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 £79.50) 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.

Refresh - our theme for January. Join us on a vinous adventure. The three wines in this box will take you to new places and fresh experiences. Most people head to Galicia for Albariño, the region's most famous white wine, but there are some truly delicious lighter reds to be found too, such as the Silice Tinto included here. And while Piedmont's most renowned region is Barolo, wines like Colombera & Garella's show there is plenty to be found elsewhere that offers great enjoyment and wonderful value for money. Central Europe's wines are  getting more attention than they used to and Atlelier Kramar's Slovenian wines are evidence this attention is much overdue.

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 - 

Atelier Kramar, Bohem 2019, Goriska Brda, Slovenia (white) Katja and Matjaž Kramer both studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice but after finishing their studies fell in love with a piece of land near Barbana in the Gorižka Brda wine growing region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy. Matjaž, a German from Löwenstein in Baden-Württemberg and Katja, a Slovene from Kobarid at the foot of the Julian Alps, see wine growing as an extension of their artistic practice but acknowledge that while creating art is in a sense abstract, when it comes to wine growing "nothing is abstract, everything is concrete, the rain, the heat, the hail, the frost, the aching back at the end of the day." But the reward is also very real, the wine in your glass is a physical reality for people to enjoy and be nourished by.

This wine is made using two local varities grown on "Ponca" soils of sandstone and marl (which also occur in Collio, on the Italian side of the border) with some clay which helps moisture retention. The grapes are macerated on their skins for three days, fermentation kicks off spontaneously with the indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 500 litre oak barrels for 12 months before bottling.  

Producer - Atelier Kramar
Country - Slovenia
Region - Goriska Brda
Variety / Blend - Tocai Friulano (Sauvignon Vert) 95%, Malvasia 5%
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic 
Vegan

Colombera & Garella, Coste della Sesia 2020, Alto Piemonte, Italy (red) Travel a couple of hours north from the Langhe, home of Barolo, high into the mountains in North Piedmont you can find ancient, complex terroirs, shaped by volcanic activity some 300 million years ago. Here the vineyards are much more fragmented and the geology complex, the soils iron rich and acidic, but Nebbiolo still reigns as the dominant grape variety, though it is often blended with local varieties Croatina and Vespolina.

In 2010 Cristiano Garella teamed up with old friend Giacomo Colombera, and his father Carlo to start a project. They now farm 9 hectares of vineyards and in the winery the grapes are fermented using natural yeasts, no additions are made other than a touch of sulphur, and the wines bottled without fining or filtration.

This Nebbiolo dominant assemblage is a classic Alto Piemonte blend, showing notes of Alpine tinged tart red fruit, white pepper, and mint, finishing lengthy and dry; structured and delicious.

Producer - Colombera and Garella
Country - Italy
Region - Piedmont
Appellation - Lessona
Variety / Blend - Nebbiolo, Croatina, Vespolina
Farming - Organic 
Vegan      

Silice Viticulture's, Silice Tinto 2020, Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain (red) For a long while many people left Galicia to make new lives abroad or elsewhere in Spain. But the tide has been turning and indeed some wine growers have moved to the region recognising its potential to grow wonderful wines, inland as well as on the coast.

Silice Viticultores was created by three friends, founded in 2013 by brothers Carlos and Juan Rodríguez and Galician-Swiss DJ-turned-winemaker Fredi Torres (pictured with Carlos and Landrover). They came together to preserve historic vineyards around Barantes in Ribeira Sacra and rediscover the lighter, racier styles of wine Fredi remembered his Galician grandfather making. 

Silice Tinto is made from 50 year old and 100+ year old Mencia, growing on granite, sand and schist soils in steep vineyards overlooking the River Sil. It shows bright red fruit character, is a touch savoury and has a mineral edge. It is fresh and fun but seriously elegant. Delicious with some cured meats or mature cheeses it is also wonderful with seafood such as tuna or octopus. 

Producer - Silice Viticultores
Country - Spain
Region - Galicia
Appellation - Ribeira Sacra
Variety / Blend - Mencia
Wine Style - Red 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!