ANGELO NEGRO VINO ROSSO, 2020
Regular: $19.99, TWS $15.99
Angelo Negro – This is the quintessential quaffable, chillable red. The nose is vibrant and effusive, expressing strawberry puree, violets, and melted raspberry Popsicle. The palate juicy and playful: a mélange of red berry fruits with pleasant, mild undertones of mint and Thai basil. Angelo Negro Vino Rosso is big on flavor, but medium body with a crisp, dry, refreshing finish. Brachetto, a grape more commonly associated syrupy-sweet and fizzy Piedmont wines, is used here for its vibrant aromatics. The production method for this wine reads a bit like the experiments of a mad scientist: pre-fermentation, the grapes are cryo-macerated for 24 hours. This involves using liquid CO2 to flash-cool the juice in order to preserve the delicate aromatic compounds. Then, the wine is fermented in stainless steel with a floating cap for 10 days. Finally, it is aged in stainless steel on, of all things, Arneis lees with regular bâtonnage. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Somehow, this bizarre vinification all comes together to form a wine that is equal parts fascinating and chuggable. Chill, shake, serve and enjoy!
-AS
FIELD RECORDINGS FREDDO 2019
Regular: $24.99, TWS: $19.99
Field Recordings is a forward-thinking California producer that specializes in unconventional, modern winemaking. Their limited intervention philosophy and big ideas lead to super interesting and very unique wines. For this bottling, they use 100% Sangiovese fermented carbonically from Paso Robles that ends up at only 11.9%! The wine has juicy red cherries with a green pepper and mint forward palate. Nice acidity makes this a wine that is refreshing enough to drink on its own, but with the structure to pair with your picnic. Stick it in the fridge and the label turns blue when it’s cold enough to drink…it’s the Coors Light of wine! Drink it as cold as the Rockies. -JG
ITXAS HARRI BELTZA 2020
Regular: $17.99, TWS: $13.99
Grenache (Garnacha in Spain) is one of the most versatile and mutable grapes, grown everywhere from Australia and Argentina to France and Spain. We have tasted many different Grenaches from all over the world, but never one like the Itxas Harri Beltza. Grenache often shows rich, warm, and high-alcohol. This bottle is the opposite: light, tart, and quaffable. It hails from Navarra, a region between the Basque country and Rioja. The Beltza (the word is Basque slang for red wine) was purposefully grown to be light enough to pair with the intense flavors of Basque food. Though from a warm in-land region, it feels as fresh and airy as a coastal wine. Much of this is due to soil: the vines were planted in an ancient marine sea-bed. (Itxas Harri is Basque for “sea stone”). The nose gives cranberry, cedar/snapped-twig, white pepper, candied watermelon, and sour red cherries. When tasting you get green/tomato leaf like flavors, candied cranberry, and tons of strawberry. This wine perfectly balances savory notes with just the faintest hint of sweetness, all within a fresh, light body.
-KB
MAITIA PIPENO 2020
Regular: $14.99, TWS: $11.99
Pais is very quickly becoming the national grape of Chile. This little known varietal was brought to the country by missionaries in the 1800’s to be used as communion wine and was subsequently forgotten about until around 15 years ago. Once the grape was “re-discovered”, people realized its untapped potential. This bottling comes from 150 year old Pais vines! This glou-glou style of Pais is called Pipeño and it was originally made by Chilean farmers to be enjoyed in their fields as a daytime refreshment. The wine is smoky, meaty, and herbal. Not a ton of fruit here and perfect for a cook-out. Drink it while you’re waiting for the grill to heat up, while you’re grilling, and as you eat your grilled food.
-JG
SANTA TRESA FRAPPATO 2019
Regular: $13.99, TWS: $10.99
Would you like a light red to pair with seafood? Look to the islands! Corsica, Santorini, Crete, Sardinia and Sicily are the places to look for seafood pairings. This is now the second summer running that we have been excited by this juicy Mediterranean treat. The Frappato grape is native to the Vittoria region in warm southern Sicily. Red sandy soils, cooling winds from north Africa, and the nature of Frappato itself combine to create an utterly unique red. Smoky spiced raspberries, and red licorice dominate the nose, and the vibrant palate gives tart red berries, smoke, stone, and redcurrant. Most Frappatos on the market are fairly expensive (Arianna Occhipinti’s sells for $50 a bottle), so we are delighted to be able to sell Tresa’s organic Frappato for $10.99. Pair with tuna, bluefish, or really anything from the water.
-KB
TERRES BLONDES GAMAY 2019
Regular: $16.99, TWS: $12.99
When one thinks “chillable red”, Beaujolais and the gamay grape usually come to mind first. For many of us, a cheap bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau was our first experience with a red wine that was light and juicy enough to be drunk cool. However, the Beaujolais region is on the edge of prestigious Burgundy, and the prices of even everyday Beaujolais are on the rise. Never fear! The delicious taste of fresh Gamay can be found elsewhere for great value. We are very pleased to be carrying The Terres Blondes Gamay from the Marionnet family in Touraine (not that far from Sancerre) in the eastern Loire. Henry Marionnet has pioneered the growing of Gamay in this area since the 1960s, and his wine is easily blinded as a Beaujolais. The aromas are of macerated red and black cherries, basil, wet earth, cedar and plum. The palate shows big dark black cherries with some beautiful herbal notes. The texture is lovely: soft, plump, light and juicy but lifted by gorgeous acid.
-KB
