orange is the new pink

this new and exciting winery is in the young but experienced hands of winemaker maria jover, who trained at one of spain’s top producers, vega sicilia. since its beginning, the winery is committed to preserving the “terraje” farming system whereby landholders rent their vineyard to the farmers, ensuring care and respect for the vines in return for a small percentage of production, ensuring the higher quality old vine fruit and higher pay for those tending the vines. this 100% macabeo with about one week of skin contact! it’s got citrus and some white nut and tea notes, with a little grip balanced out by fresh acidity.

arnold holzer is a 6th generation winemaker bringing a fresh energy and perspective to his family's northern corner of wagram, very close to kamptal. while the area is best known for its veltliners (both grüner and roter), this wine is a light orange treatment of müller thurgau (a crossing of riesling and sylvaner). the wine sees 2 weeks of skin contact, and the time on the skins amplifies the variety's tropical aromas, and gives a tangy, zesty textural character without getting into the more tannic world of amber wine. this wine is certified organic, from loess soils and is vinified vegan (bottled unfined, unfiltered) and clocks in with low abv at 11.5% abv!  named "invaders" in homage to the winemaker's love for old school video games, this wine pours slightly cloudy and is moderate in weight with flavors of tart stone fruits, lemon peel, blood orange and a clay minerality.

‘nun wine’! the nuns are roman catholic sisters of the order of the cistercians of the strict observance, which is part of an order of monks and nuns with origins dating back to 1098! located in lazio about 30 miles north of rome, they are a self-sustaining community who make wine, beer, spirits, cheese and sweets to make their living, improve their viticulture and preserve their land. they own and manage the vineyards, first planted in the 1960s on volcanic soils and farmed organically. and the nuns are helped out in the cellar by the iconic natural wine producer, giampiero bea of paolo bea winery. this is a blend of 3 indigenous grapes trebbiano, verdicchio, and malvasia, and the grapes see extended skin contact of 15 days or more. it is an alternative view of the same vineyards and grapes the make up their coenobium wine – coenobium is fall and ruscum is winter. this wine had a deep golden color with citrus, herbal (anise) and earthy/savory notes and great rounded texture balanced with brilliant acidity.

les équilibristes’ means tightrope walkers, and it’s that gravity-defying sense of balance that florent and francois aim to achieve. françois de monval is a merchant and restauranteur in paris, florent girou is a winegrower and consulting oenologist in the dordogne. together they work with creative, independent growers to do something outside of their comfort zone, by creating new blends or focusing on neglected varietals. it’s a collaborative process, from choosing the site to final bottling. these are their ground rules: great terroir, organic, minimal intervention in the cellar, minimal use of sulfur, and complete synergy with the winegrower. they are currently working with 7 winemakers across 5 regions and 18 grape varieties. this 100% grenache blanc is macerated on the skins of grenache gris, vermentino, and roussanne skins for 30 days. it’s dry, herbal and savory with apricot and green tea notes.