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Hot Takes
Summer has arrived. And the heat with it.
This month, I present you with four wines that reflect some of my favorite places and philosophies. These are not cerebral wines per se, but rather, transportive -- an ode to the peaks and valleys of nostalgia. Generally lower in abv, consider these your daytime friends...particularly enjoyable in the outdoors...long as there's a way to keep them cool, because that's how they shine best. Finally, these wines are particularly great for keeping the spirits high. If you know my palate, you know I prefer wines that achieve both depth and levity, and much of that is attributed to higher levels of acidity and a full immersion with all parts of the grapevine, which each of these wines exude. If you've been paying attention to the news, we could all use an extra dose of levity right now.
Life has been wildly busy and strange and surreal lately. And sometimes it's nice to not have to try so hard to enjoy the things you love to do or be, or eat--or in this case, sip on.
Think of this month's article more like a postcard.
Tune In:
“Infinite Mixtape” by Various Artists
(A compendium of all songs ever featured in our articles, including this one.)
In the June Mix:
- NEU CELLARS - Chardonnay Riesling Old Mission Peninsula (2021)
- MICHAEL GINDL - Flora (2019)
- HALKIA - 'Redish' Agiorgitiko (2021)
- I CANGANTI by STOPPINI - "Confine" (2019)
Greetings from four corners of the world.
Having grown up in Minneapolis until the age of 8.5, discovering Michigan's Neu Cellars immediately caught my eye. Their labels draw you in like an aroma from childhood lost to time. They carry a familiar serenity, one that the Great Lakes region once embedded in my child heart, a serenity one can also feel by looking at Michael Gindl's Flora. And yet, Flora brings us to the wondrous loam, loess and sandstone soils of Austria's largest winegrowing region: Weinviertel, just north of Vienna.
The skin contact riesling in Neu Cellars Old Mission Peninsula 2021 skin contact prepares the palate for the meadows of Gindl's unfettered field blend of riesling, sämling 88, and gelber muskateller. A vibrant expression of biodynamic viticulture and indigenous varietals.
The Halkia Redish takes us to the Peloponnese in the south of Greece, to the home of where the most widely grown red, agiorgitiko [eye-yior-yie-tee-koh], expresses itself most confidently and radiantly. Anna Halkia's winemaking is like grandmother's cooking: it tickles your soul, makes you smile. This chillable red evokes mythic scenes of freshly picked strawberries and deep forest fruit in a basket bathing in the sun. Fresh, yet structured.
Leading us to our final hot take: "Confine", the first rather impressive cuvée by two brothers Luca and Matias, whose natural winemaking philosophy fully focuses on the varietals native to their home of Tuscany. San Colombano comes to life in this chewy, unctuous bottling where texture and fruit dance together like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Confit apricots, satsuma marmalade, salt and lemon are equally expressed in this dry but juicy orange. A first for myself, but it certainly won't be the last.
Having grown up in Minneapolis until the age of 8.5, discovering Michigan's Neu Cellars immediately caught my eye. Their labels draw you in like an aroma from childhood lost to time. They carry a familiar serenity, one that the Great Lakes region once embedded in my child heart, a serenity one can also feel by looking at Michael Gindl's Flora. And yet, Flora brings us to the wondrous loam, loess and sandstone soils of Austria's largest winegrowing region: Weinviertel, just north of Vienna.
The skin contact riesling in Neu Cellars Old Mission Peninsula 2021 skin contact prepares the palate for the meadows of Gindl's unfettered field blend of riesling, sämling 88, and gelber muskateller. A vibrant expression of biodynamic viticulture and indigenous varietals.
The Halkia Redish takes us to the Peloponnese in the south of Greece, to the home of where the most widely grown red, agiorgitiko [eye-yior-yie-tee-koh], expresses itself most confidently and radiantly. Anna Halkia's winemaking is like grandmother's cooking: it tickles your soul, makes you smile. This chillable red evokes mythic scenes of freshly picked strawberries and deep forest fruit in a basket bathing in the sun. Fresh, yet structured.
Leading us to our final hot take: "Confine", the first rather impressive cuvée by two brothers Luca and Matias, whose natural winemaking philosophy fully focuses on the varietals native to their home of Tuscany. San Colombano comes to life in this chewy, unctuous bottling where texture and fruit dance together like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Confit apricots, satsuma marmalade, salt and lemon are equally expressed in this dry but juicy orange. A first for myself, but it certainly won't be the last.
That's all. For more information on each wine, click on the provided links in the lavender box above.
Happy Pride. Happy Summer.
Stay cool. Stay present. Stay open.
Give more hugs. Receive more hugs.
Head to the archives to purchase any remaining bottles previously featured in the club. FYI: We still have a fair amount left from last month's spread on Savoie.
Use the code: MIXTAPEARCHIVES for 10% off.
Until next time,
Darby
Happy Pride. Happy Summer.
Stay cool. Stay present. Stay open.
Give more hugs. Receive more hugs.
Head to the archives to purchase any remaining bottles previously featured in the club. FYI: We still have a fair amount left from last month's spread on Savoie.
Use the code: MIXTAPEARCHIVES for 10% off.
Until next time,
Darby