Natural Wines

XECO Amontillado Bottle  Fortified Wine, Jerez, Spain
XECO

AMONTILLADO (500ml)

$224

By XECO

I DON'T IDENTIFY | FORTIFIED
Smells like a heavenly caramel nut dessert but not at all sweet when you drink it. Like nothing you have tried before!

WHAT WE TASTE
Caramel, nuts, apricots

PERFECT PAIRING
Works brilliantly with all sorts of food - chicken and turkey, mushrooms and truffles, paella or risotto, grilled tuna, soups, meatballs with tomato sauce or anchovies on toast, and, of course, cheese, cheese, cheese.
TEMP CHECK
This is best served chilled.
ABOUT XECO

XECO is the brain-child of three 30-something 'fino fiends' who have long shared a love of fine sherry - and frustration that this love wasn't shared by their friends. The solution? Find better friends (kidding!) OR - find a way to bring a ‘Next Generation’ sherry to their friends and the world, finally giving this marvellous drink some long-overdue recognition. With 30 combined years of experience in the drinks industry, the trio set out to create a new brand of Sherry to put a contemporary edge on an age-old product, and in doing so help to dispel some of the myths around the category, while encouraging a new generation of discerning drinkers to give Sherry a second look.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
Like its sister Fino, Monti is so versatile! Serve it straight up in a glass, with a slice of orange, or mix it with ginger beer, or Sprite! Cocktail options are endless. Have fun experimenting with this one.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Jerez, Spain
Grape: Palomino
Style: Refreshing and yummy
Thorne and Daughters Paper Kite Semillon Bottle White Wine, South Africa
Thorne & Daughters

PAPER KITE OLD VINE SEMILLON

$480

By Thorne & Daughters

WHITE | BUTTER, BABY
Just think of anything yellow and delicious and you’re thinking of Paper Kite – butter, honey, peaches – they’re all here.

WHAT WE TASTE
Yellow flowers and honey with a sprinkle of salt

PERFECT PAIRING
With plenty of conviction, she stands up boldly to an array of flavours but works well for some contemplative thinking-drinking if there’s no food around.
TEMP CHECK
Give her a bit of time to shake the chill to better hear all she has to say. Get her out of the fridge about 15 minutes before drinking.
ABOUT THORNE & DAUGHTERS

They say, quite simply, that they are raising handcrafted wines along with their two daughters. But we think John & Tasha Seccombe are doing so much more than that! They’re raising the profile of forgotten grapes, reflecting on the heritage of a complicated wine-producing country and thoughtfully capturing a new narrative of what that could become.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
Mother vineyard to the Tin Soldier, Paper Kite is a celebration of the heritage and history of Semillon in South Africa. It’s made from an old vineyard that includes a mix of both ‘normal’ Semillon and Semillon Gris – which is a mutation (Oh, yes! Grapes have mutants!) that’s almost entirely unique to South Africa – nobody is completely sure how it even happened!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Swartland, South Africa
Grape: Semillon Blanc, Semillon Gris
Style: Rich in flavour, colour and personality
Limited Addition Mencia Cabernet Franc Rose, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA, Rose Wine Bottle
Ltd. + Wines

MENCÍA CAB ROSÉ

$365

By Ltd +

ROSÉ | PINK POWER
This is not a gateway rosé. This is a serious, sassy, savoury baby.

WHAT WE TASTE
Sage, Turkish Delight, grapefruit skin

PERFECT PAIRING
Steamed ginger fish, Peking duck, salt & pepper tofu
TEMP CHECK
Keep it cool
ABOUT LTD +

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
Where do we start? The whole project is geared toward ensuring Oregon remains a viable wine-growing region through climate change. They’re not only encouraging growers to work with a more diverse spread of grapes that will weather the changing weather, but they’re also ensuring that seasonal workers are employed for longer because these alternative grapes ripen at different times. They’re also active supporters of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities in wine.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
This wine was a happy little accident. Bree’s attempt at Mencía rosé turned much darker than expected. When the bottles they needed for their pink Cab Franc Pét-Nat didn’t arrive in time, she decided to blend that with the Mencía to lighten it up. Folks used to think Mencía may have been related to Cab Franc back in the day, so the blend made a weird kind of perfect sense.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Grape: Mencía, Cabernet Franc
Style: Brilliant & broody
Ingredients: Grapes & minimal sulphites
Guthrie Family Wines Kisses Viognier Pinot Noir, Napa Valley, USA, Pink Rose Wine bottle
Guthrie Family Wines

KISSES PINK VIOGNIER

Sold Out

By Guthrie Family Wines

ROSÉ | PINK POWER (KINDA?)
Is it pink? Is it white? We’re not even sure! It’s a white grape with some red grape skin action!

WHAT WE TASTE
Rose, tangerine – and yes, the winemaker said this – a tube of fresh tennis balls on the nose.

PERFECT PAIRING
Sunny, summery days, evenings, and nights
TEMP CHECK
Keep this little disco ball chilled
ABOUT GUTHRIE FAMILY WINES

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.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
They seek out some of the best in the biz farmers in the region, who are doing things the right way in the vineyards. Using the by-product of sugar cane processing, their corks look a little different, but they’re totally carbon neutral. Eschewing capsules entirely, they’re saving waste on that front too. They also support cool young artists they trawl up on the interweb for their labels.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
Have you seen it?! Kidding! This pretty little pink baby was a solution to a couple of challenges – drought, fires and potential smoke taint. The solution? Get creative! Which is exactly what Blair did! Inspired by a technique called Ripasso used in Italy where lighter Valpolicella wine is ‘repassed’ over the skins of punchier Amarone to pull some colour, texture and flavour, he did the same thing with Viognier (a white grape!) and Pinot Noir skins. Bada-bing, bada-boom – pink Vio!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Mendocino County, California, USA
Grape: Viognier (with Pinot Noir skins)
Style: Cute & crushable
Ingredients: Grapes, sulfites