Free tasting | Saturday, September 8, 2018 | 4-6PM

Jackson is visiting us from Mise Wines and has a bag full of new goodies, including Italia Ti Amo from Michael Schmelzer, and we couldn't be more in love with the juice and its fun liter bottle. Come try!

The Line-up:

2017 Welsh Family, Blaufränkisch (Oregon, United States) | Try saying Blaufränkisch, a grape native to Austria and Hungary, six times in a row without sneezing. While the name may tickle the tongue, the wine is nothing but smooth and luscious. The Dauenhauer family has been farming in Willamette Valley for decades; their vines are dry-farmed and see minimum intervention. This Blaufränkisch was fermented with native yeasts and spent 6 months in neutral oak barrels. It’s a fresh extroverted wine with notes that will make you think of hiking in the Northwest with its woodsy and currant notes.

2016 Monte Bernardi, Italia Ti Amo (Tuscany, Italy) | In 2003, an American named Michael Schmelzer moved his family to Tuscany where he had bought 53 hectares of vineyards to fulfill a dream of making wines using biodynamic methods. So cool, right? This blend of Sangiovese, Malvasia Nera, Canaiolo, Frappato, and Nero D’Avola was aged in 80% concrete and 20% stainless steel. It’s tasting notes are as playful as its labeling (see photo) with blackberry and raspberry pie like notes in your palate with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s also a liter bottle, so more amore for everyone.

2014 Monte Bernardi, Retromarcia (Tuscany, Italy) | Bottles of Retromarcia, or “reverse-gear”, include a cork with an imprint of a stick shift. Michigan native, Michael Schmelzer makes his wines in the hilly, southern-most region of Panzano, an area that has been acknowledged as one of the Grand Cru of Chianti Classico. Vines are planted on shale, sandstone, and limestone, and at an expose of 350 meters above sea level, all of these factors contribute to the unique micro-climate of Monte Bernardi. 

2016 Mica Vinho Verde (Minho, Portugal) | Next to the word 'Vinho Verde' in a dictionary there should be the words: enthusiastic, young, and teamwork. That is what the soul of this region amounts too, whether in Mica or in general. Most Vinho Verde are blends of snazzy native grapes like Azal, Loureiro, or Alvarinho. Mica is the brainchild of a gathering of organic villagers in Sousa who brought their grapes together to create this refreshing wine, with notes of green apple and a delightful spritz.

2017 Domaine Pique-Basse ‘l’Ambigu’ (Côtes du Rhône, France) | Olivier Tropet named his winery Pique-Passe, inspired by the word ‘piquebas,’ which translates to ‘podium that is low to the ground’ after the flat lands that his organic vineyards in the Côtes du Rhône are on. His rosé, a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault, is anything but flat! It coats your mouth eagerly with its lively notes of strawberries and spice.