Right now across the Northern Hemisphere it’s the most wonderful time of year … harvest season! Between now and mid-November, winemakers have the dazed look of people who haven’t slept in weeks. They have semi-permanent grape and dirt stains on their calloused, dry hands. Their backs perpetually ache and their brows are furrowed. They turn their lives upside down to bring you delicious wine, and they prove that you can’t be a good natural winemaker without heart and passion! Winemakers Ginny Povall, Paolo Brunello, and Jean-Pierre Rietsch exemplify this passion for their profession as shown through the bounty of their unique natural wines. 

The Brunello family has been farming in the Veneto, high in the rolling Euganean Hills, for 45 years. Paolo Brunello took over this Vignale di Cecilia in the year 2000 and, with his happy hound Poldo by his side, Paolo farms his land using all organic practices. NV Vignale di Cecilia ‘Poldo’ is a luscious blend of Garganega, Tocai Friulano (aka but Sauvignon Vert) and Moscato. If you’re familiar with the sweet and floral frizzante Moscato D’Asti, you might assume this wine is sweet, but it’s not! The grape Moscato, also known as Muscat, can be made into wines ranging from bone-dry to caramelly sweet. This dry Veneto white boasts savory notes of hazelnuts, green apples, and spices. Poldo approves!

One of the most stunningly beautiful regions in France is Alsace, a northern region bordering Germany that is home to the organic property of Domaine Rietsch. Winemaker Jean-Pierre Rietsch took over the management of the property from his parents in 1987. His white wines are very classically Alsatian in two ways: they are usually field blends, and they are meant to be consumed with food. The 2019 Domaine Rietsch 'Tout Blanc' Liter is a blend of Jean-Pierre’s 2018 and 2019 vintages, which is aged on its lees to produce a full bodied mouthfeel. Pair this lemony, zippy white liter (yay, more wine!) with Vietnamese inspired cuisine, like a bowl of steaming noodles from our friends at Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.

Ginny Povall was once your typical Bostonian foodie and wine lover, until she went on vacation to South Africa in the mid-2000s, fell head over heels in love with the beautiful country, and decided to uproot her life in the states and move to South Africa permanently. In 2008 she bought Protea Heights Farm, a flower farm that exports the Protea flower, also known as Sugarbushes, around the world. In 2009 Ginny started planting grape vines and founded her organic winery Botanica, inspired by both flowers and grapes! 

Ginny’s Albariño, a grape indigenous to Portugal and Spain, is one of three Albariño wines produced in all of South Africa! Ginny theorizes that more winemakers will start producing this snazzy grape as it thrives in the Stellenbosch cool and cloudy climate. The grapes in 2019 Botanica 'Flowergirl' Albariño were grown on Vilafonte soil and were hand harvested before undergoing fermentation in a concrete egg and aged for six months on their lees. Pair this mineral-driven white with seared scallops and enjoy the pear, orange rind, and salty notes in the elegant, dry finish.

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