern Italy: Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Soave, Barbera, Valpolicella and Barolo (Nebbiolo). Possa A winery founded in 2004 to protect the rapidly disappearing vineyards in Cinque Terre - 100 years ago the grape cultivation area was 1400 hectares but has been drastically reduced now to just 100. Possa are one of only a dozen winemakers left on these steep slopes. Reviving and replanting several native grape varieties and using local acacia and cherry tree wood to make the barrels, they champion and protects the unique identity of Cinque Terre. The grapes Bosco - hyper local grape grown predominantly in Liguria, a DOC of Cinque Terre. Great for blending it results in a full bodied wine as it gives structure and richness. Rossesse Bianco - a DOC of Langhe, Piedmont. Light bodied with fresh flavours. Albarola - from Liguria. Can develop honey, perfume and floral aromas. Relatively neutral in flavour. Tasting notes: salinity, minerality, basil, melon, smoke, green apple, gooseberry Pairing: shellfish, pasta, mature and hard cheese, cured meat

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Domaine Rietsch

Domaine Rietsch Stein Alsace, France 2022 Riesling

Brilliant acidity with roundness and structure - feels richer than your typical Riesling. Very light on the palate despite its fullness.

Seriously fragrant white pear and honeycomb on the nose. Peaches, flint and salinity on the tongue. Powerful yet elegant. Tasting notes: white pear, honeycomb, peaches, flint, salinity Pairing: pork, vegeterian dishes, rich fish, cured meat

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Guillaume Sergent

Guillaume Sergent Premier Cru Les Prés Dieu Extra Brut Vrigny, Champagne 2020 100% Chardonnay

Guillaume is an oenologist, an expert in the science of wine and the techniques of wine making. His family have been growing vines around Vrigny since mid 19th century.

In 2008 he took over the family estate with his brother who sells his grapes to moet and chandon. These are serious grapes!

This champagne is a result of blending only Chardonnay grapes from two premier cru villages in Montagne de Reims, Champagne - Les Prés + Les Vignes Dieu.

Prominent flavours are vibrant apple with florals, salinity and brioche.

It is a true expression of the terroir - it spends only four months in oak as Guillaume doesn’t want the delicate notes to be overwhelmed. Sweetness of champagne explained

Champagne 101 - the grapes Champagne tends to be a blend of three main grape varieties. These are Pinot noir (orange and red fruit flavours), Pinot meunier (richness and yellow apple) and Chardonnay (citrus and marzipan).

Common styles of champagne include: 1. Non vintage - consistent house style wines 2. Blanc de blancs - 100% Chardonnay 3. Blanc de noirs - Pinot noir and Pinot meunier 4. Rosé 5. Vintage and special cuvée

Tasting notes: apple pie, apple blossom, caramel, buttered toast Pairing: seafood, fried food, desserts

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Parajes del Valle

Parajes del Valle Monastrell Ecologico Jumilla, Spain 2022 Monastrell / Mourvédre

This is a fresh and floral style chilled red from the southeast Spain - a predominantly continental climate. Here it is sunny and arid with more than 300 days of sunshine per year and very limited rainfall. With very hot summers and very cold winters, these conditions are optimal for Monastrell - high alcohol, ripe jammy fruits, rich flavours and textbook spice.

Hand harvested and aged for 8 months in concrete, this chilled red has piercing clean acidity and young grippy tannins.

Whilst the winery may be young, established in 2018, the winemakers’ views are anything but. They work closely with local farmers to preserve the existing farming cooperative. They entrust the farmers with old vines 15-40 years old of Monastrell across four different plots hence the name - Parajes del Valle.

Monastrell / Mourvèdre Predominantly grown in Spain, it is a superb value grape that does not require ageing. Characterised by high tannins, high alcohol, high acidity and being very fruit forward. Dominant flavours are blackberry, black pepper, cocoa, sweet tobacco and roasted meats.

Tasting notes: Bright, piercing red cherry, redcurrants, cherry, plum, cranberry, raspberry, green pepper spice, fresh tobacco, cardamom, dried Mediterranean herbs, vanilla, chocolate

Pairing: roasted/grilled beef and lamb, pasta, hard and blue cheese

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Clos Roussely

Clos Roussely Chenonceaux Blanc Loire, France 2022 Sauvignon Blanc

Harvested from 80 year old vines which lend themselves to more concentrated and complex flavours and spends 11 months on lees in stainless steel.

Defined by notes of peaches, white flower and cool minerality. It is pale yellow with a silver tinge.

Lemon and floral on the nose and opens up into exotic fruits and vanilla on the tongue. A dry, creamy yet fruit forward glass that has more body than a typical Sauvignon Blanc. Elegant yet structured.

Tasting notes: citronella, sugar snap peas, green pepper, pear, unripe peach, gooseberry, butter

Similar to: Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre

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Milan Nestarec

Milan Nestarec Juicy Fruit Morava, Czech Republic 2017 Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Veltliner and Welschriesling

Juicy Fruit is testament to the transportive power of taste. For Milan, this skin contact transports him right back to the moment his mind was blown by Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Marking the end of the Velvet Revolution and the influx of foreign products, it sings of childhood and explosive fruit flavours.

A blend of Pinots, Veltliner and Welschriesling, skin contact is kept to a minimum in order to showcase the unique blend of grapes. Indigenous yeasts are used in old oak or acacia barrels where it spends 2 years on lees.

Tasting notes: apple, nectarine, lychee, peach, passion fruit, tropical

Pairings: pork, rich fish, poultry, soft cheese

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Maison Advinam

Maison Advinam Donna Bordeaux, France 2019 Syrah

Wine of the week chosen as it is an unusual Bordeaux. Bordeaux is typically made of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This iteration features a single grape varietal, putting the spotlight on Syrah. Biodynamically farmed, hand harvested and produced in Graves (known for its intensely gravelly soil), it is resolutely a Bordeaux but with a difference.

As is typical of Syrah it is full bodied, juicy, slightly meaty with a touch of spice.

Serious notes of blackberry jam, chocolate, eucalyptus, menthol, forest fruits, tobacco leaf, allspice, baked red fruits and bacon. Deep ruby purple but with garnet hues from 12 months in French oak.

A dry but supremely juicy, weighty red with great acidity.

Tasting notes: blackberry, baked red fruit, eucalyptus, forest fruit, tobacco leaf, allspice, bacon, star anise

Pairing: game, chocolate, fattier fish and meat

Similar to: wines from the Rhone region, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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A.A. Badenhorst

A.A.Badenhorst KilpKop Swartland, South Africa 2022 Chenin Blanc

What makes South Africa unique is its warm climate paired with some of the most ancient soils on earth - granite soils (over 600 million year old) - which results in bold red and white wines with high aromatic intensity.

A.A. Badenhorst work in Paardeberg, Swartland with low-yielding old vines on shallow granite soils that are handpicked with stems and sit on lees for 16 months. Kilp Kop means 'rock head' and refers to the original site of granite rocks on which the grapes are grown. The wine is deeply concentrated with aromas of pear, stone fruits and stem ginger. In the mouth, it is creamy, mineral and has exceptional length.

Tasting notes: pear, stone fruits, ginger, creamy, fennel, quince, dried herbs

Pairing: seafood, spicy food, lean fish, soft cheese

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Weingut Werlitsch

Weingut Werlitsch Morillon Vom Opok Styria, Steiermark, Austria 2020/2021 Morillon (Chardonnay)

Austrian wine is for those who like delicately perfumed aromatics and mouth-watering acidity. Austria grows wines with great elegance and acidity, because the country is on the same parallel as northern France and Canada. The majority of Austria’s production is dedicated to Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. As such, Austria is known for its minerally whites and spicy reds.

The Werlitsch winery sits at the bottom of steep vineyards that surround the winery like an amphitheater. These steep ridges produce strong winds that create the ideal climate for Morillon grapes. This Morillon is grown in ‘opok’, a limestone rich clay soil that is the bedrock of Styrian hills. The salinity adds freshness and finesse.

The wine is 100% Morillon, the Styrian term for Chardonnay. The wine has mouthwatering acidity and is fresh, with flavours of green apple, quince, honeysuckle and mint. Very acidic compared to a French Chardonnay.

Biodynamically farmed, it spends up to 2 years on its lees in oak. Despite the creaminess on the nose, it is light and fine on the palate with enveloping and energetic texture.

Quite funky on the nose, bright acidity, aperitif kind of wine.

A natural oaked Chardonnay with a long saline finish.

Tasting notes: burnt butter, salty minerals, smokiness, quince, ripe apples, thyme, grapefruit

Pairing: white meats, soft cheeses, white fish

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Château Julia

Château Julia Haut-Medoc Bordeaux, France 2018 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot Château Julia is not like other wines. The winemaker decided – against the trend in Médoc, where there is a preference for Cabernets – to make wines predominantly of Merlot. This means a Bordeaux that is more plum and cherry driven with less tannins, yum.

Sophie employs traditional, small-scale winemaking methods: the grapes are sorted on the vine, picked by hand and the wine produced plot by plot to get the very best from the vines. The grapes for this red are grown on a mixture of clay and limestone, harvested by hand and then aged for 12 months in oak barrels.

Her two vineyards have been in her family for four generations. Unlike her forebearers who sent their grapes to a wine-making cooperative, Sophie has chosen to make her own wines, under her own name, at Château Julia - Julia is a contract of her children's first names: Julie and Lucas. Expressive, fruity, full bodied red, powerful yet elegant. Medium tannins and high acidity.

Tasting notes: dark fruits, blackberry, cassis, violets, chocolate Pairing: beef, lamb, game

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Syfany

Syfany André Moravia, Czech Republic 2022 André

Easy-drinking Czech red, made from the local André grape which is similar to a Zweigelt in that it's a cross of Saint-Laurent and Blaufränkisch. A year in acacia barrels help develop the flavours in this wine, giving way to dried cranberry and prune, black pepper and fresh blue and black fruits. A high acidity pet nat with full, enveloping tannins and a nice savoury finish. Dangerously drinkable.

Syfany are a Czech winery that source everything locally, including the acacia wood for their barrels. They take a natural approach, using native yeasts and minimising sulphur use at bottling. An experimental winery that uses different grapes, plots and vintages to create unique and mesmerising wines that stand out from the crowd.

Tasting notes: raspberries, cranberries, rhubarb, prune, black pepper Pairing: pork, pasta, tomato dishes, fish