EMILIA ROMAGNA ITALY
FELT WILD AROMATICO
LEFT OF CENTRE / ORGANIC / NO SO2

To create such a salty, grippy fizz requires some pretty nifty winemaking techniques. The Malvasia di candia spent 60 days on skins and, 18 months maturing on lees in bottle before disgorgement. The gentle carbonation highlights the pithy grip and drives the already punch aromatic further. In the glass expect a giddy array of late-season fruits and felt-tempered tannins.  

From the producer: Our winemaking is based on a complete absence of preservatives, additives, and stabilisation processes of any kind, something that is only possible with high-quality fruit. Extended maceration processes enable us to produce wines that are stable over time without the use of additives. Above all, they extract the very best out of the fruit: the colour, scents, aromas, vitamins, and polyphenols. The technique may seem simple, but actually, our approach requires a combination of various technical, stylistic, and aesthetic factors. We have to identify the best way to express the characteristics of the grape variety. As well as paying great attention to technique in our work, we also try to make the most of our experience and intuition. Awareness, experience, and aesthetic understanding guide how we vary the maceration and winemaking processes depending on the vintage and the characteristics of the grapes to create entirely new products.

MACEDON + PYRENEES, VICTORIA
PAVLOVA CRUNCH OOLONG
MIN SO2 / SKIN CONTACT / 750ML

Picked early and left on skins for a handful of weeks. By the time it was pressed the wine had finished malo and went straight to old oak old for Nine months. Rich but still acid driven.

From the producer: Calyx wine is produced and letterpress printed by Yuri Zinenko in a small shed surrounded by an acre of vines in Keilor, Melbourne. Everything is done on site, by hand with help from friends and family. Since 2019 I've been printing my labels on a Chandler and Price letterpress. I currently use 170gsm Awagami bamboo paper stock which I mount onto a double sided adhesive. It is then cut down on an ideal guillotine to get press ready. I hand feed and use a rubber-based ink to make the impression. Finally, I die cut the labels to shape and stick them on the bottles. Similar to my wine making it is a constant work in progress. I'm pumped to learn more and hopefully create some exciting new gear and labels in the future. Feel free to get in contact if you want any more info x. Also a huge thank you to Dan at seagull press for sharing your 50 years of printing knowledge.

SICILY. ITALY
PITH PURITY SALINE
LEFT OF CENTRE / NO TREATMENTS / 750ML

Destemmed and lightly crushed Grecanico Dorato and Carricante. Three days on skins and then aged in neutral tanks. The resulting wine is a lively white, pure fruited with a volcanic edge. 

From the Producer: Our first white wine started out as an orange wine, fermented with the skins for an extended period. I liked the tactile feeling and density, but missed the finesse and precision of the classic French white wines from for example the Loire. With the vintage 2015 I changed our technique to search for the purity and flavors of Etna which evolved in maintaining a short period of skin contact and aging our white wines for an extended period in the coldest part of our cellar before bottling. The obtained elegance, purity and density makes this wine very suited to accompany a wide variety of dishes and cuisine, from fish to white meat.

EMILIA ROMAGNA, ITALY
ORANGE GRIP FORCE
LEFT OF CENTRE / ORGANIC / 750ML

South facing organic Malvasia di Candia aged on skins for 90 days before heading to large format oak for 16 months. Hyper aromatic with velcro grip. The quintessential in your face orange wine. 

From the producer: Our winemaking is based on a complete absence of preservatives, additives, and stabilisation processes of any kind, something that is only possible with high-quality fruit. Extended maceration processes enable us to produce wines that are stable over time without the use of additives. Above all, they extract the very best out of the fruit: the colour, scents, aromas, vitamins, and polyphenols. The technique may seem simple, but actually, our approach requires a combination of various technical, stylistic, and aesthetic factors. We have to identify the best way to express the characteristics of the grape variety. As well as paying great attention to technique in our work, we also try to make the most of our experience and intuition. Awareness, experience, and aesthetic understanding guide how we vary the maceration and winemaking processes depending on the vintage and the characteristics of the grapes to create entirely new products.

SANCERRE, FRANCE
LIVELY SINEW THOUGHT-FILLED
ORGANIC / NO SO2 / 75OML

A deeply complex Sauvignon Blanc - trademark acid backbone with primary fruits kept in check by time in old oak. Slightly botrytised fruit brings with it a glycerol weight. Such a dynamic wine.

From the distributor: Sauvignon blanc from a 3ha parcel in Verdigny. 30-year-old vines on average, grown on clay and limestone. 30% botrytis. Direct press, then fermented and aged for two years in tank, then one year in old barrels. Zero SO2.

Sébastien Riffault makes Sancerre like no other. These are incredible wines with a cult status, found in some of the world’s top restaurants, bars and wine shops. Whilst the majority of the region is filled with chemical induced vineyards and austere, formulated wines, Sébastien’s wines are atypical. One of the main factors is that he picks late so that the grapes are partly affected by botrytis – however, the wines are vinified dry. This coupled with long élevage and zero additions (apart from 10ppm SO2 in Les Quarterons) brings about wines of a unique and ethereal nature. They are complex wines of contemplation.

He ploughs between the vines with horses, and forgoes the use of machinery. The grapes are picked by hand, and more importantly, sorted by hand (grape by grape), to ensure only quality berries are used, and that any gray rot is removed – a risk when botrytis is found. The grapes are fermented naturally in tank and then stay in tank for two years. All wines (except Les Quarterons) are then transferred to old wood except for another year of ageing. They are never fined or filtered and are bottled by gravity. These are seriously intriguing and complex wines, and are not to be missed.

EMILIA ROMAGNA, ITALY
ORANGE GRIP FORCE
LEFT OF CENTRE / ORGANIC / 1500ML

South facing organic Malvasia di Candia aged on skins for 90 days before heading to large format oak for 16 months. Hyper aromatic with velcro grip. The quintessential in your face orange wine. 

From the producer: Our winemaking is based on a complete absence of preservatives, additives, and stabilisation processes of any kind, something that is only possible with high-quality fruit. Extended maceration processes enable us to produce wines that are stable over time without the use of additives. Above all, they extract the very best out of the fruit: the colour, scents, aromas, vitamins, and polyphenols. The technique may seem simple, but actually, our approach requires a combination of various technical, stylistic, and aesthetic factors. We have to identify the best way to express the characteristics of the grape variety. As well as paying great attention to technique in our work, we also try to make the most of our experience and intuition. Awareness, experience, and aesthetic understanding guide how we vary the maceration and winemaking processes depending on the vintage and the characteristics of the grapes to create entirely new products.

CENTRAL OTAGO, NEW ZEALAND
PITH GRIT EVOLVING
SKIN CONTACT / ORGANIC / 750ML

Evolved tannin that forces you to feel your teeth, pithy with notes of heavily steeped herbal tea.  

From the Producer: Clockwork is always a wine based around texture, a wine that has skin contact as its core and in that family of wines known as ‘orange’ wine. A style that owes its origins to Georgia, possibly the oldest wine region in the world. Clockwork gains its texture from its time fermenting and maturing on skins, in 2016 a blend based around albarino, though including some riesling and chenin, with an average time on skins being 8 months. The varieties used produced a lighter style of orange wine than previous, more gateway than all in orange, a great intro to this style.

We are Bio gro certified organic, owning all our fruit across 5 estate vineyards, all in Central Otago, collectively producing wines of provenance and pleasure alike

We enjoy breaking new ground, the first in New Zealand to make vermouth, have wine on tap, early adopters of skin contact and minimal sulphur, we continue to seek out the unique. Our choices, style and techniques reflect, we believe, a growing demand for individual and authentic wine.

Traditional winemaking, a healthy regard to science, all without a rulebook telling us what to do or how to look. The less you do the better the wine is a truism that guides us via minimal intervention such as no fining, filtration, aids or additives.

Our motto, Grow your Own Way, is with a care to all around you, surround yourself with people who think the same and enjoy yourselves.

FRIULI, ITALY
RIND LIFTED PHENOLIC
LEFT OF CENTRE / BIODYNAMIC / 750ML

From the Producer Located in Oslavia, near Gorizia, this 12ha vineyard grows on steep slopes. Our soil consists mainly of eocene marls, producing optimal conditions for viticulture. The estate has been run by Stanislao (Stanko) Radikon since 1980, together with his wife Suzana and son, Saša.

ALTO ADIGE, ITALY
FLAWLESS TUNED FACETED
SKIN CONTACT / SUSTAINABLE / 750ML

20 months in oak has given this magnificent skin contact white time to find its feet. Powdery tannins give way to fresh herbs, spring air and cascara. So much finesse for a notoriously blocky style.  

From the Distributor: Caroline is a so-called "gemischter satz" of a vineyard with a co-plantation of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Manzoni Bianco. These grapes are macerated for two weeks, creating a light orange wine. Aged for 20 months in old wood. Spicy and mineral with light blossoms, tarragon, bergamot, and a perfect balance. Flawless.

Weingut Pranzegg is a small 3.5 hectare family estate nestled in the surrounding mountain foothills of the town of Bozen in Südtirol (or more commonly known as Alto Adige), just 50 km south of the Austrian border. The winery has been in the hands of the Gojer family for three generations. Martin took over the estate in 2008 and started the conversion to biodynamic farming straight away. Everything is done by hand here, and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration, and with minimal doses of sulphur. For Martin, the most important thing is to make ‘living wines’ that are able to express a sense of place.

Contrary to the areas largely spread cooperative system (over 90% of all grapes are bottled by cooperatives and associated winemaker structures), Martin and his partner Marion continue to preserve the small-structured farm set-up that always rooted in the philosophy of seeing a farm as a closed and sustainable eco-system. Naturally, Martin and Marion grow varieties most suited and native to the region including Lagrein, Schiava/Vernatsch - but also mixed white field blends including Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc as well as Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon and Manzoni Bianco. His vines grow on terraces with a raised pergola system typical of the region.

In the cellar, Martin allows his wines to take their time - often two or even three years on the full lees before bottling. There are no additions other than small amounts of sulphur at bottling. The wines of Pranzegg carry a real finesse with them, often only showing their potential at second glance. For Martin, it is about focus. ‘As a winegrower, it is primarily my intention to narrate the region, the scene, the year and our way of living. Working biodynamically helps us not to blur the narration’

CALABRIA, ITALY
FRICTION SUN ORANGE
LEFT OF CENTRE / 750

An intriguing short macerated orange wine made from Greco in Calabria. The wine has subtle grippy friction with orange blossom, stone fruit and a lovely 'wet earth' aroma. A gateway orange wine.

From the Producer: We have some 7 hectares of vineyards in open countryside that are always exposed to the sun and have a fantastic view of the sea.

The vineyards grow four different vines of which three have red grapes: Aglianico, Greco Nero and Nero Calabrese; and one has white grapes: Greco Bianco. All of the grapes are either typical of the local area, for example Greco Bianco and Greco Nero, or of the south of Italy.

As we do for the production of oil, we also follow the whole production cycle of our wine, from looking after the vines to harvesting the grapes (yes, the grapes all come from our land) and transforming the grapes into wine, and finally the bottling and labelling processes. We have our own wine cellar where we carry out all the necessary checks.

We won’t tire of repeating that the result of our wine depends solely and 100% on our grapes and our processing of them. We don’t add any preservatives or other substances that could adulterate it. Neither do we do anything to enhance the colour or the consistency of the product artificially.

Calabria is a region that has very different microclimates (such as sea and mountains) a short distance apart and this is typical of the area and very interesting to experience. Another thing is that we have sun almost all year round, which gives us a mild climate with winters that are not too cold. Thanks to this fact our countryside is nearly always green (except in August because the intense heat gives little opportunity for the vegetation to flourish) and there are often flowers even in winter.

UMBRIA, ITALY
GRAIN MINERAL BLOSSOM   
LEFT OF CENTER / ORGANIC / 750ML

Beautifully honest wine; pure Grenchetto juice that spent a few days on skins before being rested briefly in an inert vessel. Grainy tannins give way to citrus blossom and cold tea.  

From the distributor: When Carlo Tabarrini was four, his father and grandfather would bring him into the vineyards (where he was sometimes allowed to drive the tractor). They made wine for family consumption and grew grapes to sell. He always held fond memories of his childhood amongst the vines and so after he finished school he gave up on his life working in a chocolate factory to focus on vineyards. In 2008, he started Cantina Margo, and from 2016 until now it has been his sole focus. He began with 0.5 hectares from abandoned or neglected vineyards in the town of Sant’Enea (Umbria), and has grown to now manage close to 3 hectares. Using natural and biodynamic practices, Carlo began to improve his land, which seemed to have extraordinary potential. His careful work restoring these precious sites has given him the reputation of one of the most dedicated farmers in the inland region of Umbria.

The vineyards Carlo tends are between 25 and 45 years old, planted in limestone and clay soils. Machinery is used as little as possible and no pesticides or chemicals are used. Instead, he uses biodynamic preparations made with manure and herbs and works in line with the astronomical calendar. He loves working in a traditional way with the use of modern winemaking equipment and technology kept to a minimum. No wines have any additions or manipulations of any sort. For him the wines are truly expressions of site and vintage. We fell in love with Carlo’s expressions that are simply honest, delicious wines from the heart of Umbria.

SOMEWHERE, VICTORIA
SKIN FRESH DRY
LEFT OF CENTRE / 750ML

From the Producer: Speedo vino. Handpicked by ninjas. Speed dealers recommended eyewear for drinking this reprobate. A right maverick. Can't be contained. Don't fear the Jazz. 100% whole bunch. Carbonic maceration. 8 days. Pressed to old oak. Fresh and juicy. Strawberries, pears and white flowers with a light chalky texture.