Here’s the thing: wine should be delicious,

but it should also be fun.

Wine is for everyone!

Olivier Lemasson Les Vins Contes, "Pow Blop Wizz"

Loire, FR

grolleau and cabernet franc (2019)  $38

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Olivier LeMasson has earned clout as a beloved French natural winemaker with a cult following. His wines are wild, fun and funky and his wife Cécille draws all the wines' labels. The onomatopoeic name refers to the wine's effervescence but is also a reference to a lyric in the Serge Gainsbourg song Comic Strip. Fizzy and floral, this tart sparkling wine is a funky delight. We love the color, label design and the flavor. It’s one of our favorites to recommend for wine drinkers looking for something new and fun. 

Tenuta di Tavignano, "Marche Il Pestifero Frizzante Bianco"

Marche,  IT

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malvasia and sangiovese (2020)  $28

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The Tavignano estate is 230 hectares that overlooks the countryside of Cingoli, always known as the Balcony of Le Marche. It’s been restored through careful conservative restoration since 1975. In the 90s, the owners, Stefano Aymerich di Laconi and Beatrice Lucangeli decided to replant their vineyards and grow indigenious grape varietals, with a focus on verdicchio. This lightly sparkling verdicchio is everything you want when the flowers are starting to bloom. The nose is intensely floral with notes of honeysuckle and chamomile. The light bubble is accompanied by a chalky minerality (unfiltered lees contact) with fresh green apple notes and a hint of sea salt.

Musella, "Veronese Bianco Del Drago"
Veneto, IT

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garganega and chardonnay (2018)  $32

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This vineyard and winery is located just outside Verona, Italy (of starcrossed lovers fame). The 1,000 acre estate is certified biodynamic. Olive and fruit trees grow intermixed with the vineyards, along the banks of a river. The dry, mineral white has notes of bayleaf, golden apple and a nice dose of salinity. Medium to medium plus in body. We think it would be excellent with salads and pork dishes. The producers suggest pairing with smoked seafood or anchovies on toast.

Reyneke,

Stellenbosch, ZA

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sauvignon blanc (2017)  $34

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Since the purchase of the estate in 1988, Johan Reyneke began the process of the conversion from conventional farming to organic practices and biodynamic principles. Reyneke wines was certified in 2007 by Debio (Norway) and IFOAM (Europe) and was the first farm in South Africa to achieve certification by Demeter International. This herbal, high acid white is perfect for warm weather days. Notes of fresh pineapple, fresh fennel, white peach and oyster shell give this wine a tropical fruit-forward body that’s balanced with minerality. This wine can age on your shelf for a year or two or be enjoyed immediately.

Joseph Jewell,

Sonoma, CA, USA

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vermentino (2020)  $40

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Micah Joseph Wirth and Adrian Jewell Manspeaker made their first wine together, a single vineyard pinot noir, in a garage in 2006. They launched Joseph Jewell (a combination of their middle names) soon afterward and made a name for themselves making single vineyard pinot noirs. A bright, floral medium-bodied white with aromas of honeysuckle, white flowers, hay, almonds, beeswax and nutmeg. 

Birichino, "Malvasia Bianca"

Central Coast, Monterey, CA, USA

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malvasia (2019)  $29

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Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino in Santa Cruz in 2008, drawing on a combined four decades making wine in California, France, Italy. Sourcing from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned  19th and early 20th century vineyards (and a few from the late disco era). Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favoring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. Birichino translates to “mischievous” in Italian. 

Birichino’s malvasia bianca was brought over from Calabria in the 1900s, and is now planted in southern Monterey County on shale, decom-posed granite and clay. It’s a highly aromatic varietal that expresses strong floral aromas in wines. Notes of jasmine, lime, elderflower and sweet citrus, with a very crisp finish.

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Château Fontvert, "Les Restanques Rosé"

Rhône Valley, Luberon, FR

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grenache, cinsault, syrah, and mourvedre (2020) $26

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Chateau Fontvert is a mountainside estate that was founded in 1598 and farmed by the same family for 3 centuries. They grew truffles, olives and cherries, as well as grape vines. In the 1950s, the Monod family bought the estate and still own it today. After spending decades rehabilitating the land, the Monods were able to certify the vineyards as biodynamic and organic in 2008. This is a classic Provençal rosé with notes of white peach and tropical fruits.

Baia and Gvansta are two sisters carrying on the tradition of Georgian winemaking.

Gvantsa's Wine, "Aladasturi Rose"

Imereti, GE

aladasturi (2019)  $48

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The Abuladze family has been producing wine for three generations on a 1.5 hectare estate in western Georgia. Baia Abuladze and her sister Gvansta Abuladze are the latest generation and are committed to preserving traditional winemaking methods and native varietals. In 2015, Baia and Gvansta produced their first vintage of 5,000 bottles with the help of grants for women winemakers. Commercial woman winemakers are rare in Georgia and these sisters are moving into the forefront of the country’s natural winemaking industry. Aladasturi is a rare Georgian dark-skinned grape varietal that Gvansta has committed herself to pioneering. This wine is made using whole clusters and the free-run juice is fermented with wild yeast. This dry, salmon-hued rosé has aromas of strawberry and raspberry. The first sips are crisp and refreshing and finish with a creamy mouth feel.

Craven, "Stellenbosch Cinsault"

Stellenbosch, ZA

 cinsault (2020)  $33

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Craven Wines is run by husband-and-wife team, Mick and Jeanine Craven. They founded Craven Wines in 2011 after working in Sonoma and spending four years traveling the world and learning from other winemakers. After settling in South Africa, they began working directly with Rustenhof Vineyard, which dry farms bush vines for the Craven's wines. This cinsault shows some of the typical characteristics of it’s varietal: herbal, perfumed and juicy. However, it also has a savory edge and notes of dark red fruits, that we feel sets it deliciously apart. It spends 7 months in neutral oak after spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel. Unfined and unfiltered.

Erin Sylvester runs the West Coast branch of NY's Zev Rovine Selections, an importer/distributor that is focused on natural wines.

Domaine Chahut et Prodiges, "Coup de Canon"

Loire, FR

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grolleau (2018) $50

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Before becoming a winemaker, Grégory Leclerc got a Master’s degree in history, and worked in journalism and marketing.  When he met a group of passionate natural winemakers in the Loire, he knew he had found his calling. In 2007, Grégory bought 6.5 ha of vines in the hills of Amboise in Touraine and started the Domaine Chahut & Prodiges. He cultivates chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, gamay, côt (malbec) and grolleau. Coup de Canon is a 100 percent grolleau and harvested from 70 year old vines.  The wine is carbonically macerated for several weeks and then aged for up to 10 months. It’s unfined and unfiltered with no added sulfur. This red is spicy and wild, with heavy notes of blackberries, black plums and raspberries. The finish is earthy and damp, like leaves after a rain.

La Gironda, "La Lippa"

Piedmont, IT

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barbera d'asti (2019) $28

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La Gironda vineyard is in the heart of Monferrato, Piedmont, an area that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015.  This area is also known for it’s fantastic barberas. No chemical herbicides or synthetic products are used in the vineyards and every activity from pruning to harvesting is managed manually. During winemaking, minimal intervention and traditional techniques are used in the vineyard and cellar. This barbera strikes a compelling balance between tart flavors and silky textures. Fresh red fruits take the forefront in this lively young barbera and herbal notes of oregano cling to the finish.