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.
From the ancient granite soils of Chile’s southern Itata valley comes De Martino’sUngrafted Old Vines Cinsault, sourced from more than 40-year-old bush-trained vines.
Founded in 1934 by Pietro De Martino, the winery is now run by the fourth generation, brothers Marco and Sebastián. De Martino has long been a pioneer in Chile, championing sustainable and organic viticulture and seeking out historic vineyard sites with ungrafted old vines. Their work across Chile’s diverse terroirs has built a reputation for purity and authenticity, with a particular focus on reviving traditional winemaking regions such as Itata.
This cinsault comes from granitic slopes in Guarilihue, and as the name implies it’s planted on original rootstocks. The grapes are gently destemmed, undergo spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, and are aged in neutral vessels to preserve freshness and the natural character of the site.
Itata Ungrafted Old Vines Cinsault 2024(De Martino)
Pale, translucent ruby in the glass. Aromas of red cherry, pomegranate and wild strawberries, lifted by subtle floral notes and a hint of dried herbs. The palate is bright and supple, driven by lively acidity, fine tannins and a clean, stony finish.
At the southern edge of Chianti Classico, near Castelnuovo Berardenga, lies Fèlsina, one of Toscana’s most soulful estates. Founded in 1966, it bridges the classic and the modern with an unwavering respect for tradition — organic farming, old sangiovese vines, and limestone and galestro soils.
Their Vin Santo, made from dried malvasia and trebbiano grapes, follows a time-honoured method. The grapes are hung to dry for months, then pressed and fermented slowly in small caratelli barrels sealed with wax. There, in the quiet of the attic, the wine ages for nearly eight years, developing its complex, oxidative beauty before being bottled — unfiltered and full of character.
Vin Santo 2012 (Fèlsina)
Amber-gold in the glass. The nose opens with dried apricot, roasted almond, and honeyed orange peel. The palate is silky yet vibrant, balancing sweetness with fine acidity and a lingering finish of caramelised nuts and candied fruit. A contemplative wine, best enjoyed slowly, with aged pecorino or an almond biscotto, like we did.
This is the last of a trilogy of white wines from Alentejo. Between Vidigueira and Cuba, Herdade do Rocim has become a key ambassador for vinho de talha — wine made in traditional clay amphorae, a method introduced by the Romans more than two millennia ago. The estate not only keeps this ancient practice alive but also celebrates it as the organiser of the annual Amphora Wine Day festival, dedicated entirely to talha wines.
This wine forms part of the Nat Cool movement — a collective promoting natural, authentic, and minimally handled wines. Under this banner, producers craft wines that express place and personality: low in alcohol, high in drinkability, and always sold in a generous one-litre bottle. Sustainability and transparency lie at the heart of the concept.
The wine is made from 100% rabo de ovelha, organically grown and fermented with native yeasts in clay amphora.
Fresh From Amphora 2024(Herdade do Rocim)
Pale golden yellow. Aromas of stone fruit and delicate flowers. Medium-bodied with lively citrus flavours, crisp acidity and a gently textured finish. Vibrant and refreshing.
From the ever-restless mind of António Maçanita, this is not your typical Alentejo white. Fitapreta is based at the restored Paço do Morgado de Oliveira, just outside Évora, where schist and granite soils at 400 metres bring freshness to the region’s natural warmth. Maçanita’s project has long been about rediscovering the forgotten grapes and traditions of southern Portugal – and giving them a contemporary voice.
A Laranja Mecânica (“The Clockwork Orange”) is a field blend from old vines, fermented on its skins for around 40 days and aged in used barrels. The grapes – including roupeiro, rabo de ovelha, tamarez, alicante branco and antão vaz – are handled with minimal intervention and no filtration.
A Laranja Mecânica 2023(António Maçanita, Fitapreta)
In the glass it’s deep amber ans slightly cloudy. Aromas of dried apricot, orange peel, chamomile and wild herbs, followed by a textured palate where grip meets juiciness. Saline, slightly bitter and very drinkable, full of sun and nerve.
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.
The reborn La Riva label has its origins in 1776. For over a century it was known for wines from the great pagos of Jerez, until the brand was absorbed into Domecq in the 1970s and gradually disappeared. In 2016, when it seemed destined to be forgotten, Willy Pérez and Ramiro Ibáñez brought it back as both homage and statement – a return to the vineyards (pagos) as the true source of identity in Jerez.
The two friends met while studying oenology in Cádiz in the mid-2000s. Ramiro went on to taste and vinify fruit from almost every single vineyard in Sanlúcar and Jerez while working at the local co-op, an experience that convinced him the secret lay in the diversity of albariza soils. Willy returned to his family’s bodega, where his father Luis Pérez had already turned away from industrial sherry production in favour of traditional viticulture and forgotten grape varieties. Both became convinced that terroir – not cellar technique – is Jerez’s real strength.
La Riva embodies this philosophy. The goal is not to craft wines shaped by fortification or blending, but to let each vineyard’s chalk speak clearly. In a region long dominated by winemaking style over viticulture, this approach is both controversial and groundbreaking – but it is also the path to the future of sherry.
Rancho Riquelme is a 5-hectare site on the eastern edge of Pago Burujena, facing north with steep slopes and little topsoil. Here the bedrock of barajuelas lies close to the surface, its chalk laced with diatomaceous silica. This combination brings both intensity and freshness to palomino fino, yielding wines of tension and clarity.
The 2023 was harvested by hand in late August, the grapes pressed as whole clusters and fermented in 500-litre butts at ambient temperature with natural yeasts. Ageing took place for 12 months under flor, giving subtle biological character without losing purity. 12.5% alc..
Burujena Rancho Riquelme 2023 (La Riva)
In the glass the wine is straw yellow. The nose shows chalk, fennel, alnond and a whisper of sea breeze. In the mouth it is full (glyceric) and concentrated, marked by citrus zest and a salty mineral backbone, with a lingering finish.
From the remote volcanic slopes of Tenerife, Envínate brings us this wine – a pure expression of the island’s high-altitude vineyards. The wine is made mostly from misión (also known as listán prieto, 90%) with a dash of tintilla, grown on ungrafted vines at over 1000 metres above sea level in sandy, volcanic soils.
Hand-harvested, naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in neutral vessels, the wine speaks of its terroir. Envínate, founded by four friends in 2005, has become a benchmark for authentic Atlantic wines, working with forgotten sites across the Canary Islands and mainland Spain.
Benje Tinto 2023(Envínate)
A translucent ruby hue in the glass. Aromas of redcurrant, strawberry and wild herbs mingle with a touch of volcanic smoke. On the palate it is vibrant and linear, with delicate tannins, a saline lift and a long, mineral finish.
Since 2014, husband-and-wife team Oscar Alegre — who has worked with legends such as Álvaro Palacios and Telmo Rodríguez, and is an authority on Rioja wine history — and Eva Valgañón, from a family of top growers whose fruit has graced the region’s most famous labels, have set out to revive an even older Rioja tradition. From small, high-altitude plots below the Obarenes Mountains in the far west of Rioja, they follow the ways of the pre-phylloxera era: vine-by-vine attention, stems in the ferment, and shorter ageing in large, neutral barrels. Their work offers a taste of Rioja’s 1,000+ year viticultural heritage — a flavour of the region before “traditional Rioja” as we now know it even existed.
The 2022 Tinto blends 75 % tempranillo, 20 % garnacha and 5 % viura from these cooler sites.
Alegre Valgañón Tinto 2022 (Alegre Valgañón)
Deep, dark cherry colour in the glass. On the nose it is vibrant and expressive, with boysenberry, blackberry and cassis layered over hints of musk and suede, and a subtle stony note. The palate brings a flood of ripe berries carried by a slate-like texture, refined yet approachable, leading to a long finish with a gentle echo of coffee and a touch of warmth that frames the fruit. And just as the label suggests — “Sírvase con cariño” — this is a wine to be poured with care and shared with love.
Here is a silvaner from Weingut am Stein, located at the foot of the legendary Würzburger Stein vineyard in Franken. This family estate dates back to the 1890s and is now steered by fifth-generation winemakers Ludwig and Sandra Knoll, with the next generation already contributing to the legacy. Since 2006 the estate has embraced organic farming, biodynamic since 2008.
The vineyards lie on classic Muschelkalk (shell-limestone). These stony, clay-rich soils lend a vibrant mineral backbone. For the 2023 vintage, grapes were hand-harvested, underwent spontaneous fermentation in stainless-steel tanks, and matured on the lees for eight months before bottling — all aligned with their minimalist, terroir-first ethos.
Würzburg Silvaner 2023(Weingut am Stein)
Pale straw-green. Opens with aromas of citrus peel, ripe orchard fruits (peach and apple), accented by delicate herbs, floral notes, a hint of anise and a subtle nutty nuance. The palate is fresh, juicy and dry, with vibrant acidity, mineral clarity, and a long finish. A wine with finesse.
