Cantina Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco
Origin: Sorbara, Italy
Retail: $21.95 | Sale: $19.76
Extending from the Adriatic coast in the east to the border of the Mediterranean Ligurian region in the west, Emilia Romagna is a large, central Italian region focused on a wide array of gastronomic specialties. The plains of Emilia host four well-defined subzones for its famous, lightly sparkling red, Lambrusco. Cantina Paltrinieri is a winery located in the heart of Sorbara, in Emilia-Romagna, where the family has lived for four generations producing Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC. Winemaker Alberto Paltrinieri wanted to continue the work his grandfather Achille had begun in 1926 and that he and his mother had been running for 40 years and so he began directing the winery in 1998. Since then, he has farmed 40 acres of vineyards in the historic area of the Cristo di Sorbara and focuses on showcasing the native Lambrusco di Sorbara grape. This wine pairs well with seafood, cured meats, or on its own as an aperitif. Notes of grapefruit and wild strawberry on the nose, with marked acidity and pomegranate on the palate. 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara
Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet ‘La Pepie’ 2022
Origin: Loire Valley, France
Retail: $19.95 | Sale: $17.96
On the doorstep of Brittany, Domaine de la Pépière is located in the village of Maisdon sur Sèvre. Its history as a winery dates from 1984 when Marc, a boy from the hamlet of La Pépière, created the domain. Here, Melon de Bourgogne, the unique grape variety used to produce Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, is enhanced by the complexity of the soil and subsoil of the domain: granite, granodiorite, gneiss and gabbro. Legendary winemaker Marc Ollivier retired in 2019 and the estate is now run by Rémi Branger, a local and friend of Marc, and his wife Gwénaëlle Croix. Marc largely credits Rémi as the impetus of finally converting to organic viticulture, Gwen for biodynamics. La Pépière comes from the old French word “pépie” which means thirst and is produced with grapes coming from various plots with an average of 30 year old vines, that are farmed organically on granitic soils. Fresh and floral, this is the perfect wine for seafood. 100% Melon de Bourgogne
D. Ventura Viñas do Burato 2020
Origin: Ribeira Sacra, Spain
Retail: $21.95 | Sale: $19.76
D, Ventura is from the soft-spoken winemaker Ramón Losada and his family, who farm 22 acres of old vines to make small amounts of single-vineyard wines in one of the most remote wine regions in the world, Ribeira Sacra. Ramón is the picture of a humble farmer, with his full-time job as the village veterinarian consuming whatever time is left after tending to his vines. He even finds a little time to raise a rare heritage breed of Galician pig, from which he makes incredible sausages and keeps the breed going. The Burato vineyard is located on the Miño river, north of his other two plots, which lie in the Amandi subzone. The Miño landscape is lush with a significantly cooler climate and higher average rainfall than Amandi. Streams flow directly through the vineyard on their way to the Miño when it rains. Ramon does not use any chemicals in the vineyard nor corrections in his winery and makes the wines simply, without intervention or fancy winemaking. Tangy red fruit aromas set up pomegranate and red currant fruits on the palate. Dried mountain herbs accent a bright, lively, punchy finish. 90% Mencía, 10% Merenzao