A Word From Our Founder
September 2024 - Orange Club
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Club Pick 1
Marco Merli '000182022' Bianco Umbria is a beautifully balanced and charming white wine that reflects the wildness of the Umbrian hills. Crafted by former fashion designer Marco Merli, this wine layers and interweaves the distinct characteristics of Vermentino, Trebbiano, and Malvasia di Candia. With spontaneous fermentation in non-temperature controlled steel vessels, the wine offers vibrant solar fruit flavors, earthy spice, and a touch of snappy acidity, making it an addictively savory experience.
Fun Fact: The name "000182022" represents the temperature in centigrade during the 2022 vintage, symbolizing the wine's connection to the specific climatic conditions that shaped its character. This wine is a testament to Marco Merli's transition from fashion to winemaking, where he brings the same attention to detail and aesthetics to his craft.
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Funky Scale:
Middle of the Road
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Region:Umbria, Italy
Club Pick 2
Sfera Litro Macerato is a unique collaboration with small certified-organic farmers across Italy, focusing on limited-run liters of distinctive wines. This macerated white wine from Puglia is made from 100% Verdeca grapes, grown in clayey silt soils at an altitude of 350 meters. The wine undergoes 14 days of skin contact in stainless steel, which gives it a subtle tannic structure and vibrant flavors. With no clarification or filtration and minimal added sulphites, this wine is a pure expression of its terroir, offering a refreshing and slightly funky experience perfect for summer.
Fun Fact: Verdeca is a relatively rare grape variety native to Puglia, known for its high acidity and ability to produce fresh, zesty wines. The skin contact in this wine enhances its complexity, adding layers of texture and flavor that make it a standout in the world of Italian white wines.
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Funky Scale:
Middle of the Road
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Region: Piemonte, Italy
Club Pick 3
Orange Cubique François is a vibrant and structured skin-contact wine crafted by François Bléger at his family estate in Saint Hippolyte, Alsace. The Gewurztraminer grapes are hand-harvested from organically farmed granite vineyards, and undergo a 12-day whole-bunch maceration using natural carbonic maceration. After gentle pressing, the wine is aged for 9 months in a combination of foudre and stainless steel tanks. The result is a beautifully balanced orange wine with aromatic floral notes, citrus peel, and a touch of spice, all supported by structured tannins, making it both intriguing and easy to drink.
Fun Fact: Gewurztraminer, known for its aromatic intensity, takes on a whole new dimension when vinified as an orange wine. The extended skin contact during maceration enhances its natural spiciness and adds a unique tannic structure, making it a perfect match for flavorful and spicy dishes.
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Funky Scale:
Middle of the Road
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Region: Alsace, France
Club Pick 4
Vulkán #2 from Meinklang is a vibrant white wine crafted from two ancient Hungarian grape varieties, Hárslevelű and Juhfark. The vineyards thrive on volcanic soil where a volcano once stood, imparting a unique mineral character to the wine. Hand-harvested and fermented spontaneously in neutral barrels with indigenous yeasts, this wine undergoes a 2-day maceration and is aged in neutral barrels. With no fining or filtration and minimal added sulphites (29 mg/L), Vulkán #4 is a true expression of its terroir. The result is a summery and citrusy wine with a light floral touch, perfect for enjoying on warm days.
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Funky Scale:
Funky
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Region: Burgenland, Austria