November 2021 | Orange Club
Welcome to the November Orange Club from MYSA Natural Wine!
A note from our founder:
Welcome to our November 2021 orange bottle wine club! I have a lovely surprise with some cameos from my co-founder Nic throughout these videos so enjoy those and check out a couple funny bloopers at the bottom if you're looking for a quick laugh!
This month I have some really special bottles that we had literally just enough to get in here and sadly, won't have enough to sell any retail until the importer can get more (specifically the Unkel and Nimbus Albus). These wines are a wonderful representation of all the styles you can have with orange wine from a blended pet-nat to some incredibly dope ramato, to a price performing Friuli (sounds like an oxymoron!) and finally a Greek wine that's almost Macedonian and made me say holy guacamole that's good when I opened it!
- Aransat - Borgo Savaian di Bastiani Stefano
- Pet-Nat Vol 4 - Fuchs und Hase
- Nimbus Albus - Kamara
- Rising Sun Skin Contact - Unkel
- Sudigiri - Villa Job (in some boxes)
- Bloopers
- Wine Evaluation Sheet
Aransat - Borgo Savaian di Bastiani Stefano
Friuli Venezia Giulia - Italy
Description:
Grapes undergo natural fermentation on the skins that lasts around 90 days. This orange is complex, refreshing, and textured with tannins. Did you know the name of this wine is Friulian slang for orange?! Apricot, honey, and citrus on the palate.
Pairings: Sushi, Dumplings, Charcuterie Board
Serving Temperature: 48°- 52°
About Borgo Savaian di Bastiani Stefano
Three generations with deep ties to the local area, Cormons, 12 kilometers from the Slovenian border. This is a family affair with the younger generation inspired to take over for their parents after enjoying a bottle of Friulano in the family vineyard at age 14. This is Italy after all. Small and maintaining a human scale, the estate covers a total of 18 hectares alongside Mount Quarin. The family focuses on farming indigenous varieties and is com mitted to a natural lifestyle that is in harmony with its surroundings. - Communal Grounds
Pet-Nat Vol 4 - Fuchs und Hase
Kamptal - Austria
Description:
An orange pet-nat made from two exciting grapes, Müller Thurgau and Grüner Veltliner. Flavors of green apple, citrus, and hints of yeast. Medium acidity with soft tannin. Tasting Notes: Crisp, zesty, and refreshing.
Pairings: Asian Cuisine, Fish, Appetizers
Serving Temperature: 45°- 50°
About Fuchs und Hase 
"Fuchs und Hase was born from the friendship between Martin and Anna Arndorfer and Stefanie and Alwin Jurtschitsch, and their growing passion for Pet Nat’s and the natural wine world.
Martin Arndorfer is a well known name in the wine world; class of '83, Martin had, in fact, had the opportunity to approach work in the vineyard from an early age, thanks to the family business, and madly in love with this world, he continued his studies and accumulated numerous experiences before returning home and to start, in the heart of the Kamp valley, in the village Strass, together with his partner Anna Steininger, a production that bears his name.
Only later, with friends Stefanie and Alwin Jurtschitsch, also already dedicated to viticulture, did he start the Fuchs und Hase project.
The basic idea was to exclusively produce wines refermented in the bottle, changing the starting grapes but not the method, that is a more or less prolonged skin maceration intended to extract the soul of the vines in the best possible way.
The first bottle of Fuchs und Hase arrived in 2012, but after Alwin's trip to Australia and Martin's trip to New York, the two developed a much wider range of tasting experiences and a deeper understanding of Pet Nat, or pétillant naturel. - Hootananny"
Nimbus Albus - Kamara
Macedonia - Greece
Intense and rich on both the nose and palate. Stone fruits followed by hints of earth with yellow apple and citrus. Spends a total of 2-3 days on its skins. Undergoes malolactic fermentation followed by maturing on the lees for three months. Low acidity on the palate with a smooth finish.
Pairings: Risotto, Grilled Chicken, Green Salad
Serving Instructions: 45°- 50°
About Kamara
"Dimitrios Kioutsoukis’s family hailed from East Romylia back to the early 1900’s. The family had always harbored a dream to make wine like their ancestors, but lacked the finances to start a winery. Dimitrios trained and worked as a chemical engineer originally, and worked for many years in the medical field, to save money to fulfill this winemaking dream. The region he lived in, Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, had been well known for the cultivation of vines, but since phylloxera cultivation had all but died out. He studied winemaking through the UC Davis extension program and decided in 2010 to plant 11 hectares of vines of Greek varieties including Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Roditis, Xinomavro, Limnio, Muscat, and Moschfilero.
From the very beginning the vineyards were worked only in accordance with long-standing traditions, like manual pruning, hoeing of weeds, and harvesting, and use of natural sprays made from plants like nettle and yarrow, and composting and fertilization with natural manure. They always sought to do as few treatments as possible, to maintain balance with the natural way of the vines and nature. Then in 2015, with his daughter Stavroula, an agronomist and oenologist, he took the giant step of converting all his production to natural methods. The wines are now all naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts, have no products added or subtracted, are not filtered, and have zero sulfur added at bottling. - Jenny & Francois"
Rising Sun Skin Contact - Unkel
Upper Moutere - New Zealand
Description:This orange wine is crazy and complex yet fun and lively at the same time. The hand-picked grapes spend 5 days on the skins. Deep peach in color with equally as fruity notes. Citrus zest with berries.
Pairings: Nachos, Roasted Chicken, Cheese Plate
Serving Temperature: 48°- 52°
About Unkel 
“I was drawn into the winemaking world by my obsession with how things smell – I was even considering perfumes, but in the end, winemaking won,” Rob Burley laughs about his start in the wine industry. Accompanied by his high-school sweetheart turned wife Kate, the energetic New Zealander started an exciting odyssey that eventually led them back to the land they love. Their first globetrotting steps led from their native Tauranga to Australia, where Rob finished his winemaking degree and started working for big wineries, which “nearly drained the passion out of me. Luckily, a friend introduced me to wines of people like Saša Radikon or Jean-Francois Ganevat back then,” Rob recalls.
Happy to delve deeper into this re-found world of scents and flavors, the couple went overseas – traveling around Eastern Europe and helping harvest in the Loire Valley before ending up in Terroirs, a natural wine lovers’ den in central London. Fun fact: he found this job through the famous wine writer Jancis Robinson, to whom Rob “tentatively reached out”. Although working in the highly popular wine bar eventually made him realize that “working in hospo isn’t really my thing”, the gig made him meet Patrick Sullivan, which eventually led to the couple returning back to Australia and Rob back to winemaking in 2015.
The Burleys spent the following three years in Melbourne, with Rob working full-time for the natural wine stars Pat Sullivan and Bill Downie while making his own wine on the side – Unkel’s baby steps. “Being so close to Melbs’ vibrant food scene was a good way to start a brand, but I was kind of buying fruit from many different places and didn’t really like that. In the end, we felt the need to go back to New Zealand and start farming our own fruit, in a land that we feel way more connected and emotionally attached to,” they explain.
After a bit of searching for a spot to settle in, the couple got a tip about a vineyard block to lease in Bronte, South Island, from their friend Alex Craighead, the owner and winemaker of Kindeli, a famous winery nearby. “I think we really found a sweet spot here. You’ve got natural parks, walks, lakes, skiing, beaches with even a little bit of surf at your doorstep,” Rob smiles and, having briefly visited this incredibly picturesque and sunny piece of land next to the Abel Tasman National Park that has it all, we can’t but jealously agree.
“Not that we have a lot of time for it though, with our little son and mainly the vineyard,” Rob chuckles. Oh yes, the vineyard: besides being a great lifestyle choice, the Moutere area is also quite a gem wine-wise, especially in the upper part where the Burleys are. “You get cold nights and a bit more gravel in the soil compared to the lower parts, meaning more acidity and finesse in the wine, which is exactly what we were looking for,” Rob nods. There is an important, moderating maritime influence and enough sun and rain at the right times, and, quite importantly for a young starting family (both Rob and Kate are in their early 30s), the region is not (yet) in the limelight, meaning they could find a vineyard to lease for an affordable price.
Hence, since the 2020 vintage, Rob’s dream of farming their own fruit has come true: he’s now proudly taking care of 5 hectares of 25-year-old dry-farmed organic vines on a gentle north-facing slope. Once in the winery, “rather than being that hands-on, overbearing, parent or father figure, you can think of us more like that cruisy, fun, slightly wild Uncle in your life.
The ‘Unkel’ who will let you learn life lessons the hard but far more interesting and fun way, and only intervenes when totally necessary,” Rob explains the philosophy behind both their minimalist approach and brand name. The resulting wines are bursting with life, bright acidity, and energy that speak of their honest farming. They’re just as colorful as their joyful names and the eye-candy labels created by the couple’s friend suggest; an irresistible combo we couldn’t but introduce to the thirsty natural wine lovers stateside.
With one’s dream fulfilled, what does the future hold? “Oh, we’re only getting started,” Rob laughs. “I’m fine-tuning how to be an even better farmer, with things like under-vine management, etc. We’ll release a new Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from our home block, more sophisticated, and longer-aged than our current wines. I re-grafted a small plot of Chenin Blanc so can’t wait to see what this brings. See, there’s still a lot to learn. We’re definitely not just happy with where we’re at!” - Unkel"
Sudigiri - Villa Job
Friuli-Venezia Giulia - Italy
Description:
The grapes from this wine spend only 2 days on their skins before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aging occurs in both concrete, old mulberry barrels, and in the bottle for 2 months. A perfectly balanced wine that is refreshing and delightful on the palate. Tasting Notes: Elderberry with hints of herbs.
Pairings: Seafood, Lemon Chicken, Creamy Pasta
Serving Instructions: 48°- 52°
About Villa Job
"Lavinia and Alessandro traveled the Loire and Italy in search of their own style and eventually found that they were preferred the very mineral and very long-aging wines produced in the most natural way possible, with indigenous yeasts and spontaneous fermentation. In each wine they produce they try to revive the stories and personal connections they experienced in their travels. They understood the social value that a winemaker has and so their wines are their thoughts, their passions and ideas.
The Villa Job vineyards (6.5ha) are located in Friuli Pozzuolo, 90 meters above sea level where the soils range from sandy, sandy-sil, clay, sandstone and marl. Working with what nature provides them, they only use substances that can be naturally derived from nature or other simple processes. Their vines are approximately 20-years-old, certified organic, and span many varietals: Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Refosco. - Savio Soares Selections"
Bloopers 😜
Wine Evaluation Sheet
Want to have some fun evaluating and taking note on your wine? Check out our natural wine tasting sheets we made special for the club!
