TIS THE SEASON!
It’s been a loooooooong year. We’ve all been challenged in ways that we would never have imagined possible. Yet, I hope that you will all be able to look forward to the year to come and enjoy the holidays with a sense of accomplishment, you’re a badass and now you deserve a drink. Whether this was a gift from a very tasteful friend or you felt that it was just time to treat yourself I want to raise a glass to you and yours. Enjoy this selection of wines and ciders we felt would be a perfect pairing for your holiday.
- Addam
Cidrerie du Vulcain - 2018 Transparente
Varietal: 20+ foraged apple varieties
Region: Fribourg, Switzerland
ABV: 7.1%
Colour: Golden Yellow
Nose: Fresh Apple, Yeast, Chamomile,
Taste: Tight Fizz, Dry, Apple, Rosemary
Soil: Limestone, schist, topsoil is largely clay-based.
Farming: Wild foraged from untreated high-branched trees
Vinification: indigenous yeasts in stainless tanks; lightly filtered and decanted into bottles to complete fermentation
Our Take: This cider is childhood nostalgia through the lens of a well lived life. Sure it got a little beat up along the way but damn did it make for a good amount of character and backbone. It starts off semi-sweet and only looks over the fence at sour. This sticks with you for a long and dry moment. This is a good cider to try for those funk-fearing folks who are willing to dip their toes in.
Producer Notes:
Jacques Perritaz was once a biologist for the Swiss government working on the preservation of natural habitats and specializing in rare native plants. Eventually the rigor of computer work seemed less of a life worthy of his passion and he began to transition over to wine and cider making. At first he began interning for some of the local Swiss wineries gaining the knowledge and techniques to produce his outstanding ciders. Around the year 2000 he noticed some neglected and some abandoned apple and pear trees some nearly 200 years old. They were remnants of a bygone polyculture where farmers could sell apples from their pastures to local cideries. Eventually striking some deals with the land owners to start harvesting his career in cider began. Now Jacques hand forages fruit from 150-200 trees every year an approach that helps preserve the traditionally landscape and promotes biodiversity. His cider mill is in the basement of on old 19th century tile factory where he only uses natural yeasts and finishes fermentation in bottle.
Domaine Ozil - 2019 Gourmandise
Varietal: Grenache, Syrah and Viognier
Region: Ardeche, Northern Rhone, France
ABV: 12.5%
Colour: Deep Garnet
Nose: Sour Cherry, Maraschino, Cinnamon, White Pepper
Taste: Cassis, Plum, Cranberry, Mushroom
Farming: Certified Organic
Our Take:
gour·man·dize /ˈɡo͝ormənˌdīz/ verb 1. eat good food, especially to excess.
This is a pretty fitting name and when you eat good food to excess you should pair it with good wine. This Rhone blend from Domaine Ozil is like supping on the synthesis of a classic still life ala Caravaggio or Pieter Claesz. You can just imagine baskets of cherries, mushroom & plums overflowing, a vase of flowers, jars of spices and some skull because everyone is metal and has a skull on their dining room table.
Producer Notes:
Domaine Ozil is a 5th generation polyculture farm in the southern Ardèche, which is now in the hands of two young & dynamic brothers Jean Daniel & Thomas Ozil. In 2013 Thomas joined the domaine, in order to get out of the coop (to which they sold most of their fruit) they decided to transform their grapes (make & bottle wine). With the guidance of Gilles Azzoni, they were able to have the confidence to make natural wine with no added sulfites. They also farm olives, peaches, lavender & vegetables on top of their 16 hectares of vines planted mainly to grenache, syrah, viognier, marsanne & cinsault. All the farming is certified organic and they also practice biodynamic farming.
Kumpf et Meyer - 2018 Rastons Nature
Varietal: Pet Nat of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois
Region: Alsace, France
ABV: 12.5%
Colour: Yellow Straw at dusk
Nose: Peach, Nectarine, Lactic, Confectioners Sugar
Taste: Pear, Unripe Nectarine, Brioche, Cantaloupe, Dry
Farming: Certified Organic/ Practicing Biodynamic
Soil: Clay and limestone
Vinification: Direct pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, bottled at the end of October with 12 gr / L of residual sugars. Without added sulphites, unfiltered and not disgorged.
Our Take: The initial pour is frothy with tight bubbles. It starts of a little shy and reserved with some unripe stone fruits coming through but tasting through its evolutions is pretty fantastic. Its a cool little shapeshifter that eventually gives way to buttery brioche and melon. Put a good chill on it as Pet Nats have a tendency to foam up if not at proper serving temp.
Producer Notes: The Kumpf et Meyer estate began in 1997 by couple Sophie Kumpf and Phillippe Meyer. Phillippe left the estate after some time and in 2010 a young winegrower by the name of Julien Albertus joined the ranks and his influence pushed the wine to be produced natural and the farming to be organic. Soon the restrictions of organic farming was considered not restrictive enough and they pushed further into biodynamics. Today the vineyard covers 15 hectars with over 70 plots.
