We hope you will join us on Thursday June 23rd as we welcome back Jenny and Francois for another great in-store tasting. As the weather has officially entered beach season, we thought we would pour a line-up of all new bottles that are great to enjoy in the heat. There is a classically styled Gavi and a pair of Austrian gems - one dry, aromatic sparkler (Pet Nat) and a fresh, chillable red (Zweigelt). Pop in, say hello, and try these great wines while you peruse the shop.
Castello di Tassarolo - Gavi Orsola 2021
100% Cortese is the varietal, Gavi is the DOCG in Piedmont. Full and round, waxy, dried honey, minerality. Cortese and Timarosso are the two top whites of Northern Italy in our book.
Enjoy with Agnolotti with braised meat, sage and brown butter. Biodynamic
Ran by Massimiliana Spinola and Henry Finzi-Constantine, L’Azienda Vitivinicola Castello di Tassarolo is situated in the commune of Tassarolo in the heart of Gavi in Piedmont and consists of 20 hectares of vineyards that surrounds the winery. The variety of vines cultivated on the estate are “Cortese di Gavi”, Barbera and some Cabernet Sauvignon. The Spinola family, who has inhabited the castle in Tassarolo in some form or another since 250 AD, has been making wine from these vines since the year 1367! In 2006 Henry and Massimiliana began developing biodynamic methods of viticulture that guarantees the maximum respect for nature and the environment.
Zeit - Pet Nat 2020
Grapes: 50% Gelber Muskateller, 50% Riesling
Vineyard: loess. Estate-owned, biodynamically grown vines.
Making of: the grapes are hand-harvested and macerated on skins for 5 hours, then pressed and spontaneously fermented in tanks. While the fermentation is still going, the wine is bottled under crown caps to finish as pet-nat. Released after 5 months on its fine lees, without fining or filtration, no sulfur added.
Personality: lush aromatics of the Muskateller supported by the acidic backbone of the Riesling and vivacious fizz – a highly drinkable combination.
Früg - Zweigelt 1L 2020
Grape: Zweigelt
Vineyard: several different sites, all certified organic. Mainly gravel, chalk, sandy clay
Making of: spontaneous fermentation in tanks. The wine then spent 10 weeks on its fine lees. Bottled without filtration or fining, with a 25ppm sulfur addition.
Personality: fruity red with plenty of plums, cherries, figs, a spicy touch, pleasant round mouthfeel and good acidity – very sippable!
more info on the Producer from Jenny and Francois:
The Wurzinger winery lies in the south-eastern part of Burgenland, almost at the border with Hungary, and was established by the current owner’s grandfather. Josef took it over from his parents in 1991, gradually changing the vineyard management to organic before obtaining the certification in 2014. “Making the shift happen over many years was particularly important to us since we wanted to give our vines time to adapt and maintain the quality and fruitiness of our wines,” as Josef explains why the switch took some time.
Location: Tadten, Burgenland, Austria
Owner & winemaker: Josef & Pia Wurzinger
Vineyards: 25 hectares across 13 different sites, certified organic (since 2014)
Soils: gravel, chalk, sandy clay
Main varieties: Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation, aging in tanks, no filter, no fining.
- The wines are all bottled in 1-liter bottles, a kind of traditional packaging for everyday drinking wines in the area. The extra 250ml comes in handy when you have wine this gluggable..
- Gruner Veltliner, a traditional variety that has become almost synonymous with Austrian white wine, has been present in the country since some time around 1550 and nowadays is its most widely planted grape
- Frug (pronounced “froog”) is a shake-your-hips kind of dance popular in the 1960s, lively like good natural wine.