Wine
Wine
Ursa Major 2025 Alchemy’s First Law of Equivalent Change
Canadian White
Tangerine rind, peach tea and apricot blossom meet fresh kumquat, salted grapefruit, dandelion and lemon oil. Muscat and Chardonnay were harvested together from organically farmed vines in Kaleden, then hand-destemmed and fermented with wild yeast. Six days of skin contact preceded basket pressing into stainless steel. The wine was hand-bottled unfined and unfiltered after a small sulphur addition.
Else 2025 Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
A winter freeze left the project without fruit the previous year; friends at Joie supplied grapes from Secrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver, British Columbia. They were picked on September third. The Pinot Noir was destemmed, fermented by wild yeasts and kept on skins for fifteen days. Ageing lasted six months in neutral French oak, and the wine contains 11.4 percent alcohol.
Else 2025 Gamay Pét-Nat
Canadian Sparkling
Fruit from Secrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver, British Columbia, was picked on September fifth. The Gamay was destemmed and fermented by wild yeasts, with two hours on skins. Bottling occurred at 1.8 Brix, and disgorgement took place on June first. The finished sparkling wine contains eleven percent alcohol. A winter freeze had left the project without fruit the previous year.
Alois Lageder 2014 Porer Pinot Grigio
Italian White
Brilliant straw yellow with a green shimmer, the wine is aromatic and opulent, with pronounced mineral notes and oak spice. Clean, grapey flavours sit in a full-bodied, soft and creamy texture. The finish is fresh, and the wine is long and aromatic on the palate. Dried apple, lime and lemon are also present, with tangy acidity and a lemon-rind aftertaste.
Vignalta 2004 Alpianæ Fior d’Arancio Passito 375 mL
Italian Dessert
Orange Muscat grapes are dried in a sheltered room for about four months before crushing and pressing. The concentrated must ferments slowly in oak barrels for almost two years. Amber in colour, the wine carries apricot and orange-peel aromas. The variety ripens later than Canelli Muscat and has a thick skin, with pronounced aroma and flavour.
Kin & Cascadia 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Green pepper, garden herb and orange peel meet smoke and mesquite. The medium-bodied palate adds silky tannins, bright red berries and savoury tones, with Bing cherry, red currant, sweet tobacco, milk chocolate and a floral note. Fruit comes from the Wahluke Slope in Washington, where the vineyards grow on sandy soils. Alcohol is thirteen and a half percent.
Foradori 2014 Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco
Italian White
Made entirely from Incrocio Manzoni, this white wine is vinified with its skins in cement and rests for twelve months in acacia casks. Olive oil and fresh bread appear with mimosa, acacia honey and soft moss. The profile has both vigour and liveliness, while the wine carries eleven-and-a-half percent alcohol. Skin contact lasts about one week.
Rigour & Whimsy 2020 Thus Spoke Veruca
Canadian Red
Syrah and Viognier were co-fermented from fruit harvested on October 7 in Oliver, British Columbia. Syrah accounts for eighty-five percent of the blend and Viognier fifteen percent. Maturation lasted nine months in used French oak puncheons, and bottling took place the following August. The wine contains 3.39 grams per litre of residual sugar, with pH 3.82 and 6.375 grams per litre of acidity.
Achaval Ferrer 2021 Mendoza Malbec
Argentinian Red
Dark cherry, strawberry, spiced plum and violet appear with a peppery, reductive edge. The wine's palate is medium- to full-bodied, with tight, fine-grained tannins and a fresh, fruit-led finish. Fruit comes from Luján, the Uco Valley and eastern Mendoza. One quarter remains in concrete, while the rest spends eight months in neutral, seasoned oak barrels.
Neon Eon 2021 Zweigelt Pét-Nat
Canadian Sparkling
Zweigelt forms this naturally sparkling red from the Okanagan Valley. No sulphites are added, and total sulphites remain below ten milligrams per litre. The winemaking approach uses spontaneous fermentation, with no added yeast, sulphur, enzymes, fining agents or filtration. Fruit is sourced from organically or biodynamically farmed Okanagan vineyards. The project operates from Summerland, British Columbia.
Podere Pradarolo 2013 Velius Rosso
Italian Red
Ruby in colour with violet tones, the wine offers persistent fruit, pronounced acidity and evident tannins. It is made entirely from organically grown Barbera on clay-loam soils with active limestone. Maceration lasts about ninety days with native yeasts and no sulphur. The wine spends fifteen months in large oak, followed by at least six months in bottle, and is bottled without filtration or stabilization.
Manoir de la Tête Rouge 2019 Tête de Lard Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame
French Red
Forest-floor, toasted and lightly animal notes accompany a silky, lively palate. The red wine is complex and rich, with present, granular tannins that remain free of astringency, a chalky texture and a long finish. Cabernet Franc grows in clay-limestone soils. Grapes are harvested by hand, and the cuvée is made under organic and biodynamic farming.
Herdade do Rocim 2021 Touriga Nacional
Portuguese Red
Deep ruby and violet in colour, with fresh mineral character, floral notes and spice from barrel ageing. Ripe red and black fruit appears with herbs, sweet spices, plum, blackberry, violet and graphite. The wine is made entirely from Touriga Nacional and spends eleven months in French oak. Soft, polished tannins accompany refreshing acidity and a persistent finish.
Domaine Pellé 2021 Menetou-Salon Morogues Rosé
French Rosé
Pale gris in colour, this dry Pinot Noir rosé brings bright whitecurrant fruit and a fresh, creamy-textured palate. It is made without oak influence and comes from vineyards around Morogues in the Loire. The domaine was established in the middle of the twentieth century, around the time the Menetou-Salon appellation was created, though the Pellé family had made wine in the region earlier.
Domaine Chevrot 2016 Bourgogne Aligoté Cuvée des Quatre Terroirs
French White
Bright gold in colour, with rich vanilla and exotic orchard-fruit aromas. The palate is floral and concentrated, with semi-tropical fruit, racy acidity, generous youthful fruit and balanced volume. Most vines are at least forty years old. The wine sees no wood ageing. Ripe lemon, white peach, wet stone, crushed herbs, salinity and hazelnut are also present.
Galil Mountain Winery 2020 Alon White
Israeli White
Apple, dried pear and exotic spice accompany citrus, discreet acidity and a smooth texture. The blend combines seventy-five percent Viognier, eighteen percent Sauvignon Blanc and seven percent Chardonnay. About forty percent of the wine ferments and ages for three months in French oak. Serve it at approximately ten degrees Celsius with fish, shellfish, poultry, veal, saffron risotto or richly spiced sauces.
Over the Fence 2021 Merlot
Canadian Red
Ripe black fruit and Saskatoon berry preserve accompany spice, cedar, cocoa, vanilla and butter cream. Smoke is present at a low level, alongside refined acidity, smooth tannins and a finish. Merlot fruit from Osoyoos is destemmed and fermented in a three-ton wooden vat, then aged for sixteen months in French oak. The finished wine contains fifteen percent alcohol.
Vigneti Tardis 2022 Mercoledì Fiano Paestum Bianco
Italian White
Fiano grown on alluvial and clay soils is destemmed and macerated overnight. The juice is then pressed into stainless steel for fermentation and élevage. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with just over thirty parts per million of sulphur dioxide. The vines are in Campania, and the wine is classified as Paestum Bianco. The project began as a collaboration between a local grower and a British sommelier.
Chivite 2024 Finca Legardeta Chardonnay
Spanish White
Ripe white fruit, citrus peel and acacia blossom accompany mineral notes and restrained oak. The Chardonnay is creamy and fresh, with a full, glyceric texture and persistent flavour. Fruit comes from approximately twenty vineyard parcels at Finca Legardeta in Villatuerta, on clay-silt and limestone soils. A short maceration and gentle pressing precede fermentation in stainless steel and French oak, with about five months on the lees.
Sandro de Bruno 2023 Soave DOC
Italian White
Linden, yellow peach, lime, almond, minerals and aromatic herbs accompany a dry, enveloping profile with savoury citrus. Garganega grows on volcanic hills between Roncà and Montecchia di Crosara. The grapes are harvested in the second half of September, destemmed, given twelve to eighteen hours of cold skin contact and softly pressed. Fermentation is followed by five to six months on the lees.
Les Cigales dans la Fourmilière 2021 Rue de la Peste
French Red
Syrah and Carignan form a dry red from Languedoc, bottled as Vin de France. The profile is juicy and earthy, and the wine is made without added sulphur. The two growers joined forces and work vineyards around Montpeyroux. Each retains an individual approach, reflected by keeping their respective wines visually distinct and identified by the responsible grower.
Baldovar 923 2023 Cañada París Merseguera
Spanish White
Citrus and mineral notes accompany fresh acidity and a long finish. Merseguera comes from old bush vines planted between 900 and 1,200 metres on silica-rich sandstone and limestone marl. After selection, the grapes are destemmed, pressed gently and settled at low temperature. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in French oak and stainless steel, followed by nine months split among clay amphora, 500-litre French oak and stainless steel.
Aasha 2019 Silence Viognier
Canadian White
Sandalwood and acacia honey accompany macerated apricot, caramelized pineapple and ginger marmalade in a barrel-fermented Viognier. Vinification includes malolactic fermentation and seven months in French oak. The wine is full-bodied, with a long, vigorous finish. Serve it cold, either kept on ice or allowed to warm gradually in the glass, and pair it with an aromatic Moroccan chicken tagine.
Sage Hills 2022 Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Ripe red and black cherry accompany earthy complexity, a round silky body and soft tannins. The estate Pinot Noir is certified Organic and was harvested by hand. Thirty percent of the fruit remained as whole clusters, while seventy percent was destemmed as whole berries. Maceration lasted twelve days, followed by twenty-four months on lees in neutral oak. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered, with ten parts per million of sulphur dioxide added beforehand.
Jean-Paul Mauler 2023 Muscat Vieilles Vignes
French White
Bright pale-green colour accompanies fresh, easy-drinking Muscat grape aromas in this old-vine selection from Alsace. The producer places it in a Prestige range of fruit-driven wines drawn from older vines. The aromatic white is suited to aperitif service and can accompany marinated herring or mackerel, smoked fish, shellfish and spiced dishes. Serve it between eight and ten degrees Celsius.
Terravista Vineyards 2024 Proyecto Terruño Albariño Spanish Castle
American White
Delicate citrus and floral notes accompany lemon, white grapefruit, white lilies and a mineral character. The lighter-bodied Albariño is crisp and refreshing. Fruit from Spanish Castle Vineyard was hand-picked early on September 20, then whole-cluster pressed. Fermentation proceeded dry in stainless steel. The vineyard lies in the Ancient Lakes of the Columbia Valley, and the finished wine contains 12.2 percent alcohol.
Terravista Vineyards 2024 Proyecto Terruño Albariño Grand Island
American White
Ripe stone fruit, orange peel and lemon meringue accompany lemon and grapefruit with a silky mineral texture. Refreshing acidity and salinity sit beside weight from the lees and a medium-plus finish. Albariño from certified-sustainable Grand Island Vineyard was hand-picked on September 3, whole-cluster pressed, settled and cooled on site. The free-run juice fermented partly in concrete egg and partly in stainless steel.
Peltier-Ravineau 2023 La Marnière Cheverny
French White
Fresh, dry and juicy, the wine carries transparent fruit with the crispness of Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Honeyed apple adds gentle volume, while white peach and nectarine appear with air. Sauvignon Blanc and Menu Pineau grow on sandy soils. The blend is lively and floral, with citrus detail and a fresh finish. Six months in fibreglass tank follow direct pressing and cold settling.
Domaine du Meix Foulot 2023 Mercurey Rouge
French Red
Redcurrant and half-ripe strawberry appear in a cool, fresh and medium-bodied red wine. The wine is dry and refreshing, with a straight, harmonious finish. Bright garnet colour accompanies cherry and raspberry, alongside fine, delicate oak. The tannins are fine and slightly firm in youth, and maturation combines tank and barrel over sixteen to eighteen months.
Artakama 2022 Syrah
Canadian Red
White and black peppercorn mingle with violet liqueur and candied violet petals in this Okanagan Valley Syrah. The tannins are low and creamy, while the wine is full and juicy. Its profile suits beef, lamb, game, poultry, veal, pasta and mature hard cheeses. Serve the wine at room temperature; decanting is also recommended before service.