Natural Wines

Le Fraghe Bardolino Bottle Red Wine
Le Fraghe

BARDOLINO

$242

By Le Fraghe

RED | PLAYFUL
Start your red journey on a lighter note with this really refreshing red.

WHAT WE TASTE
Sweet-sour cherry and blueberry, with spicy nuances of cinnamon and black pepper

PERFECT PAIRING
Cheesy risotto, grilled salmon, Thai veggie stir fry
TEMP CHECK
Lightly chilled, please
ABOUT LE FRAGHE

A tale as old as time, women in wine baby! Matilde Poggi’s first harvest, on her family-owned 15th-century farmhouse, happened in 1984. She worked tirelessly at a time when large, quantity-driven firms and cooperatives dominated local production. Rather than following the masses, Matilde chose to concentrate on quality, revamping her vineyards to better express the area’s native grapes. Today, she is one of Italy’s most respected producers, and, in 2013 was elected President of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Italian Federation of Independent Grape Growers or FIVI). More recently, she became the first Italian and first female president of the European equivalent, the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers (CEVI).

Matilde has three daughters, to whom she’d like to pass on Le Fraghe one day (but we’re volunteering in case her girls don’t want it – wanna come?).

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
Matilde’s farming & winemaking is certified organic and super low intervention – to the point that it’s often only Matilde herself working on the farm & in the cellar. Her work at FIVI and CEVI, as the voice of small independent wine producers, is invaluable.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
We’ve said it before and we will say it again, we live for an underdog! Bardolino is often compared to Beaujolais, which, as far as the French are concerned, does not always carry the same sex appeal as its neighbour Burgundy (Bardolino is right next to Valpolicella, so it can relate). Yet Beaujolais and Bardolino share some of the most wonderful “quaffing” characteristics. Sadly, some of the best examples are often wildly underappreciated. We’re here to tell you that we’re championing this wine. All. Day. Long.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Cavaion Veronese, Veneto, Italy
Grape: Corvina, Rondinella
Style: Bright and light
Ingredients: Grapes + a tiiiiiny bit of SO2 (being certified organic in Italy, she's only allowed to use half the sulphur that other producers are allowed. Matilde uses about half of that)
Millton Cosmo Red Wine Bottle
Millton

COSMO CRAZY BY NATURE

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By Millton

RED | SEXY WITH SUBSTANCE
Crazy by Nature pretty much sums this bad boy up. It’s here and it’s ready to rock without any inhibitions or a care in the world.

WHAT WE TASTE
Punchy white pepper & cedar wood

PERFECT PAIRING
Black beans & rice, charred steaks, beef brisket
TEMP CHECK
Little bit of chill, like the perfect occasion for the wine
ABOUT MILLTON

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!

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
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!)
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
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!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Gisborne, New Zealand
Grape: Syrah, Malbec, Viognier
Style: Dry and punchy
Ingredients: Grapes + just a teensy splash of SO2
Luddite Saboteur Red Wine Bottle, Bot River, South Africa
Luddite

SABOTEUR RED

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By Luddite

RED | BOLD
A pretty serious red by people who are very serious about wine, good times and good laughs

WHAT WE TASTE
BBQ smoke, bright cherries, black pepper

PERFECT PAIRING
Any beef or lamb dish you can think of, especially a BBQ, or end off the night pairing with mature hard cheeses
TEMP CHECK
When summertime hits, 20 minutes or so in the fridge can’t hurt
ABOUT LUDDITE

“A dope-smoking political anarchist meets an upstanding young goody-goody sportsman at a mutual friend's 21st” – 35 years and 3 kids later, they are the family behind Luddite Wines. After a few years abroad, Niels and Penny returned to South Africa and found their plot of land in Bot River. Niels had a definite plan as to how he wanted to make wine and Penny knew that she wanted to farm as “green” as possible. Everything had to be about the wine. No intervention, no shortcuts and staying true to only bottling what, hand on heart was the best.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
At Luddite, everyone who works there gets together in the kitchen for coffee in the morning. Everyone is part of a team and not just a farm labourer. They have only replaced 3 staff in 18 years – all growing old together. It’s a happy farm and Penny’s motto has always been “never ask someone else to do something that you won’t do”
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Bot River, Overberg, South Africa
Grape:  Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon
Style: Full-tilt red with a bit of crunch
Ingredients: Grapes + as little sulphur as possible
Luddite Saboteur White Wine Bottle, Bot River, South Africa
Luddite

SABOTEUR WHITE

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By Luddite

WHITE | BUTTER, BABY
A little serious, this one. It has plenty of heart and so much to share

WHAT WE TASTE
White peach, honey blossoms, almond

PERFECT PAIRING
Mild curries and Thai food
TEMP CHECK
To really see what this one is about, take it out of the fridge and crack the crown cap about 10 minutes before serving or just lose the ice bucket.
ABOUT LUDDITE

“A dope-smoking political anarchist meets an upstanding young goody-goody sportsman at a mutual friends 21st” – 35 years and 3 kids later, they are the family behind Luddite Wines. After a few years abroad, Niels and Penny returned to South Africa and found their plot of land in Bot River. Niels had a definite plan as to how he wanted to make wine and Penny knew that she wanted to farm as “green” as possible. Everything had to be about the wine. No intervention, no shortcuts and staying true to only bottling what, hand on heart was the best.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
This little babe of a blend includes Chenin, Viognier and ‘Fumé Blanc’ – which is just a fancy way of referring to the style in which the Sauvignon Blanc is made - partly on skins and partly in barrel. Not one for doing anything just for the sake of being fancy, winemaker Niels’ rationale here is that he just can’t bring himself to put the varietal on one of his labels.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Cape South Coast, South Africa
Grape: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier
Style: Rich but racy
Ingredients: Grapes + a splash of sulphur (as little as possible!)
Evolution

BIG TIME RED

$235

By Evolution

RED | BOLD
Like pulling into a Drive-In to watch Grease, this baby is all nostalgic fun!

WHAT WE TASTE
Cherry pie filling, red currants and a sprig of thyme

PERFECT PAIRING
Red things, grilled things, slightly sweet-spicy things – ratatouille, smoked pork ribs, Korean BBQ

TEMP CHECK
Good ol’ HK office temperature is good for this gal, but she doesn’t mind a couple of minutes in the fridge.

ABOUT EVOLUTION

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 it’s own right under siblings & co-presidents Alison & Alex Sokol Blosser.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
Alex has done a fun trick inspired by the Rhône region of France where he’s blended in a pinch of the Lucky 9 White to add a little extra fun to this baby that’s already big on good times!

THE GOOD STUFF THEY DO
Gosh, besides not practising biodynamics (and Alex has some very good – and pretty entertaining reasons for that), there’s not much the Sokol Blossers don’t do exceptionally well. They’re B. Corp Certified, Salmon Safe, organic…heck, they’re even one of the first wineries in the world to have a Green Building certification for their cellar! Add in the hyper-sustainable angle of these cool kid boxes, and there’s not much more we could ask for!

THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Oregon, USA
Grape: Syrah, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and a sprinkle of Lucky 9
Style: Ripe fruit fun!
Ingredients: Yeast (commercially available strains), Malolactic bacteria, sulfites, grape concentrate, tartaric acid
Unico Zelo Origami Rose Wine bottle, Australia
Unico Zelo

ORIGAMI

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By Unico Zelo

ROSÉ | PINK POWER
Welcome to our world, you pretty lil’ thang

WHAT WE TASTE
Salty sweet grapefruit, tomato consommé, cheese rind

PERFECT PAIRING
Keep it light, keep it chill, no need for food on this one, just the company of a good friend or a fun book
TEMP CHECK
Cold as ice
ABOUT UNICO ZELO

Laura and Brendan Carter have an intense commitment to sustainability - a unique zeal some might say (= unico zelo in Italian - read on to find out why). They planted 35 different varietals to see which could grow without irrigation in the harsh Australian climate and ended with a handful of native Italian grapes they now craft into wonderfully smashable wines aimed at the next generation of wine drinkers.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
For starters, if you’ve met Cami & Leigh-Ann, you’d know that we live for Grenache – anytime, anywhere. Fifi is a Pinot Gris fanatic and Jamie loves her Italian varieties. So this fun little number is quite the mash-up of our girls. But that’s not all! It also harks on the influence that Japanese culture has had on the UZ ethos and branding. Laura, one half of the winemaking duo, grew up between Tokyo and Bangkok – a piece of herself that shines through in every bottle. All in all, this wine and the winery it comes from are doing some seriously cool things and we love them for it.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Clare Valley, Riverland, & Adelaide Hills, Australia
Grape: Sangiovese, Grenache, Pinot Gris
Style: Bone dry
Ingredients: Grapes + SO2
Ottomani Chianti Superiore Red Wine Bottle
Ottomani

CHIANTI SUPERIORE

$313

By Ottomani

RED | BOLD
Classic Chianti – but cooler. Way cooler.

WHAT WE TASTE
Blueberry, basil, tomato (and some crunchy cherry to boot)

PERFECT PAIRING
Ossobuco, smoked duck, fireplaces
TEMP CHECK
Room temp, if your room is no warmer than 20 degrees celsius. Otherwise, chuck it in the fridge and remove roughly 1.5 hours before dins.
ABOUT OTTOMANI

The story of Ottomani began with four friends who grew up together and turned a dream into reality. Not that far off from us girls at Crushed!

They graduated from the University of Florence with Oenology (that’s the science of wine) degrees and chose to separate for a while to get some exposure working in real wineries. With a few years of experience and some real savoir-faire in their back pockets, the boys came back together and purchased a farm of their own. In 2006, Ottomani was born with indigenous grape preservation and sustainability sowed into its mission statement.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
They’re organic and biodynamic, they hand-harvest everything and don’t irrigate their vines. They’re working hard to preserve the biodiversity of the region by propagating traditional indigenous varieties like Ciliegiolo, Bonamico and Malvasi Nera (also known as Uva Rara – the rare grape). The wines are unfiltered & unfined.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
The boys now all live together on their 100% self-sustaining farm! Everything they need, they grow, build or generate themselves or source within a radius of 20 kilometres.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Bonamico, Malvasia Nera
Style: Chianti with pedigree
Ingredients: Grapes + just a very, very little bit of SO2