Adventures in Drinking Naturally - an intro to real wines - a six bottle box set

Looking for wines made from beautifully grown grapes with minimal intervention in the winery? Wines that express the land and people that made them, not wines made to fit a product specification? Here are six of them to enjoy.

For us 'natural' wine is less about classification & certification, more about intentions & passion.
Love and respect for the planet. A desire to make wines which are fixed in a particular time & place, a vintage & a vineyard. Not wines made to a recipe. To make wines that while they're sometimes a little unexpected, even a little hazy (yes, Jane MacQ, that's ok by us😏) they're always, always delicious to drink.

White wines

Luneau-Papin, PM&M Garance, Muscadet Sévre & Maine Sur Lie, Loire, France -Sometimes you just can't beat the classics. Muscadet fell out of fashion, another victim of its own success possibly, but the style is unique and when good, unmistakeable. This wine is made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne grown on a single vineyard with stony, schistous soils. The Sur Lie bit in the name is about aging the wines on the lees, the solids left from the fermentation, the skins, dead yeast etc, which gives the wine extra depth and complexity. The art is knowing how long to do this for and how much batonnage (stirring up the lees) to do. In this case over 8 months and regularly.

The wine has the characteristic grapefruit, lemon acidity, expressive and complex. Amazing with mussels and as an aperitif.

Producer - PM&M Luneau - Papin
Country - France
Region - Loire
Appellation - Nantais
Variety / Blend - Melon de Bourgogne
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan

Fabrizio Vella, Bianco Organico, Sicily, Italy - Fabrizio Vella is a true Sicilian and the island runs deep in his bones. The same can be said for his wines which he has kept as true to his home as possible. Grown on vineyards high in the hills to protect from heat and picked early, Bianco Organico is a citrus burst with a fresh bold finish. Perfect as an aperitif or paired with a packet of crisps!

Producer - Fabrizio Vella
Country - Italy
Region - Sicily
Variety / Blend - Catarratto
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic 
Vegan    

Red Wines

Mount Edward, Ted Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand - Duncan Forsyth is one of wine's pioneers and mavericks. You have to be bold to make wine in a marginal climate and Central Otago is certainly that. Nestled amongst the wonderfully named The Remarkables mountains along the Kaiwarau river, it is cool with a short growing season and a risk of frost at both ends of that.

For Duncan organic growing is a no brainer, both philosophically and for the health of the vineyard. They also practice minimal intervention in the cellar achieving balance through the timing of harvest, avoiding additions, temperature control, fining and filtration where possible, and limiting the use of sulphites, with all wine at less than 50 ppm.

The wines are all about texture, vitality and personality. 

Producer - Mount Edward
Country - New Zealand
Region - Central Otago
Variety / Blend - Pinot Noir
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan

Comando G, La Bruja de Rozas, Sierra de Gredos, Spain - The Sierra de Gredos is a high mountain range in central spain west of Madrid and Comando G was created by a trio of enochalados (crazy winemakers) who had day jobs with serious grown-up wineries but having been friends at university got together for a side project making wines from small, sometimes abandoned, often neglected vineyards scattered around the hills. Comando G was the name of a Spanish / Japanese manga comic in the 1980’s and the wine labels reflect this. Now just two, Dan and Fernando, they approach what they do like it’s done in Burgundy, making very site specific wines, mostly from a single grape variety (Garnacha) but with a much more developed sense of humour and much less developed sense of their own importance. This wine has been matured in amphorae (but not many more than one amphora as it is really small production) and the texture on the palate really reflects this.

Producer - Comando G
Country - Spain
Region - Castilla y Leon    
Appellation - Sierra de Gredos
Variety / Blend - Garnacha 
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic 
Vegan

Altolandon, Milhistorias, Bobal, Manchuela, Spain - The Altolandon winery is at a remarkable 1100 meters above sea level in the province of Manchuela, South East Spain. The high altitude gives a huge day / night temperature range, a remarkable clarity of light, clean air and plenty of breeze which all adds up to a great environment to grow organically, produce healthy grapes with loads of character and balance. This is made from Bobal, a local variety that has rather unfairly been mainly limited to making guest appearances in sangria, in jug wines or blends. More recently it has been recognised for it’s potential and made into dark coloured wines with spicy, rich fruit. It also has a lovely touch of acidity which makes it rather more moreish.

Producer - Altolandon
Country - Spain
Region - Castilla La Mancha    
Appellation - Manchuela
Variety / Blend - Bobal
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan

Karri Vineyard, Semillon, Margaret River, Australia - Australia has a reputation for big farms and big brands but look closely and you'll find growers with great wine and great values making wines on an altogether different scale, often in unexpected corners of the country. They aren't always that affordable though which makes wines like this even more remarkable.

Made from fruit sourced from biodynamcially managed vineyards in Western Australia's Margaret River region it is naturally farmed, naturally made and naturally delicious - not funky or murky, just zippy, fresh, super easy drinking.

Producer - Continental Platter
Country - Australia
Region - Margaret River
Variety / Blend - Semillon
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming -  Biodynamic
Vegan

This case contains one bottle of each of these wines. If any is out of stock or becomes unavailable it will be replaced by one of equal or greater value and deliciousness.