Your Wine Gals' Faves
Hi All! Susan and Molly here. This week we’re sharing our current favorite wines with you. When we’re not at the shop, we can be found binging shows on Netflix and snuggling our pets with a glass of these wines in hand. Read on to learn about our current faves!
2018 Montenidoli ‘Fiore’ Vernaccia Di San Gimignano: This white wine, amber in hue, is from Tuscan pioneer Elisabetta Fagiuoli, whose vineyards are located in the medieval town of San Gimignano. Elisabetta and her partner, Sergio, arrived in the area before the lush, forested land had electricity or even modern roads. This biodynamic wine is just as pure as untouched land. It makes me think of standing knee-deep in a cold flowing, stony riverbed. It is refined and mineral driven with aromatic notes of white flowers and pears.
2018 Case Alte ‘4 Filari’ Grillo: This organic golden-coloured wine is made in the Sicilian commune of Camporeale outside of Palermo. Winemakers Calogero and Giuseppe Vaccaro make this playful wine from Sicily’s most planted white grape variety, Grillo. A glass of this wine transports me to a sandy beach under the hot sun. The high acidity in the Grillo makes me want to build sandcastles, and the warm notes of lime and slightly under-ripe pineapple makes me never want to leave the beach! If you’re craving the warmer weather, this wine is for you!
Clos Marfisi: Ever since Thanksgiving, I’ve been obsessed with Clos Marfisi Rouge, a medium bodied French red made from 100% Niellucciu Its rhubarb and cranberry notes paired perfectly with turkey, sweet potatoes, and roasted fall veggies. Then this past week I enjoyed yet another bottle of Niellucciu, this time alongside roasted halibut and garlicky sauteed kale. I fell in love with the wine all over again! This French red sees no oak, is vinified in all cement, and no sulfur is added.
Knowing a bit about Clos Marfisi makes me appreciate the wine even more. Brother and sister duo Mathieu et Julie Marfisi are 5th generation at this Corsican estate. Their philosophy is to remain a small-scale estate practicing organic viticulture. Their 14 hectares of vines have never been treated with chemicals in the history of the domaine, which was established in 1870.
On the island of Corsica, the main AOC is Patrimonio, which covers over 400 hectares; half of the area is run by two large producers, while the other half is farmed by 30 small growers including the Marfisi family. Their idyllic vineyard plots overlook the Meditteranean, and nothing says ocean like their crystalline, salty Vermentinu, whose vines grow atop limestone rich soils. Like the red, it is excellent when paired to fish, but I also enjoy serving this white wine with a hunk of Podda Misto, an island cheese from neighboring Sardinia.