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Month: December 2025

Wine of the Week

Great from slate

Published 26. December 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

One of the defining expressions of high-altitude garnacha from Spain, Pegaso Pizarra comes from very old bush vines planted on steep, slate-rich soils in Cebreros, within the wild mountains of Sierra de Gredos. These vines thrive above 950 m on metamorphic rock, working organically and hand-harvested to capture purity and place — the very essence of this dramatic terroir. 

At the heart of this wine is Telmo Rodríguez, one of Spain’s most influential vignerons. For over three decades he has championed forgotten vineyards and traditional viticulture across the country, seeking to restore ancient sites and make wines that speak of history and landscape rather than manipulation. His work with Pegaso (named after a classic Spanish vehicle) helped put Cebreros on the map, revitalising this rugged corner of Castilla y León and focusing on old vines, organic practices and slow, natural winemaking. 

Made from 100% garnacha from bush-trained vines over 80 years old, fermentation happens with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged extensively in a mix of oak barrels (400–500 L). 

Pegaso Pizarra 2018 (Telmo Rodríguez)

The wine shows a medium ruby colour with clear garnet and faint brownish tones at the rim, indicating some evolution. On the nose, it is complex and expressive, moving beyond primary fruit. Dried red cherries, wild strawberries and cranberry are joined by Mediterranean herbs, dried flowers and graphite. With air, more savoury notes emerge: leather, tobacco leaf, subtle smoke and a hint of earth. The palate is silky yet structured, with finely grained tannins, herbs and dried fruits, black tea and spice. Acidity is well judged, giving length and clarity, while the finish is long and stony.

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Wine of the Week

True Ruby

Published 19. December 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

If there’s one thing Dirk Niepoort loves, it’s breaking the rules—especially when it makes wine more fun. Enter Trudy the True Ruby, a fresh and dangerously drinkable ruby port that refuses to be boxed into tradition. And because this is part of Niepoort’s Nat’Cool series, it means that it comes in a full liter bottle.

Niepoort has been a pillar of the port world since 1842, but under Dirk Niepoort’s leadership, the house has gone beyond the classic fortified styles. His love for fresh, lighter, and more immediate wines has led to projects like Nat’Cool, a series of low-intervention wines that emphasize drinkability over prestige.

And Trudy? Well, she’s the first port in the Nat’Cool lineup. A cool ruby port? Sounds like an oxymoron, but somehow, it works.

Unlike many ruby ports that are designed to be syrupy, heavy, Trudy is all about freshness. The grapes, sourced from old vineyards in the Cima Corgo, are foot-trodden in traditional lagares. Fermentation is natural, and the wine is aged in large wooden vats to preserve its bright, juicy fruit.

Pour yourself a glass (or a generous mug, no judgment), and Trudy glows with a deep, vibrant red—like a ruby catching the light. The nose bursts with fresh blackberries, cherries, and plums, with hints of violets, dark chocolate, and just a whisper of spice.

Take a sip, and you’ll see why she’s Nat’Cool. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by lively acidity, making it an easy sipper whether served slightly chilled or at room temperature.

The name Trudy the True Ruby sounds like it belongs to a jazz singer in a smoky club, or maybe that fun aunt who always has the best stories and an oversized glass in her hand. Either way, she’s got personality—and she’s not afraid to take up space.

So whether she ends up on the Christmas table, by the fire, or slipped casually into a late-night gathering, Trudy is there to remind us that tradition can be playful too.
Happy Christmas – and may your holidays be bright, generous, and just a little bit Nat’Cool.

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Wine of the Week

Elegant Pommard

Published 12. December 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Pommard is traditionally known for its powerful, structured wines grown on heavy clay soils, often dark-fruited and firmly built. Les Bertins, however, lies in the southern part of the appellation, close to Volnay, where the soils become lighter and more limestone-rich. This shift in geology brings a different expression of Pommard, one that favours lift, elegance and aromatic nuance.

The wine is made by Huber-Verdereau, a family estate based in Meursault and led today by Thiébault Huber. Since taking over, he has steered the domaine firmly towards organic and biodynamic farming, with careful work in the vineyards and a restrained, non-interventionist approach in the cellar. Fermentations are gentle, extraction is measured, and élevage is carried out with a judicious use of oak to support, not shape, the wine.

Pommard Premier Cru Les Bertins 2020 (Huber-Verdereau)

Deep ruby colour with a bright rim, signalling both concentration and freshness. Aroma of ripe red cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry, notes of dried herbs, crushed stone and a subtle hint of spice and undergrowth. On the palate it is poised and finely structured, with a core of juicy red fruit framed by chalky, well-integrated tannins. The finish is persistent. It’s a wine with both tension and clarity, combining Pommard’s natural authority with a Volnay-like elegance.

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Wine of the Week

Friedrich Schatz’ Acinipo

Published 5. December 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Friedrich Schatz is one of the great figures of Andalucía’s modern wine story. A German who arrived in the Serranía de Ronda in the early 1980s, he planted varieties that were then unheard of in the area and worked organically long before it became fashionable. His estate lies in the cool, high-altitude folds north of Ronda, where limestone soils and Atlantic influence create conditions quite unlike the Andalucía most people imagine.

Acinipo 2017 is made entirely from lemberger (blaufränkisch), a variety Schatz has championed with remarkable consistency. The fruit is farmed organically at around 600–700 metres, fermented with native yeasts and aged with a gentle hand to foreground the grape’s natural lift and the site. No unnecessary extraction, no over-seasoned oak – just an honest expression of place.


Acinipo 2017 (Bodega F. Schatz)

Deep, vibrant ruby with a slight garnet hue at the rim. The nose is bright yet brooding, offering sour cherry, redcurrant and dark raspberry, with subtle herbs and a mineral undertow. The palate is energetic and finely structured, carried by limestone-driven tannins and a cool, mouthwatering finish.

Price: Medium

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