The Edit - Robin's picks for this month - a three bottle box set

The Edit is our monthly selection of what's exciting and drinking well, chosen by Robin, founder of Iron & Rose and still a wine obsessive. The three bottles selected change each month to reflect the season, the food we're enjoying, and often to introduce new arrivals. Three wines to introduce you to our world of natural wine, to encourage you to delve deeper, or for a treat to yourself or as a gift.

Subscribe for regular deliveries and save even further. Although the price of The Edit will vary according to the wines chosen each month, (this month it is £85.95) it will always be between £60 and £90 and by subscribing you'll save an additional £3.50 off each box set - enough to buy yourself a V60 pour-over coffee from PetitGlou to enjoy while you scan the shelves in Iron & Rose or relax after some intensive market shopping.

December's edit features three of Robin's favourite wines this year. From the mountainside vineyards of Lombardy to the islands of Crete and Corsica, each of them evocatively expresses their place of origin.  

This box set contains three bottles, one of each of the following wines, made by inspirational producers, the kind of wines which inspired Robin to start Iron & Rose back in 2016 - 

Dirupi, Valtellina Superiore DOCG, Lombardy, Italy, 2021

Valtellina is on the southern edge of the alps, in Lombardy. A land of tradition, steep vineyards, mountain air, and beautiful, ever-so drinkable reds.

Dirupi was founded in 2004 by Pierpaolo Di Franco and Davide Fasolini, two childhood friends that crossed paths once again when they both were completing enology degrees in university. Neither had inherited land to work after graduation so the two combined what little resources they had upon completion of their degrees and rented 15 different terraced sites in Valtellina devoted to Chiavennasca. 

This wine makes me think of pine forests on mountain-sides (my happy place!): there is something about the wine's aromatics, freshness and sensuousness. 

Producer - Dirupi
Country - Italy
Region - Lombardy
Appelation - Valtellina
Variety / Blend - Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca)
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic  
Vegan    

Antoine Arena, Morta Maio, Patrimonio, Corsica, 2020

Morta Maio is a sensual, aromatic red from legendary producer Antoine Arena who farms vineyards in the wilds of Corsica. Made from just indigenous variety Nielluccio and with a few years bottle age it is a bit of a treat. We are really excited to have this back in stock after having to live without for a while due to its increasing fame and demand. 

Like many of his generation of Corsicans, and a story repeated in many agricultural communities where life is tough, Antoine left Corsica for the French mainland to find work and a career but returned to the family farm following the 1970's independence movement and set about bringing the extraordinary and unique wines of the island to a wider audience. 

As complex as the traditional polyphonic music of Corsica, which also revived in the 1970's and is sometimes linked with political agitation for autonomy or independence, this wine is one to linger over and savour, ideally served with some earthy, hearty, Corsican style game stew

Producer - Antoine Arena
Country - France
Region - Corsica
Appellation - Patrimonio
Variety / Blend - Nielluccio
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan    

Aôri, Muscat of Spina, Crete, 2022

High altitude wines from the beautiful mountainous coasts of Crete where grapes have been grown since the third millenium BC. Aôri is the project of ex-sommelier, Aimilios Andrei and Dmitri Scours, oenologist and viticulturist. The term simply means 'mountain' in Cretan dialect and this is very much reflected in their wines with refreshing acidity and minerality running through their core.

Muscat of Spina is a clone of Muscat à Petit Grains which was named after the nearby community of Spina in Chania. The grapes come from two plots of ungrafted bush vines planted between 750-850 metres above sea level. They're handpicked and are given a few hours of maceration on the skins before spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Most of the wine is then transferred to stainless steel tanks where it stays on fine lees for five months but a small proportion is transferred to a Clayver ceramic vessel, which Amilios feels brings salinity to the wine.

This wine is intense and salty with plenty of minerality and refreshing acidity. Not your typical aromatic muscat...

Producer - Aôri
Country - Greece
Region - Crete
Variety / Blend - Muscat of Spina
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan

The wines in this box set are available in limited quantities, so we may need to offer alternatives but these will be of similar price and equal value!