The Insider - June 2024
So many parties. Not enough time! Summer is here and the invitations are flooding the inbox and chat groups. So, what better way to impress your hosts with your sophisticated tastes than to show up with a bottle from your latest Wine Fellas box. Or, better yet, host your own party and you don’t have to lift a finger: the wine and guests come direct to your door.
Wine descriptions below, and if you run out, you can order more from The Cellar.
Don’t forget, you can look up past boxes in The Archive.
Geographic Wines, "Lento" Branco
[grape/vintage] Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio, Códega de Larinho, Síria, Folgasão / 2022
[region] Douro
This smells like Devil Went Down to Georgia wrapped in fresh wildflowers, cut peach and cool mountain breezes – funky, deep, delicate and dangerous. It’s what old old vines sound like when they don’t have anything to apologise for. It’s the sound of a terroir that found its voice a hundred years ago and is still singing long and rich and beautiful.
Our sommelier describes it thus: Cloudy, rich chartreuse colour. Intense, expressive nose with wild flower and wet stone. Good acidity, minerality and freshness. Natural fermentation and yeasts fully express the sandy soils and granite bedrock of its origins.
Pairs well with a creamy truffle pasta dish, spicy stir fry or a simple plate of strong olives with a rich soft cheese.
The wines of the Douro Valley are known for their depth, complexity, and aging potential. The soil is predominantly schist, a type of metamorphic rock that retains heat and helps to ripen the grapes. The region’s unique terroir, combined with the use of indigenous grape varieties and traditional winemaking techniques, create wines that are rich, complex, and full of character.
Check it out in The Cellar.
QM, Rosé
[grape/vintage] Alvarinho, Sousão / 2022
[region] Vinho Verde
Listen to Chuck Berry’s “No Particular Place to Go”. Fresh, crisp, tight and bouncing. I challenge you to NOT nod your head and tap your foot. The words full of humour and innuendo and youthful optimism. Now put all that in a bottle and you’ve got an idea for how this delicious, dry and subtly fruity rosé from Quintas de Melgaço will make you feel.
Our sommelier’s thoughts: Salmon coloured. Intense nose with strong red fruits and hints of strawberry from the Sousão. On the palate, smooth, dry and refreshing with berry, peach, citrus and a good finish.
We suggest pairing this with a Galician sardinhada, a tomato and feta salad, pepperoni pizza or a blackberry pie with double cream.
Vinho Verde is known for its light, refreshing wines, known for their low alcohol content and slight effervescence. The soil is predominantly granite, which helps to retain moisture and gives the wines a unique minerality.
Check it out in The Cellar.
ZOM, Grande Reserva Touriga Nacional
[grape/vintage] Touriga Nacional / 2020
[region] Alentejo
Sophisticated and expressive and full of life. This is James Mason meets Helen Mirren meets Lester Young among the port barrels and cobblestones of Vila Nova da Gaia. It’s a complex burst of fruit, spice, old stone walls and a long conversation into the depths of the Porto night.
Deep ruby colour, intense aromas of blackberry, blueberry, plum and fig. On the palate, fruit forward with hints of oak, spice and a gentle minerality. Smooth and well-balanced with excellent acidity and structured tannins.
Pairs well with a roast wild pigeon with rosemary and thyme, an eggplant parmigiana, a well-seasoned juicy steak or a slow-roast leg of lamb.
The wines of the Douro Valley are known for their depth, complexity, and aging potential. The soil is predominantly schist, a type of metamorphic rock that retains heat and helps to ripen the grapes. The region’s unique terroir, combined with the use of indigenous grape varieties and traditional winemaking techniques, create wines that are rich, complex, and full of character.
Check it out in The Cellar.