This Month We're Mainly Drinking - six great wines to drink just now - a six bottle box set

A mixed case perfect for drinking right now…

The contents of our TMWMD case changes every month to reflect the season, the food we're cooking, and often to feature new arrivals.

Offered at a discounted price, it is six great bottles 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 and save! Guarantee a regular delivery of naturally delicious wine and take advantage of a lower price. By subscribing you'll save an additional £4 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.

Subscriptions are managed by you so you decide when and how often you want to receive the case. You can take a break and pause a month or two, and you can cancel at any time. 

This month we're going off the beaten track with wines from regions, lesser known and grape varieties, lesser tasted. This case includes two new wines for us; a Bobal from Valencian super sommelier turned wine maker, Bruno Murciano and a delicious Romanian white made by two Italians called Roberto. And with picking season being very much upon us in the UK, we had to throw in a bottle from our friends up the road at Commonwood. 

Contreras Ruiz, Viña Barredero, Condado de Huelva, Spain

This wine is made from Zalema, a grape native to Andalucia (and also very useful when compiling an a-z of grape varieties), grown on vineyards in the deep south of Spain, next to the Doñana national park and close to the Atlantic ocean and border with Portugal. The soils are calcareous and rich in saline content. The wine is rich gold and green in colour, bright and zippy on the palate with citrus orange flavours and a delicious saline edge. Perfect with fresh fish, a dish of anchovies or salted almonds and stands up to a bit of spice.

Producer - Contreras Ruiz

Country - Spain

Region - Andalucia

Sub-Region - Condado de Huelva

Variety / Blend - Zalema
Wine Style - White Wine

Farming - Organic
Vegan

Ballena del Sur, Semillon Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina - 

This is from Sebastian Zuccardi's collaboration project with Les Caves de Pyrene. The Ballena del Sur is an iconic whale known to Argentine waters and the label depicts the eye of the 'Ballena' or an abstract grape ... you decide.

A blend of Semillon and Torrontes grown in the cooler climate of the Uco Valley bringing great freshness, subtle aromatics and a zippy finish.

Producer - Sebastien Zuccardi
Country - Argentina
Region - Mendoza
Variety / Blend - Semillon, Torrontes
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan    

Crama Delta Dunării, La Sapata Feteasca Regala, Dobrogea, Romania - 

Crama Delta Dunarii is a joint venture between two Italians named Roberto. They missed a trick on what their projects' name could have been... Roberto di Filippo is from Umbria whereas Roberto Pieroni has found his home in Romania for many years. Togther they've planted 20 hectares of vineyards around the village of Tulcea, all certified organic and kept in pristine condition with assistance from their horses for plowing and their gaggle of geese for moral support. The vines are nestled in the corner of the Dobrogea region with the Danube which holds the border to Ukraine just a few kilometres north, and the Black Sea to the East. The soil is not rich by any nature, it's poor and sandy which produces low yields but grapes of great quality. However before the Roberto's took on the land, after many years of neglect, the land had started spontaneously regenerating with indigenous plants finding their way back and enriching the soil.

This is a fruity and floral white with notes of ripe apricot and melon. Dangerously delicious.

Producer - Crama Delta Dunarii
Country - Romania
Region - Dobrogea
Sub-Region - Tulcea
Variety / Blend - Feteasca Regala
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic 
Vegan

Red Wine

Commonwood Red, Shropshire, England

The local hero! Commonwood vineyard is situated just a few miles north of Shrewsbury, in a very quiet, rural area west of Wem. At around a hectare of vines, it is tiny but unusually for a vineyard of this size, especially in the UK, all the still wine is made in a small winery (big shed!) on site. It was planted by Corinne and Alan Goddard in 2002/3 who purchased some land next to their house from a retiring farmer and inspired by a recent trip round New Zealand and Corinne's French / Italian heritage decided the best thing to do with it was create a vineyard.

After careful research into the soil and most suitable grapes and trellising systems (Alan's engineering attention to detail!) they planted two thirds white, mainly Phoenix, and one third red, mainly Regent and Rondo with some Dornfelder. We have been selling their wine for a few years and for the last couple the team at Iron & Rose and GlouGlou has been privileged to take part in all aspects of its production from vineyard to winery. 

Naturally low in alcohol, around 10%, this is a really easy drinking, juicy red but also has depth of flavour to match with food. 

Producer - Commonwood
Country - England
Region - Shropshire
Variety / Blend - Field Blend, mainly Regent
Style - Red wine
Farming - Organic principles
Vegan

Baglio Gibellina, Frappato, Terre Siciliane, Italy - 

Baglio Gibellina monopolises the valley, characterising the landscape with rolling vineyards and prickly pear trees. Growing from old vines, Frappato grapes are planted on sandy soils, 200 - 250 metres above sea level.

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. Expect ripe red fruits, cherries and fresh herbs!

Producer - Baglio Gibellina
Country - Italy
Region - Sicily
Sub-Region - Salemi
Variety / Blend - Frappato
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan

Bruno Murciano, Parajes del Calabriel 2022, Utiel Requena, Valencia, Spain - 

Award winning and highly celebrated sommelier, Bruno Murciano returned to his hometown of Caudete de las Fuentes in Valencia to fulfil his dream of making his own wine. He and his brother, José Luis (who is a trained winemaker, studying in Rioja and Bierzo) took on the magnificent estate of Las Brunas which consists of 6ha of ancient vineyards high in the Valencian hills, mostly dedicated to Bobal as well as other local varieties. Their focus is freshness and authenticity, to bring a true expression of the historic Valencian terroir through organic and biodynamic farming and minimal intervention in the winery.

The Parajes del Calabriel is 100% Bobal grown on old bush vines at 950m above sea level bringing great freshness to the wine alongside it's sun baked fruit quality with plenty of strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants on the nose. Ever so slightly earthy and chalky tannins.

Producer - Bruno Murciano
Country - Spain
Region - Valencia 
Sub-Region - Utiel-Requena
Variety / Blend - Bobal
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan

This case contains one bottle of each of these wines. If any becomes unavailable it will be replaced by another wine of equal value.