Blanc Space White Flight
In French, white wine is ‘vin blanc,’ and we have a delicious blanc space that has your name written all over it. Celebrate the impending spring weather with fresh and fun wines that would make Taylor Swift smile. Experience a dry but complex Riesling, a zippy Vermentino, a fruity Italian blend, and a flavorful Chenin Blanc!
Leitz, “Eins Zwei Dry’ Organic Rheingau Riesling
Grape: 100% Riesling
Place: Rheingau, Germany
Process: These grapes were organically grown in loess and clay soils during an excellent vintage. After hand-harvesting, the grapes macerated at cold temperatures to maximize flavor extraction and were then fermented by native yeasts in stainless steel. The wine aged at least 4 months on the lees with regular batonage (stirring). It was bottled without fining or filtering.
Family: The Leitz family winemaking history goes all the way back to 1744. The family had to rebuild the winery after it was destroyed during the Second World War. Johannes Leitz took the reins in 1985 and has since expanded vineyard holdings by over 100 hectares. Leitz has gained international recognition for quality and is well-known for producing terroir-driven dry wines. Johannes also works closely with the Ministry of Environment to restore the traditional terraces above Rüdesheim in their Berg Rottland and Berg Kaisersteinfels vineyards. His son Antonius has also joined the team too carry on the family’s tradition.
Bottle: $25 | Glass: $11
Delinquente Wine Co., ‘Screaming Betty’ Vermentino
Grape: Vermentino
Place: Riverland, Australia
Process: Organic grapes were fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel. The wine then remained 4 weeks on fine lees, which were stirred twice weekly to provide more texture. The grapes had surprisingly high sugar levels for the cooler vintage, so the alcohol level is higher than previous years in order to fermented the wine to dryness. The higher acidity and depth of flavor provides excellent balance.
People: Delinquente produces small batch, minimal intervention wines from Southern Italian grape varieties grown in the Riverland region of South Australia.
Their mission is to make natural wines from organic grapes that express the unique terroir and ‘red dirt’ of the Riverland. Southern Italian grapes are well-suited to the heat and low rainfall of the area, making them more environmentally sustainable and able to retain acidity.
Delinquente is “delinquent” in Italian, which expresses this producer’s desire to buck the trends and do their own thing. We love the philosophy of their story: “Sometimes you’ve got to heed the call of the wild child within. Sometimes you’ve got to go home with a bunch of grapes who’re ugly as sin.”
Bottle: $27 | Glass: $12
Mercato, '“Pesce” Bianco
Grape: 50% Garganega, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Incrocio Manzoni
Place: Veneto, Italy
Process: The certified organic grapes are grown in the Morainic hillsides around the city of Verona. They are harvested from Guyot-trained vines ranging 5-15 years in age. After a delicate pressing, the grapes ferment with selected yeast in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine spends 3 months on the lees with a slow movement of the wine in the tank twice per week to enrich the flavor. Steps are taken to minimize sulfur use at each step of the process for a clean and stable wine. Only 2,000 cases produced.
Fun Facts: Pesce, pronounced “Pesh-ay,” means fish in Italian, and this refers to the fact that this wine goes perfectly with all types of seafood. A classic table wine, this is a common blend of the grapes grown around Verona. Mercato specializes in easy to pair wines that are food-friendly and fruit-forward.
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8
Agnès et René Mosse, “Magic of Juju”
Grapes: 40% Chenin, 30% Sauvignon, 30% Muscadelle
Place: Loire Valley, France
Process: Certified organic grapes are grown in combination clay, schist, and gravel soils. The grapes are then slow pressed. They undergo spontaneous fermentation in oak barrels and then malolactic conversion to enhance the body and finish of the wine.
Family: The name comes from the album ‘Magic of Ju-Ju’ released in 1968 by Archie Shepp, one of the winemaker’s favorite jazz musicians.
Husband and wife team Agnes and Rene owned a wine shop in Tours before becoming vignerons. They bought a family estate in Anjou in 1999 and immediately began converting the vines to organic viticulture and biodynamic viticulture. Rene does not consider himself a part of the ‘natural wine’ movement and instead insists that making wine with low intervention in the vineyard and cellar is not a new concept. The Mosse family believes in putting quality above new winemaking trends.
Bottle: $37 | Glass: $16