Vegetable tagine, char siu, beef tartare

She’s good right out of the fridge, this one

The very first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to farm using biodynamic practices, James and Annie Millton have stayed true to their practice since establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984. Truly experimental, Libiamo represents the next generation of the Millton family, taking the reins and looking toward something that is completely unmanipulated and doesn’t leave a debt or burden on the planet.

These guys are the poster children of sustainable farming – James Millton believes wholeheartedly in not only the benefit but the importance of biodynamics. The Libiamo range is lower intervention, with no filtering or fining (hence those fun crunchy bits in the bottom of the bottle!)

The Libiamo Field blend is unfiltered, unfined and un-compromised. Also, - Libiamo translates to “Let's Drink” in Italian. Well, cheers to that, we say!

Place: Gisborne, New Zealand
Grape: Gewürztraminer, Marsanne and Muscat
Style: Punchy and rich
Ingredients: Grapes + the smallest amount of sulphur they can

Anything with lemongrass, coconut and a bit of spice – think Thai & Vietnamese curries.

From the fridge, please.

Baby-brother brand to Sokol Blosser, this started as a project to continue releasing wines when a nasty pest called phylloxera wiped out most of their vineyards. Through luck and intention, it has evolved (see what we did there?) into a brand in its own right under siblings & co-presidents Alison & Alex Sokol Blosser

The 8 grapes in here include a rare American beauty called Early Muscat, which is actually a table grape. One of its parent grapes is known as ‘Queen of the Vineyard’ (or Skolokertek Kiralynoje – excuse me, what?!) – big claims for a table grape!

Place: Oregon, USA
Grape: All of them. Kidding. Just these: Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Muscat-Canelli, Gewürztraminer, Semillon, Riesling, Early Muscat
Style: Smashable!
Ingredients: Yeast (commercially available strains), sulfites, Malic acid

Black beans & rice, charred steaks, beef brisket

Little bit of chill, like the perfect occasion for the wine

The very first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to farm using biodynamic practices, James and Annie Millton have stayed true to their practice since establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984. Along their journey, they’ve raised a beautiful family. They’ve passed down their know-how to their children who now play key roles in some of Millton’s more avant-garde collections such as the “Crazy By Nature” which is some of our favourite juice!

These guys are the poster children of sustainable farming – James Millton believes wholeheartedly in not only the benefit but the importance of biodynamics. The Libiamo range is lower intervention, with no filtering or fining (hence those fun crunchy bits in the bottom of the bottle!)

Unabashedly trendy and playful, this wine is such a fun take on what Rhône blends can often be made of. With the addition of Malbec, to the more traditional Syrah and Viognier blend, they’ve allowed themselves to explore and create something nostalgic AND new all wrapped up in one!

Place: Gisborne, New Zealand
Grape: Syrah, Malbec, Viognier
Style: Dry and punchy
Ingredients: Grapes + just a teensy splash of SO2

Char siu, gamey meats, duck breast with a cranberry sauce

Keep it in the fridge, then ditch the ice bucket when you open it

So much of our approach to wine has been inspired by Pieter Walser and his BLANKbottle wines – where the bottles typically don’t show the varietal to avoid any preconceived ideas about what people think they like and don’t like when it comes to wines. “You can’t judge it by the label; it takes drinking a whole bottle to get to know the wine.” He also designs those labels.

The first wine Pieter bought for himself was called Tassenberg – often called Tas or Tassies. Not the highest quality wine overall, he recognized a strawberry character that he fell in love with from the Cinsault component. After a couple of years of searching for the perfect vineyard, Pieter finally makes his own ‘version’ of Tas. In Afrikaans, ‘tas’ and ‘koffer’ both translate to suitcase. So, My Koffer is Pieter’s suitcase of memories of his ‘first love’.

Place: Breedekloof, South Africa
Grape: Cinsault
Style: Light, cheeky and delicious
Ingredients: Grapes + a splash of SO2

Food is not a requirement but it will play nicely with gentle curries, steak and Christmas dinner

About half an hour in the fridge

Blair and Caroline Guthrie are making honest wines, farmed responsibly. Their baby side project (only 600 cases a year) is filled with so much love – their wines are comforting and lighthearted as a Sunday morning dance party in your bathrobe. Beneath that, they are strongly focused on preserving and encouraging the good in the world – environmentally, ethically and everything in between.

We love a wine that doesn’t follow the rules. This wasn’t originally intended to be a light, bright bundle of joy – due to the risk of smoke from the 2020 Cali wildfires impacting the grapes, the Guthrie’s decided to go with carbonic maceration as their fermentation method of choice as this helped them safeguard against possible nasties from smoke taint. A pretty darn delicious backup plan, if you ask us!

Place: Mendocino County, California, USA
Grape: Grenache
Style: Fruit-packed fun

Barbeque, braised brisket bun, hard cheeses and mushroom risotto.

Let it cool off a little – 20 minutes or so in the fridge

Blair and Caroline Guthrie are making honest wines, farmed responsibly. Their baby side project (only 600 cases a year) is filled with so much love – their wines are comforting and lighthearted as a Sunday morning dance party in your bathrobe. Beneath that, they are strongly focused on preserving and encouraging the good in the world – environmentally, ethically and everything in between

This wine is a homage to the old-world charm of Cornas wines, reimagined with the vibrant, fruit-forward spirit of California's terroir. Old world meets New world.

Place: Mendocino County, California, USA
Grape: Syrah
Style: Serious and seriously good
Ingredients: Grapes + minimal sulphites