September is 'National Organic Month' - a thirty day celebration raising awareness of the benefits of organic practices and the producers that work with nature, rather than against it. Lucky for us at Iron & Rose, pretty much every month is organic month so creating this month's case to align with the national celebration wasn't too difficult, see below for six banging bottles, all following organic and beyond! Order it for delivery or collection online here or come and see us in the market hall.
White wine
Cognettes, Les 2 Terres, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire, France
Seventh generation farmers Vincent and Stephane Perraud farm around 25 hectares near the medieval village of Clisson. Nothing backward about their winemaking though, they are bright, clean pretty wines with a characteristic vein of savoury, almost salty character running through them. They're also experimenting with fermenting in Amphora (ok, that is pre-medieval) and very gentle macerations.
100% Melon de Bourgogne taken from two plots with differing terroir, one granite and the other gabbro, wholebunch pressed and aged in underground glass tiled vats. Zesty and saline - great with seafood.
Producer - Domaine des Cognettes
Country - France
Region - Loire
Appellation - Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Variety / Blend - Melon de Bourgogne
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic
Te Quiero Field Blend White, Castilla la Mancha, Spain
Castilla La Mancha is known for its mass production vineyards but in between these are little pockets of ancient old vines that have been kept out of pride or merely forgotten to be re-found at the right moment. This wine and its partner red are made from a blend of these “lost” vines. Te Quiero translates as “love you”, a suitable sentiment for a wine great for serving at parties and family events. It's a perfect bottle to have on hand to have a glass from with whatever you are having for dinner too!
Producer - Manzanares Coop
Country - Spain
Region - Castilla La Mancha
Variety / Blend - Field Blend
Farming - Organic
Wine Style - White wine
Vegan
Altolandon, Enblanco de Altolandon, Manchuela, Spain
At Roselia Molina, inland of Valencia and at 1,100 metres above sea level the vineyards and winery are treated as naturally as possible with only the minimal of intervention.
This orange wine from Altolandon has undergone a manual harvest, grapes collected in 12kg cases to protect them from crushing followed by spontaneous fermentation on skins in 1000 litre amphora with no oak treatment. The results are a very pale orange pink colour with stone fruit, anise and mineral notes.
Perfect with oven baked fish, sushi or tapas.
Producer - Altolandon
Country - Spain
Region - Castilla La Mancha
Appellation - Manchuela
Variety / Blend - Garnacha Blanca, Garnacha Gris
Wine Style - Orange Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan, no added sulphites
Pink Wine
Moulin de Gassac, Réserve de Gassac Rosé, Pays d'Herault, Languedoc, France
We need to thank Henri Enjalbert for the very special wines of Mas de Daumas Gassac, if the knowledgable Geography professor from the University of Bordeaux hadn’t noticed the terroir and attributes of the region then we would be missing out.
The microclimate means that it is ideal for growing vines in this generally hot region of Languedoc. The wines of Mas de Daumas Gassac have gone from strength to strength and can be a fantastic and more affordable alternative to their Bordeaux counterparts.
This rosé is a stunning example of Southern French pinks. The paleness is gained from skin contact and with minimal intervention in the winery it means this wine retains tropical fruit flavours and sunshine. Perfect for long summer days spent on a picnic blanket.
Producer - Moulin de Gassac
Country - France
Region - Languedoc - Rousillon
Appellation - Pays d’Herault
Variety / Blend - Grenache, Carignan
Wine Style - Pink Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegetarian
Red wine
Baglio Gibellina, Frappato, Terre Siciliane, Italy
Frappato gives a wine that is lighter, brighter and a bit fresher than the bigger Nero d'Avola reds of Sicily. Great with some salami or a pizza.
Producer - Baglio Gibellina
Country - Italy
Region - Sicily
Appellation - Salemi
Variety / Blend - Frappato
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan
Celler del Roure, Vermell, Valencia, Spain
This wine is in part a tale of the perils of the power of the press. The Calatayud family have been farming and producing wine in Valencia for generations but they had a bit of a change in direction when demand from the USA led to them making wines which were big, powerful, high in alcohol and lavished with expensive oak maturation. The kind of wines the US press loved at the time. Pablo, the current owner, realised however the potential of the indigenous varieties and fermenting and maturing in tinajas (traditional clay amphora he was fortunate to still have a cellar full of, shown in the picture) to make much more subtle elegant wines. The kind of wines that they used to make. This is one of them, made using a type of Garnacha that has red juice and flesh as well as skin, and local hero Mandó which keeps fresh in the heat. Minimal intervention in the cellar and minimal sulphur at bottling.
Producer - Celler Del Roure
Country - Spain
Region - Valencia
Variety / Blend - Garnacha Tintorera, Mando
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan
