Wines of the World

Xarel-10 Wine Beer 2020, Cyclic Beer Farm

Cyclic Beer Farm
Packaged in 75 cl bottles so that everyone can satisfy their thirst, the beers from the Barcelona-based brewery Cyclic Beer Farm play between classicism and flights of inspiration, in a contrasting and creative way, in the Catalan style. Based on classic principles and a Belgian fermentation model, the two brewer-winemakers Joshua and Alberto play with ingredients, aromas, and macerations, between cereals, fruits, vegetables, and grape skins from Catalan grape varieties, to achieve flavors reminiscent of an unidentified drinkable object (OBNI). Whether they assert themselves on balance or on a certain controlled dissonance, these beers will never leave you indifferent and will reveal their full potential in the summer heat, served well chilled.
Xarel·10, with 6.7% alcohol, is part of the Cyclic Beer Farm 2020 Wine Ales series, which also includes Carignan, Garnatxa and Trepat. They are fermented with the skins of local grape varieties. All the grapes are organic and hand-picked before being pressed or macerated for winemaking. The resulting marc (skins and stems) is then added to already fermented and aged beers, selected for each type of grape variety. A maceration of one to six months follows to allow the residual sugar to complete its fermentation and the character of the grape variety to be communicated to the beer through infusion. Before bottling, brewers decide whether or not to add beer to achieve the desired flavors, based on acidity, the natural taste of the grape variety, tannins, complexity, and drinkability.
Brewers choose beers from three bases: their saison, their sour base (fermented from their blend of lactic acid bacteria and their blend of indigenous yeasts), and their "funky" base (indigenous yeasts and a cocktail of brettanomyces yeasts). After blending and bottling, the beers referment and refine for varying lengths of time.
Here, maceration is done on the skins and stems of the famous Catalan grape variety xarel·lo. The result is floral, moderately acidic, and delicately vinous.

Rivo Gin 2018, Rivo

Rivo
The bottle and label are sublime, as is the content (43% alcohol): on the nose, a great freshness welcomes you with notes of pine sap, citrus, and white honey. On the palate, lemon balm and juniper assert themselves, giving way to a lemony note—coriander seed—followed by a bouquet of wild plants. An elegant, tangy gin, to be drunk very, very cold, whether you choose to add it to a cocktail (see our martini) or enjoy it on its own.
Our recipe: Rivo martini
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Rivo Sloe Gin, Magi SRL, 2017

Rivo
Unlike white gin, this is only 30% alcohol. To make it, wild sloe berries are harvested in Italy after the first frost, which softens the fruit and develops their flavor. They then macerate for several months in Rivo gin before distillation. A superb ruby ​​red color, slight sweetness, roundness, and no bite: just delicate, fruity notes of wild berries, pitted almonds, almonds, and sweet spices. Alone or in a cocktail, it's wonderful.

See the recipe for our Sloe gin negroni

Auxey Duresses Les Crais Blanc 2020,

Domaine de Chassorney
This Auxey-Duresses white, produced on the Les Crais plot, is remarkably pure. The ripeness of the grapes (obviously all-Chardonnay) is exceptional and is felt in the form of a pleasant roundness and generous fruit. Plenty of integrity, elegance, complexity, and tension.

Find out more
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years as a wine merchant, the existence of harmful viticultural practices, the winemaker used this counterexample to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a while as a wine broker before creating the Chassorney estate with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The exercise is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc regions. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular ploughing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Reds or whites, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Colline des anciens White 2021

Domaine Einhart

The aptly named Colline des Anciens is minerality personified: full of freshness and salinity, it is a dry white from Alsace with an alcohol content of 13.6% and a great aromatic depth. This minerality and aromatic depth reflect the great limestone terroir of the Rosheim hillsides: a clay-rich soil on a substrate of muschelkalk and pink limestone. The plots face south on a 20% slope, and the vines have an average age of thirty years. The blend of three Alsatian grape varieties is carried out as follows: the Riesling (40%) is directly pressed, while the Gewurztraminer (20%) and Pinot Gris (40%) are macerated for forty-eight hours. All the grapes come from the estate and are harvested by hand; both the viticulture and the work in the cellar are 100% free of additives and sulfites, and the wine is not filtered. Colline des Anciens is aged exclusively in Alsatian foudres (wooden vats of around a thousand liters).

To find out more
Located in the northern part of the Alsatian vineyard, horizontally above Strasbourg, the Einhart estate is a ten-hectare family estate whose vines are located on the hillsides that rise between the Alsace plain and the Vosges mountains. The soil is clay-limestone and rich in fossils (muschelkalk, i.e. shell limestone and oolite limestone, and lettenkohle or dolomitic limestone). Since 1990, Nicolas Einhart has been at the helm, now assisted by his son Théo. True to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking work to the protection of the land and biodiversity, winemaking without inputs, the refusal of harmful phytosanitary products and the maintenance of ecological refuge zones. His estate has been certified organic since 2011. Like Jean-Marc Dreyer [link], he is resolutely moving towards skin maceration and produces white maceration wines (orange wines) in addition to a red Pinot Noir. Entirely manual harvesting, destemming of the bunches, light punching down and delicate pressing are characteristic of the estate, as well as the separate vinification of each terroir, aging on lees and the absence of filtration before bottling. The wines are pure grape, lively, powerful, invigorating, and transcribe the minerality of the very beautiful terroirs of the Vosges foothills.

Le Zudefruit Red 2021

Jérome Lambert

Delicious, delectable, a real pleasure, this Zudefruit from Jérôme Lambert, an organic and natural winemaker based in the Loire Valley, in the Layon region. A beautiful dark red color, with aromas of red fruits on the nose; on the palate, it is very supple, lively, and deep, with herbaceous notes and a real delicacy with hints of cherry and undergrowth. With a beautiful balance between fruity notes and earthy, spicy, peppery notes, Zudefruit is a natural wine from the Loire Valley, produced from a plot of Grolleau cultivated by Jérôme Lambert on the light, sandy, schistose soils found in southern Anjou. The harvest, carried out by hand, ferments in whole bunches for two weeks before pressing, then rests for nine months in fiberglass vats. To further explore the red wines of the Loire Valley, you can also look at the domaines La Grapperie or the Domaine Pic-Épeiche.

Learn more about Jérôme Lambert

On his four-hectare estate, entirely organic and planted with Chenin, Grolleau, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, Jérôme Lambert is as much a winemaker as he is a farmer: he raises chickens, pigs, sheep and takes this mixed crop-livestock activity very seriously, along with the production of typical Anjou charcuterie. His Loire Eden, in fact, is located in the south of Anjou, in Rablay-sur-Layon. The son of a winemaker, as a child, he already enjoyed picking grapes, crushing them, and letting them ferment. In 2003, he got his hands dirty, helping with the pruning of the vines at Philippe Cesbron's and practicing with a few grapes donated by local winemakers. The following year, his adventure truly began with twenty ares of vines, but while his estate grew year by year, it would only reach one hectare after fifteen years.

A journey towards nature

In 2003, Jérôme discovered that adding sulfites was detrimental to wines: he never added more and was satisfied with the result, without making too much of a fuss about it. It was only a little later that he learned about the existence of natural wines and understood that he was not alone. All his vintages since then have been natural, without added sulfites, and are nonetheless straightforward, drinkable and flawless. For him, even the wood of the barrels is an additive; this shows the attention he pays to the naturalness and truth of the vine.

Senzaniente Montepulciano Red 2021

Azienda Agricola Marina Palusci

Terroir, plot size and grape varieties

Grown in the clay-limestone soils of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, this 100% Montepulciano reveals all the lusciousness and suppleness of this great Abruzzo grape variety. Cultivated on sun-drenched slopes, it draws from its terroir a beautiful balance of fruit and finesse, offering an approachable yet well-structured red wine, true to its origins.

Cultivation methods

The Senzaniente Montepulciano 2021 is a free-spirited wine, made without any additives or added sulfites. The Marina Palusci estate cultivates its vines in complete harmony with nature, using artisanal methods that respect all living things. Here, everything is done by hand, with patience and exacting standards. The winemaking follows the same philosophy: natural fermentation, no intervention, just the fruit and time.

Tasting & pairings

From the first whiff, the wine opens with a beautiful intensity of red and black fruits: juicy cherry, blackberry, and a few candied notes reminiscent of the Abruzzo sun. Touches of sweet spices—black pepper and subtle cinnamon—add depth. On the palate, the texture is supple and light, with melted tannins and a flavorful, almost caressing finish. This is a naturally elegant red wine, perfectly balanced, ideal as an aperitif, with a charcuterie board, sautéed mushrooms, or roast meat. It also pairs beautifully with fine Italian cuisine, without ever overpowering the dish. Best enjoyed slightly chilled to fully appreciate its fruity freshness.

Chardonnay White 2022,

Frédéric Cossard

Frédéric Cossard, a key figure in natural wine in Burgundy, offers us with his 2022 Chardonnay a pure and elegant interpretation of this emblematic grape variety. Produced from clay-limestone terroirs, this wine is distinguished by its precision and balance.

A Chardonnay of finesse and purity

Vinified without additives and aged with care, this Chardonnay reveals all the richness of its terroir. Its careful aging results in a beautiful mineral tension and a refined texture, perfect for immediate drinking or extended cellaring.

A delicate nose and a chiseled palate

On the nose, it expresses notes of citrus, green apple, and white flowers, with a hint of hazelnut. The mouth, taut and mineral, reveals a beautiful liveliness, supported by a precise acidity and a long and saline finish.

How to serve it?

To be enjoyed chilled, between 10 and 12°C, this Chardonnay will enhance seafood, creamy poultry or a platter of mature cheeses. With an aging potential of 5 to 10 years, it will evolve towards even more complex aromas.

Muscana White 2022

Domaine Einhart

Muscana is an organic (Ecocert and AB labels) and natural dry white wine from Alsace from Domaine Einhart. Classified as AOC Alsace, this beautifully complex dry white is Domaine Einhart's homage to the Muscat grape variety.

Vinification

Muscana is a 100% Alsace Muscat, hand-harvested when overripe. The vines are approximately twenty-five years old and grow on the splendid oolitic limestone (muschelkalk) terroirs in the Fleckenstein, Westerberg, and Meyen localities. The harvest is destemmed, maceration in vats lasts one week, and fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats on fine lees and is not filtered at bottling.

Tasting

Muscana offers a beautiful orange-amber color with superb brightness. The first nose offers rich, slightly smoky aromas typical of overripe Muscat berries. A second, very fine nose brings a hint of citrus fruit that encourages tasting. On the palate, the attack is straightforward and ample, accompanied by a melted acidity expressed through notes of candied quince. The finish is invigorating, with melted tannins linked to the maceration. We recommend decanting Muscana to help it develop its splendid aromas and serving it with choice dishes: fresh or smoked fish, vegetables including asparagus, white meats and foie gras.

Learn more about Domaine Einhart

In the northern part of the Alsatian vineyard, Domaine Einhart is a ten-hectare family estate whose vines grow on the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. The soil is clay-limestone and rich in fossils (muschelkalk, or shell limestone and oolitic limestone, and lettenkohle or dolomitic limestone).

A family estate

Since 1990, Nicolas Einhart has been at the helm, now assisted by his son Théo. True to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking work to protecting the land and biodiversity, making wine without inputs, refusing harmful phytosanitary products, and maintaining ecological refuge areas. His estate has been certified organic (Ecocert and AB) since 2011. The estate produces white wines from maceration or direct pressing and a Pinot Noir red.

The best of Alsatian terroirs

Entirely manual harvests, destemming of the bunches, light punching down, and delicate pressing are characteristic of the estate, as well as the separate vinification of each terroir, aging on lees, and the absence of filtration before bottling. The wines are pure grapes, lively, powerful, invigorating, and transcribe the minerality of these very beautiful terroirs in the Vosges foothills.

Beaune Les Chardonnereux Qvevris Red 2020,

Frédéric Cossard

This is a magnificent red wine from Beaune with dark harmonies: blueberry, black fruits, black cherry, alongside aromas of red rose petals and fresh violets. It is a calm and elegant wine, endowed with elegant richness and admirable fruit concentration, in which the slight astringency of well-evolved tannins blends gracefully. It comes from a plot of land that has been cultivated organically for three years and faces south. This Chardonnereux plot is known for ensuring early ripening of the grapes. To highlight the minerality of this red Beaune, Frédéric Cossard decided to ferment and age it in qvevri, a Georgian-style buried jar. Aging in qvevri lasts twelve months, after a month and a half of fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The passage in qvevri is preceded by a three-month passage in stainless steel vats.

To find out more
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undeformed by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful viticultural practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for some time as a wine broker before creating the domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The practice is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura, Languedoc, and elsewhere. At his farm, the soil and vines are worked as naturally as possible: regular horse-drawn ploughing, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are tended according to biodynamic principles: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper, and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Falgueyras Red 2018,

Domaine Bois Moisset

Vigne Vieille du Falgueyras is a fruity and indulgent red wine, rich in notes of red fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, morello cherry) and beautifully peppery. Its profile is enhanced by sweet spices, prune on the nose, black olive, as well as more mineral accents (smoke, natural incense). It has character, oak without exaggeration, and a very beautiful body. Typical of the Gaillac terroirs, this is a red wine made 100% from old Syrah vines aged thirty and forty years, planted on boulbènes (gravelly, loamy sand) on the second terrace of the Tarn. The destemmed harvest macerates in cement vats with two punching down of the marc. The fermentation temperature did not exceed 21°C. Aging continues for nine months before bottling without filtration and, of course, without the addition of sulfites.

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The name Gaillac, the region where the Bois-Moisset estate is located, owned by Sylvie Ledran and Philippe Maffre, has been associated with wines since Antiquity; it is the oldest vineyard in France, with two thousand years of history and an impressive collection of ancient indigenous grape varieties. It is also a region of dazzling beauty, nicknamed "French Tuscany" because of its gentle hills planted with groves and its almost Florentine luminosity. Many estates, including that of Bois-Moisset, showcase this uniquely rich winemaking heritage. Along with an estate planted with vines, it is an organic mixed farm that directly sells its production of lentils, sunflower oil, cereal flours, and grape juice. A herd of old local breed cows also thrives there, and guest rooms are available in the summer. It is in this small rural paradise that natural wines typical of their origin and terroir are born, on fifteen hectares of boulbènes, gravelly and sandy-loam soils carried by the Tarn for thousands of years. The grape varieties are dominated by Syrah and Duras, but the ampelographic richness of Gaillacois (braucol, prunelart, loin-de-l'œil, etc.) is also evident in the vintages of the Bois-Moisset estate, which consist particularly of red wines with crisp fruitiness, concentrated but with smooth and delicate tannins.

Sweethog Whiskey Cream, 50cl

Distillerie de Monsieur Balthazar