Tripping on Acid
Mehofer
the place
Niederosterreich, Austria
the grapes
Grüner Veltliner
the process
Certified organic; dry farmed; rows seeded with clover, buckwheat & radish; no pesticides used (herbicide, fertilizer, additives, etc.); only compost to fertilize. The wine is allowed to settle naturally by gravity and is only minimally fined or filtered.
the price
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8
Pépière Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie "La Pépie"
the place
Loire Valley, France
the grapes
100% Melon de Bourgogne
the process
As with the rest of the Pepière Muscadet wines, the fruit is direct-pressed and the juice settled naturally for 12 hours. It is then fermented in stainless steel tanks with natural yeasts; the wine is aged on its lees in large, underground vats until bottling without fining or filtering. Use of sulfur is moderate to very little. For this bottling, Pépière bottles and releases it in several stages, so the first tranche sees about 4 months on the lees before release, increasing to up to 6-8 months for the last tranche. It is the benchmark style of the estate: racy, crisp, acid- and mineral-driven, with a bare hint of richness from the sur lie factor, very much indicative of Pépière's granite-based terroir and clean, natural winemaking style.
the price
Bottle: $23 | Glass: $10
Angelo Negro Vino Bianco
the place
Piedmonte, Italy
the grapes
100% Arneis
the process
Maceration: cryo-maceration for 8-10 hours; Fermentation: native yeast; stainless steel; Maturation: stainless steel for 4+ months on the lees with regular battonage; Bottling: unfiltered; unfined
the price
Bottle: $23 | Glass: $10
The Better Half
the place
Marlborough, New Zealand
the grapes
100% New Zealand
the process
“The 2021 vintage got off to a cracking start with a warm September causing early bud burst. But then spring frosts arrived to tickle the tender buds and reduced the size of the ultimate harvest. This was compounded in November when unsettled weather during the flowering period reduced the size of thepotential crop even further. After Christmas, things improved and the sun came out, and conditions in late summer as we headed into harvest were ideal. An absence of rain combined with low humidity lead to beautiful clean fruit and relaxed picking decisions. When harvest rolled around, the small but pristine bunches of grapes displayed fantastic, ripe flavours. In the winery the flavours were protected and enhanced by a cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, using selected yeasts. The wine was then fined and filtered before being bottled under screwcap for perfect flavour and freshness!”
the price
Bottle: $17 | Glass: $7