Wine
Wine
JoieFarm 2024 Pacific Northwest Rosé
Rosé
Made entirely from Pinot Noir, the fruit was picked early, settled and racked before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The dry profile brings wild strawberry, rose and thyme, with grapefruit, lemon zest and cherry pie. Creamy texture, lively acidity and a mineral note accompany the fruit. Alcohol is twelve-point-two percent, with residual sugar of one-point-four-one grams per litre.
Castello La Leccia 2021 Vivaio del Cavaliere Toscana Rosso IGT
Italian Red
Savoury and meaty aromas meet dried fruit and spice. Ripe black plum, bramble and bright red cherry appear with supple, structured tannins, acidity and a full finish. The blend uses Sangiovese, Malvasia Nera, Syrah and Ciliegiolo. Grapes are harvested by hand in September, followed by temperature-controlled fermentation and seven days of skin maceration. Maturation lasts six months in concrete.
Can Leandro 2020 La Lloma
Spanish Red
Monastrell and Bonicaire come from vines between fifty and seventy years old. Bonicaire is partly fermented with stems in clay amphora, while Monastrell goes into five-hundred-litre oak. Maturation lasts about six months. Red fruit, fruit compote, floral and balsamic notes accompany a light profile with a long, fruity finish; black fruit, sweet spice and a mineral note are also present.
Azienda Agricola La Torre 2021 Rosso di Montalcino
Italian Red
The fruit is pure, and the medium-bodied palate carries youthful, pleasant tannins. Wild cherry, raspberry and a cherry-cough-drop note are present, together with fine, chalky tannins. The wine is organically farmed and alcohol is fourteen percent. Production totalled ten thousand bottles. Fruit comes from south-facing vineyards around Montalcino, and maturation takes place in large oak barrels with limited use of barriques.
Chaberton Estate Winery 2023 Estate Grown Zweigelt
Canadian Red
Sweet cherry, vanilla and a hint of spice appear with silky tannins. Cranberry, blackberry and cherry form the fruit profile, and the palate is medium-bodied. The blend is ninety-six percent Zweigelt and four percent Cabernet Franc. Maturation lasts fifteen months, using twenty-five percent new French oak and seventy-five percent neutral barrels that are mostly American. Alcohol is twelve-point-one percent, and the wine is vegan.
Château Moncontour 2012 Vouvray Moelleux
French Dessert
This still white is made from Chenin Blanc and classified as moelleux. Alcohol is twelve percent. The château stands at the western entrance to Vouvray and overlooks the Loire. Built in the fifteenth century and renovated in the eighteenth, the property includes more than one hundred hectares of vines and a cellar beneath the hillside.
Thorn & Burrow 2023 Gamay
Canadian Red
Fruit comes from a young, one-and-a-half-acre Langley vineyard with alluvial soils. Half underwent seven days of carbonic fermentation in stainless steel; the other half received ten days of skin maceration. Maturation lasted ten months in neutral oak on primary lees. Flinty reduction and wild tart red fruit accompany sour red fruit, subtle black cherry and a delicate herbal finish. Production totalled one hundred ninety-two cases.
Sage Hills 2022 Malbec Rosé
Canadian Rosé
Barrel ageing forms part of the production for this Malbec rosé from the Okanagan Valley. Alcohol is thirteen percent. The winery is located in Summerland, British Columbia, and holds Canada Organic Regime certification for crop production and preparation. The release forms part of its certified organic wine program, with Malbec used for the rosé itself.
Domaine La Rigouline 2024 Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé
French Rosé
Pale pink colour accompanies fresh red berries, mineral character and fresh acidity. The blend is fifty percent Grenache, thirty percent Syrah, fifteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Rolle. Vines grow on clay-limestone soils. Grapes are harvested by hand into small baskets, selected manually and pressed without prior maceration. Fermentation occurs spontaneously in stainless steel, and alcohol is twelve-and-a-half percent.
Maison Kuehn 2023 Les Caves de l’Enfer Riesling
French White
Lime and linden blossom appear in a dry profile with lively acidity. Residual sugar is two grams per litre, total acidity is 6.6 grams per litre and alcohol is eleven-and-a-half percent. Fruit for this cuvée comes from parcels around Ammerschwihr on mainly clay-limestone or alluvial soils. Pressing is pneumatic, and the wine spends several months on fine lees.
Le Vieux Pin 2024 Désir Rosé
Canadian Rosé
Strawberry sorbet, sour cherry and watermelon meet violet notes, tartness and a bright, vibrant character. The colour is very pale baby pink after four hours of skin maceration. The Cinsault comes from Washington’s Wahluke Slopes. The grapes are gently pressed, and the wine is aged entirely in stainless steel. It is made in British Columbia and carries thirteen percent alcohol by volume.
Domaine Boucabeille 2022 Les Terrasses Rosé
French Rosé
Fruit character defines a rosé based on Grenache Noir. The grapes are directly pressed, with vinification and ageing in tank. The vineyard lies on the schist hillside of Força Réal, northwest of Perpignan, and the estate is farmed organically. The wine belongs to the Côtes du Roussillon appellation. A serving temperature of about ten degrees is recommended.
Santa Julia 2023 Natural El Zorrito Orange Chardonnay
Argentinian White
Orange peel, apricot, dried spice, white flowers and a saline note shape the profile. Lively acidity accompanies a slightly chewy tannic texture. Organic Chardonnay from Maipú receives forty-five days of skin contact, including partial whole clusters. Fermentation uses native yeasts, with no added sulphites, and the wine is bottled without filtration. Alcohol is thirteen-and-a-half percent.
Lightning Rock 2024 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Albariño
American White
Mineral character sits with Asian pear, stone fruit, spring blossoms and nougat. The palate is layered and creamy, with vibrant acidity and a long finish of ripe stone fruit. Grapes are gently pressed, settled for forty-eight hours and fermented naturally in concrete eggs. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation, spends six months in concrete, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Hidden Vines 2022 Riesling
Canadian White
East Kelowna is home to the family-owned winery, where every wine is made on site. Riesling is a central focus among the estate’s plantings. Depending on the vintage, fruit may come from the property or from growers elsewhere in the Okanagan. The winery considers East Kelowna especially well suited to a crisp, clean expression of the grape.
Les Quatre Tours 2024 Esprit Sud Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé
French Rosé
Vibrant peach and stone aromas accompany a bright, refreshing profile. Lemon zest meets a stony saline note, while peach and pear remain through the finish. The colour is pale pink. The cuvée is selected from the producer’s blends across its terroirs and receives a dedicated vinification. Alcohol is thirteen percent, and the wine comes from Provence.
Gustave Lorentz 2020 L’Ami des Crustacés Pinot Blanc
French White
White flowers, honey, melon, citrus, pear and white peach form the aromatic profile. The palate is lively and dry, with integrated acidity and a mineral note. Fruit comes from hillsides around Bergheim, where heavy clay and limestone soils predominate. The blend comprises seventy percent Pinot Auxerrois and thirty percent Pinot Blanc, and the wine is matured in stainless steel.
Quinta de Santiago 2017 Alvarinho Reserva
Portuguese White
Pear and peach accompany a pronounced mineral character and a long finish. The dry profile has a chalky texture. This white wine is made from Alvarinho grown in Portugal’s Vinho Verde region, within Monção e Melgaço. Alcohol is thirteen-and-a-half percent. Production was limited to four thousand bottles, with total acidity measured at six-and-a-half grams per litre.
Domaine La Gayolle 2021 La Chapelle Rosé
French Rosé
Citrus, red berries and strawberry appear in a rosé with balanced acidity, red fruit and spice. The cuvée is classified under Coteaux Varois en Provence. The estate lies in La Celle in the Var and has belonged to the Paul family since 1855. Seven generations have worked there, and the property includes a chapel listed as a French Historic Monument.
Lustau Don Nuño Dry Oloroso Solera Reserva 375 mL
Spanish Fortified
Bronze-amber colour with gold glints accompanies walnut, tobacco, sultana and leather. The palate is dry, full and rounded, with raisin, dark chocolate and spice. A long dry finish includes sultana, nutty tobacco leaf and spice. This Oloroso undergoes oxidative ageing for twelve years at Bodega La Campana in Jerez de la Frontera. Alcohol is twenty percent.
Bodegas Hidalgo Heredad Hidalgo Medium Amontillado
Spanish Fortified
Full amber colour accompanies a medium-sweet style with complex, nutty character and a long palate. Palomino Fino is the grape. The family entered sherry production in 1792 in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and the business has remained in family hands through six generations. Its vineyard holdings cover more than two hundred hectares, including some vines up to eighty years old.
Château de Mattes-Sabran 2017 Le Clos Redon Corbières
French Red
Spice, liquorice and fruit appear in both aroma and flavour. The palate is structured by well-extracted tannins. The wine is made entirely from Syrah grown on the Clos Redon parcel. Maceration lasts one month. Vinification and maturation take place in concrete tanks. Ten thousand bottles were produced. The wine comes from Corbières and carries fourteen percent alcohol.
Mouchão 2017 Dom Rafael White
Portuguese White
Bright citrus and tangy acidity accompany a crisp, fruity profile. Lemon curd, orange peel and chalk appear with toasted almond, roasted peanut and a mineral-dust note. A brisk, rich texture is also present. Arinto and Antão Vaz form the blend. The grapes ferment at low temperature in stainless steel. The wine carries thirteen-and-a-half percent alcohol and comes from Alentejo.
Fort Berens 2024 Small Lot Pinot Gris
Canadian White
Pear, quince, melon and passion fruit appear with bright acidity and a mineral, stony character. The fruit comes entirely from Lillooet, including Dry Creek and Winch Spur vineyards. The grapes are destemmed and crushed; four hours of skin contact are used. Cool fermentation and four months on the lees take place in stainless steel. Pink grapefruit, lime blossom and tangerine are also present.
Judith Beck 2020 Beck Ink
Austrian Red
Blackcurrant and plum appear with cherry, herbs and a nutty note. Bracing acidity accompanies a velvety texture. Zweigelt and St. Laurent are used in an eighty-to-twenty proportion. The grapes are harvested by hand and ferment spontaneously in stainless steel after roughly ten days of maceration. Maturation lasts eight months in used barriques. The wine is organic and carries twelve percent alcohol.
Domaine de l’Agramante 2018 Ciaülà Côtes du Rhône
French Red
Fresh cherry and strawberry appear with spice and flowers. Juicy red fruit, bright acidity, fine tannins and a rounded texture are also present. The finish is fruity. Grenache, Syrah and Counoise come from two parcels in Sabran. The grapes are destemmed, and maturation lasts five to six months in stainless steel. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Meinklang 2020 Grüner Veltliner
Austrian White
Granny Smith apple, lime, peach and white pepper accompany a dry, light profile with lively acidity. Grüner Veltliner grows on sandy loam. The grapes are gently pressed into stainless steel, where fermentation and a short period of lees ageing take place. The wine is loosely filtered and bottled with ninety parts per million total sulphur. Alcohol is eleven-and-a-half percent.
Domaine Labbé 2024 Abymes
French White
Lemon, green apple and white pear appear in a pale wine with faint green highlights. The profile is dry and lively, with floral fruit, tangy chalky minerals and a stony finish. Jacquère comes from vines more than thirty-five years old on rocky clay-limestone soils. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks and foudres. Ageing also takes place in tank.
Domaine EdeM N.0,3 Blonde Sparkling Non-Alcoholic Chardonnay
Argentinian Non-Alcoholic Wine
Yellow-gold colour and fine bubbles accompany a sweet, fruity profile. Wormwood, orange peel and cocoa shell shape the aromas. Citrus, eucalyptus, clove and carqueja accompany a herbal, spicy finish. This alcohol-free sparkling drink is based on Chardonnay grape juice from the Uco Valley. Its production combines verjuice from early-picked grapes with ripe grape must and a botanical infusion.
Bogle 2019 Old Vine Zinfandel
American Red
Juniper, black pepper and nutmeg accompany cranberry, raspberry, red fruit, marionberry pie and baking spice. The mouthfeel is bold, and the finish is long and refined. Zinfandel comes from head-trained, dry-farmed vines between sixty and eighty years old, which produce small, concentrated grape clusters. The wine matures for ten months in two-year-old American oak and carries fourteen-and-a-half percent alcohol.