Beaujolais Nouveau Day was yesterday — the annual Thursday in November when the first wines of the new vintage are released. Once a marketing spectacle, it now serves more quietly as a seasonal marker of early fruit and immediacy.
One estate that approaches the style with clarity and intent is Château Cambon, founded in 1995 by Marcel and Marie Lapierre together with Jean-Claude Chanudet. Their aim was to bring the Lapierre philosophy — organic farming, old vines, delicate extraction and minimal intervention — into a separate project focused on purity rather than prestige. Today the estate continues in the same spirit, producing wines that are understated, bright and free of ornament.
The label illustration is signed Siné — Maurice Sinet — the influential French caricaturist known for his sharply satirical line and long association with Charlie Hebdo. His irreverent, uncluttered style fits the wine surprisingly well: playful, direct and never weighed down.
Beaujolais Nouveau 2025 (Château Cambon)
Medium red with a hint of purple. Aromas of raspberry and freshly cut grass. Juicy and quenching on the palate, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins giving just enough shape without adding weight.
Moravia is not the first place people think of when it comes to pinot blanc — yet from here emerge a really characterful version. The rolling hills of South Moravia, near the borders with Austria and Slovakia, are a mosaic of loess, limestone and clay, dotted with small villages, organic vineyards and a new generation of growers working with minimal intervention.
Milan Nestarec, based in Velké Bílovice, is one of the leading figures in this movement. His wines are raw and transparent, often unfiltered, and reflect a restless curiosity rather than a fixed style. He sees wine as “liquid food” — something that should feel alive and nourishing rather than polished or corrected.
Krásná Hora, located further east in Starý Poddvorov, share the same low-intervention philosophy but express it differently. Their biodynamic vineyards lie on loess- and limestone-rich slopes, producing wines of clarity and tension.
In Pinot Blanc Connection, Nestarec’s partly oak-aged 2022 component meets Krásná Hora’s crisp 2024 juice. The blend captures both sides of Moravia’s new identity: human-scale, collaborative, and driven by the wish to let the land speak.
Pinot Blanc Connection(Nestarec × Krásná Hora)
Pale golden. Complex nose of baked apple, quince and citrus peel, followed by hints of chamomile, honeycomb and raw almond. The palate is broad and textural, with a gentle waxiness and a bright acidity. Layers of ripe orchard fruit and light oxidative tones build toward a salty, slightly spicy finish that lingers with a touch of bitterness, reminiscent of grapefruit.
6 October is International Orange Wine Day, a celebration of a style that is both ancient and newly revived. By fermenting white grapes on their skins, winemakers create wines that blur the line between white and red: textured, often amber-hued, and full of unexpected aromas. What was once an old tradition in parts of Georgia, Friuli and beyond has become a contemporary expression of artisanal winemaking worldwide.
Catalonia, with its patchwork of landscapes and long history of experimentation, has embraced this revival with conviction. The region’s native grapes reveal strikingly different characters when handled as orange wines. Malvasía de Sitges, often floral and delicate, transforms into something more savoury, saline and spiced, its aromatic charm shaded by texture and grip. Macabeu, usually restrained and discreet in cava and still whites, gains depth and a surprising nutty, almost oxidative complexity. Garnatxa blanca, typically generous and rounded, might take on a more energetic profile, showcasing both a redish colour, a tannic backbone and subtle bitterness from the skins. A forth grape, xarel.lo, is not present here. That grape is worthy of a thematical evening of its own.
Tabla Rrasa Nèc-Tar 2021 (Portal del Priorat, Alfredo Arribas) Montsant – malvasía, seven days’ skin maceration, stainless steel
Golden, amber hue and slightly turbid, with a faint natural spritz that lifts the aromas. The nose recalls ripe apple, mango and wild herbs, with a faintly spicy edge. On the palate it is bright and linear, its high acidity wrapped in a fine, lightly phenolic texture. A whisper of bitterness on the finish gives it definition and length. This is a vivid, energetic take on malvasía, where the variety’s usual floral charm gives way to something more tactile and savoury.
Brisat del Coster 2020 (Josep Foraster) Conca de Barberà – macabeu, low yield, 21 days’ skin maceration
Deep golden in colour, with aromas of orange peel, chamomile and yellow orchard fruit. The palate is dry and quietly firm, with a gentle tannic frame and notes of citrus peel, quince and a touch of butter and almonds from the long maceration. Structured yet understated, it shows how macabeu can move from neutral backbone to expressive texture when treated as brisat – the Catalan word for orange wine.
Trementinaire 2019 (Herència Altés) Terra Alta – garnatxa blanca, macerated during fermentation, then pressed and aged 22 months in used oak
Pale gold with amber glints. The nose opens with orange zest, dried herbs and toasted nuts. Broad and glyceric on the palate, yet balanced by a subtle salinity and a delicate bitterness that keeps it taut. Layers of hazelnut, honeycomb and iodine unfold with air, giving a sense of power and maturity. A contemplative wine.
Orange wine is, after all, about rediscovery — of grapes, of methods, of flavours once thought forgotten. In Catalonia, that rediscovery feels both rooted and new. Here’s to continued curiosity — and a happy International Orange Wine Day.
From Salta’s high-altitude Cafayate Valley comes this striking torrontés from Bodega Nanni, a certified organic, family-run winery with roots going back to 1897.
At 1700 metres above sea level, the intense sun and cool nights shape grapes with vibrant aromatics and fresh acidity. This wine sees 30 days of skin contact, lending structure and a golden hue rarely associated with torrontés. No sulphites added.
Torrontés Skin Contact 2022(Bodega Nanni)
Golden with amber hints. The nose is fragrant and floral – orange blossom, chamomile and ripe apricot – but there’s also a savoury, tea-like edge. The palate is dry, textured and gently grippy, with flavours of candied citrus peel, dried herbs and a hint of ginger spice.
Since taking over Avignonesi in 2009, Virginie Saverys has transformed the estate into one of Tuscany’s leading names in organic and low-intervention viticulture. But she’s also opened the cellar doors to creativity. Sales director Alessio Guidi had long dreamt of making small batches of biodynamic wines with a juicy, free-spirited edge—and with The Juice Asylum, he’s finally been given free rein.
This wine, Il Terzo Grado 2022, is made from organically grown sangiovese (86%) and merlot (14%), sourced from vineyards in Montepulciano and Cortona at 275–375 metres elevation. Soils are a mix of clay, sand, silt and limestone. The grapes were hand-harvested, partly whole-cluster fermented with carbonic maceration, and aged in stainless steel for 6 months. Bottled unfiltered.
The Juice Asylum – Il Terzo Grado 2022(Classica)
The result is a riot of red berries, peppery spice and wild herbs, lifted by violets, liquorice root and a touch of bitterness. The texture is supple and alive, with juicy tannins and a savoury undercurrent that makes it both gluggable and thought-provoking.
Chill it slightly, serve with grilled quail, game birds or aged cheese—or just drink it with someone who’ll understand the chaos.
No trip to Murcia is complete without visiting La Gracia wine bar. This wine was among several gems that Cristina, one of the owners, offered me this time.
Pregadéu is a 100% xarel·lo, grown organically in the limestone soils of the Alt Penedès and fermented using the ancestral method—capturing a natural sparkle with no added sulphur or sugar.
Els Vinyerons is the passion project of Alex Ruiz Masachs and Amós Bañeres. Alex is a fourth-generation producer who spends his spare time rebelling against convention. Amós left pharmacy to take over his grandfather’s vines. Together, they focus on local varieties, expressive terroirs, and wines they genuinely want to drink.
Pregadéu 2023 (Els Vinyerons Vins Naturals)
Pale lemon with fine mousse. Aromas of bruised apple, fennel and sea breeze. Dry, saline and textured, with a savoury, mineral finish that lingers long after the fizz fades.
Katharina Wechsler’s Cloudy by Nature series is the playful, low-intervention side of her portfolio, aimed at wine drinkers who value vibrancy and texture over polish. These are wines made with a hands‑off philosophy: unfiltered, unfined, fermented with native yeasts and bottled with minimal sulphur. The range embraces the slightly wild, the faintly cloudy and the joyfully drinkable.
The grapes come from old vines in Westhofen, with organic certification since 2021 and biodynamic practices already in place. Fermentations happen in stainless steel or neutral vessels, the wines are bottled cloudy and left to express themselves with minimal interference.
Among these expressive bottles in the Cloudy by Nature range is the Pet Nat 2022, a sparkling silvaner that captures the raw vitality of the method ancestrale. It is made from 100 % silvaner grown on old vines in Westhofen, and after around three weeks of skin contact, it is bottled while fermentation is still underway. No filtration, no dosage, just juice, native yeast and time. The result is a gently fizzy wine with a slight haze and plenty of attitude.
Cloudy by Nature Pet Nat 2022(K. Wechsler)
Hazy, pale straw yellow with a faint golden tint. Bright aromas of green apple, dried herbs and a touch of cider-like savouriness. On the palate it’s lively and bone-dry, with a fine but slightly rustic mousse, citrus zest, orchard fruit and a light phenolic grip from the skin contact. The lees bring gentle weight and breadth, but the wine feels agile and fresh.
I was at Angelita Madrid tonight — that temple of thoughtful wine and serious cooking — and was served a glass of La Mariole 2022 with a beautifully succulent dish of Iberian pork neck. The pairing was spot-on: the wine’s lifted fruit and fresh acidity cut through the richness of the meat like a blade, while its earthy undertones echoed the depth of flavour in the dish.
La Mariole is a wine from Domaine LaDogar, located in the Minervois region of Languedoc in southern France. This is rugged land: Mediterranean scrub, garrigue, old stones and sun-drenched vineyards. Historically known for powerful, sometimes rustic reds, the best producers today are offering something much more nuanced — and this bottle is a great example of that shift.
Domaine LaDogar is a relatively small, low-intervention project that works primarily with native grape varieties and aims for purity and drinkability. La Mariole 2022 is made from carignan, sourced from old vines planted on limestone soils. The grapes are fermented with native yeasts and see a short maceration, followed by élevage in concrete tanks. The aim is clearly to preserve the brightness and vitality of the fruit, rather than to impose any heavy-handed structure.
La Mariole 2022(Dom. LaDogar)
Medium dark. Aroma of wild cherries, redcurrants, a touch of violet and a characteristic herbal lift. On the palate, it’s light-bodied but tense, with juicy acidity, fine tannins and a stony, mineral backbone. No oak, no pretence — just pure, energetic fruit with a salty edge.
Price: Low
Food: With the pork, it sang. The slight gaminess of the meat brought out the savoury side of the wine, while the fat was kept in check by the wine’s cleansing freshness. Can work with a variety of light meat and green dishes.
In the Aveyron region, nestled within the rolling hills of Marcillac, lies Domaine Matha—a family-run estate that has been producing expressive wines since the early 1980s.
Situated in the village of Bruéjouls, the domaine is helmed by Jean-Luc Matha, who inherited his passion for viticulture from his father, Alban. The estate spans 15 hectares of terraced vineyards, locally known as “banquettes,” which Jean-Luc has meticulously restored to combat erosion and facilitate safer cultivation. Committed to organic farming, the estate has eschewed chemical treatments for over a decade, relying instead on natural remedies like copper, sulfur, and herbal infusions.
Marcillac is a small appellation in southwest France, characterized by its iron-rich red soils and steep slopes. The region’s unique terroir imparts a distinct minerality to its wines, predominantly made from the indigenous fer servadou grape, locally referred to as mansois.
Réveille-Moi is made from 100% fer servadou grapes, harvested from vines averaging 45 years in age. The wine undergoes traditional vinification, is bottled unfiltered, and sees minimal sulfur addition.
Réveille-Moi 2021(Dom. Matha)
Deep red with bluish tints. Slightly developed and peppery aroma of cherries, redcurrants, and raspberries, complemented by hints of olives, flowers, and cool herbs. On the palate it’s firm, fruity, and spicy, showcasing flavors of dark berries, redcurrants, and green herbs, with subtle notes of olives, and balsamic.
Here is a skin contact white from the sun-drenched vineyards of Attica, Greece.
Established in 1917, Mylonas Winery is a third-generation family estate situated in the village of Keratea, approximately 30 miles southeast of Athens. With 12 hectares of vineyards scattered across the Attica peninsula, the winery is renowned for its commitment to indigenous Greek varieties, particularly savatiano. Their philosophy emphasizes minimal intervention, allowing the terroir—characterized by mineral-rich limestone soils and a Mediterranean climate—to shine through.
Attica’s vineyards benefit from diverse soils, including limestone, shale, and sandy clay, coupled with a coastal climate that provides cooling sea breezes. These conditions contribute to the development of grapes with concentrated flavours and balanced acidity. The region’s historical association with bulk retsina is being redefined by producers like Mylonas, who showcase the potential of savatiano as a varietal.
The wine is crafted from hand-harvested grapes sourced from the single vineyard Vouno in Keratea, situated at an altitude of 250 meters. The grapes undergo a cooling process at 8°C, followed by destemming and spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine experiences 20 days of skin contact at a controlled temperature of 18°C, enhancing its structure and complexity. After fermentation, it is aged on fine lees for six months with regular stirring, bottled unfined, and contains only a minimal addition of sulfites.
Naked Truth Savatiano 2023(Mylonas)
Bright golden. Complex aroma of peach skin, honey, and floral notes. On the palate, it is full-bodied and balanced by lively acidity, reflecting the aromatic profile with an unexpectedly long aftertaste.
