Organic and Biodynamic
Organic and Biodynamic
Cluricaun Skin 2021
Regular price £16.70We love this orange wine with it's pale amber colour. Beautifully pure and textured palate with fresh nuttiness and fine spices. Tangerine and a hint of marmalade and lovely pure citrus fruits. Juicy linear and expressive with a salty tang on the finish.
Country: Portugal
Region: Lisbon
Grapes: 20% Fernão Pires from Lisbon; 80% Siria from Beira Interior
ABV: 13%
Winemaker Andre is always interested in experimenting with new and old methods. He is the 5th generation of winemakers at Quinta do Montalto, the farm has 15Ha of Vineyards grown with organic certification since 1997 in Clay and Chalk soils under the Lisbon DOC Encostas D’Aire.
He uses ancient methods the create DOC Medieval Ourem, but also made new Portuguese Amphoras and uses the most modern low intervention techniques for his traditional range.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Regular price £18.25The Elgin Valley is one of the coolest regions in South Africa and is famous for making wonderfully refreshing and classy white wines.
Fragrance of pure white grapefruit, intense tropical fruit, ripe gooseberry and fleshy kiwi fruit over-lay Iona’s distinctive herbal and floral undertone. The palate is keenly balanced showing cut green apples and lime marmalade followed by great minerality and length.
Country: South Africa
Region: Elgin
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc.
At 420m above sea-level, set high above the picturesque Elgin Valley, Iona includes some of the coolest vineyards in the Cape. This creates an extremely long growing season, harvesting up to 2 months after Stellenbosch, which results in diverse, complex flavours and fresh, elegant wines. The philosophy at Iona is to make wines that reflect the soil and climate as closely as possible. They make use of sustainable farming methods and use natural products wherever possible in the winemaking.
Caiaffa Negroamaro IGT Organic 2022
Regular price £15.95Wonderful, ripe and warming wine, full of sunshine and brightness. Subtle hints of sweet spice, coffee grounds and milk chocolate on the finish. Yummy.
Country: Italy
Region: Puglia
Grapes: Negroamaro
ABV: 13.5%
Food match: great with antipasto cured meats.
Caiaffa are certified organic, they do not use insecticides or pesticides in order to encourage a balanced ecosystem.
Waterkloof Circumstance Mourvèdre 2018/2020
Regular price £18.95An elegant rendition of this normally unruly varietal. Features raspberry, dark fruit and herbal notes whilst an almost meaty, wild aroma can be detected on the nose. Typical vigour expected from this varietal, with a high concentration of fine tannin and a surprising lightness of touch helped by the lower alcohol.
Country : South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grape: Mourvèdre
ABV: 13.5%
Living soils and a natural approach to winemaking means that each of the single-varietal wines in the Circumstance range is truly defined by the circumstances influencing the chosen varietal and vineyard blocks, including: soil, aspect, altitude and vintage. The Mourvedre is from a single, windswept, south-facing (less sun exposure) block 250-300m above and a mere 2 miles from The Atlantic. These factors combine to produce low yields, balanced grapes and wines with a true sense of place. Production was a miserly 4 tons per hectare. Mourvedre is one of the few varietals with enough wind-resistance to plant as bush-vine on Waterkloof. Grapes are hand-harvested and brought to the cellar by horses for hand-sorting. Bunches are sorted and whole-bunch fermentation happens spontaneously with wild yeast in large, open-top wooden fermenters. Manual punch-downs or foot-pressing take place 1-2 times per day and the wine is left on skins for 30 days before going through malolactic fermentation in old 600 litre barrels then ageing for 16 months in the same vessels. No fining, just a light filtration. No additons other than sulphur. Vegan friendly, biodynamic wine. 6 barrels made.
Wildsong Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Regular price £18.95Very elegant old world style of Sauvignon. Clean, fresh and steely with beautiful minerality on the finish.
Country: New Zealand
Region: Hawkes Bay
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc
ABV: 13%
Organic
Rod McDonald is a New Zealand winemaking legend who arrived in Hawke's Bay 25 years ago as a green cellarhand. Following a stint at Villa Maria he became winemaker at Vidal before setting off on a solo adventure to craft the most compelling and exciting wines from the wide variety of soils throughout the region.
Rod has chosen to farm organically to allow his wines to really represent both the land the grapes are grown on and the people who make them.
Chateau Coulaine Chinon Rouge 2021/22
Regular price £20.95Garnet in colour. Green bell pepper and bramble berries on the nose with faint hints of forest floor. Raspberry, dark red cherry and wet gravel on the palate with a spiciness throughout, with soft tannins. Long mineral finish with leafy elements.
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
ABV: 13.5%
Organic
Cepa Pura Fernão Pires Unfiltered 2019 Quinta do Montalto
Regular price £18.75Fresh, zippy and zesty from native Portuguese grape Fernao Pires.
Country: Portugal
Region: Lisboa
Grapes: Fernão Pires
ABV: 13.5%
Laibach The Ladybird Organic White 2022
Regular price £15.95Fresh and complex with notes of white peach, almonds and a hint ripe papaya. Expressive on the palate with a lingering finish.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin,and Viognier
ABV: 13.5%
Food Match: Paella
Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc
Regular price £17.20Dolomite wines express great purity of fruit and balanced elegance. The nose shows dark and red cherry. Dark berries, spiciness and herbs linger on the palate. The wine has great purity of fruit with a hint of wet-stone minerality and a velvet soft finish.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Cabernet Franc 90%
Malbec 10%
Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2020
Regular price £14.95The Sauvignon Blanc aromas are prominent on the nose, with beautiful lime and prickly pear notes. Intense flavours, with great balance. A tight mineral core and creamy mid palate from the Chenin Blanc allows for great complexity and a persistent finish. The Sauvignon Blanc lends lovely, fresh acidity to the wine. Waterkloof are champions of Biodiversity and Sustainable Biodynamic Farming.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
ABV: 14.5%
Grapes: Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Semillon
Organic, Biodynamic
WATERKLOOF estate was founded in 2004, ending Paul Boutinot’s persistent and uncompromising 10 year search for a vineyard site with the potential to produce truly fine wine with a defining sense of origin. Located on the south-facing slopes of Schapenberg Hill near Somerset in the Stellenbosch district of the Western Cape’s Coastal Region, Waterkloof shares its magnificent Atlantic views with free-roaming peacocks and other natural fauna and flora attracted to this haven. Certified by Demeter in 2015, their vineyards are of only a few in the Cape to boast official biodynamic approval and status. The estate has 56 hectares under vine and Tim Atkin’s Cape Classification currently ranks Waterkloof as 5th Growth level. With production around 165,000 bottles per year, Waterkloof make “honest wines” from their unique biodynamic coastal site. Respect for nature, traditional winemaking practices and minimal intervention are all key to their success.
Amoterra Rosso Montepulciano 2022
Regular price £13.95Ruby red in colour with concentrated red berry and fruit aromas, with hints of sweet spice, cherry, plum and blackcurrant jam on the palate. Juicy and moreish...
Grapes: Montepulciano
Region: Abruzzo
Country: Italy
ABV: 12.5%
Organic
Amoterra means to ‘love the land’, this is the vineyards ethos.
Amoterra Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2023
Regular price £13.95Bright and expressive floral aromas follow through on the palate which is concentrated and vibrant with juicy apricot, green apple and pear fruit, and mineral notes.
Grapes: Trebbiano
Region: Abruzzo
Country: Italy
ABV: 12.5%
Organic
Amoterra means to ‘love the land’, this is the vinyards ethos. The harvesting period of the Trebbiano starts from the second week of September. As soon as the grapes arrive in the cellar they are crushed and de-stemmed, then softly pressed. Cold maceration for 24 hours at 8 degrees. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in stainless steel for about 10-15 days.
Solara Rosé 2022
Regular price £11.75Strawberry and red fruits, crisp fresh and fruity , with notes of raspberry on the palate.
Country: Romania
Grapes: Merlot and Feteasca Neagra
ABV: 12%
Cirò Rosso Superiore Tenuta Del Conte 2018
Regular price £26.95Gaglioppo...no, we didn't know that grape variety either. Now its one we'll never forget.
Tawny-brick red colour, powerful and persistent fragrance. Well-balanced, leathery palate with a back bone of black fruit and grippy, but supple tannins, making this a very versatile wine with meat dishes ranging from game birds to pork and lamb.
Country: Italy
Region:Cirò, Calabria
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Gaglioppo
Food match: rich roast pork dishes, pheasant or slow roast lamb.
The wine has a garnet colour that is the typical color of Gaglioppo. The nose shows dark fruit aromas, dried herbs and dried flowers, and intense earthy notes. The tertiary aromas of mushrooms and leather are also evident and well interwoven with the dark fruit notes. On the palate the dark fruit flavours follow through; blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrants. Smooth and silky in texture. The wine is juicy, and it shows elegance and good integration of all the elements. This wine is the quintessential example of a true Gaglioppo grape!
The wines are made in Calabria in the toe of Italy’s boot, where native varieties reign supreme – Magliocco, Nerello, Mantonico, Greco and the region’s star grape, Gaglioppo.
The Cirò DOC is a picturesque corner of the Mediterranean, along the Ionian coast, in the eastern foothills of the Calabria region, a large peninsula that forms the toe to Italy’s boot. The Parrilla family, who own and run Tenuta del Conte, have been making wine here for four generations, the latest of which to take over the estate are Mariangela, Giuseppe, and Caterina.
In 2011 Mariangela Parrilla took over as winemaker. Mariangela takes a philosophical approach to winemaking, with the aim to let these traditional indigenous grape varieties speak for themselves and their terroir. Her wines are all organic, no herbicides or chemicals are used at any stage of the production process, she opts for spontaneous fermentations using indigenous yeasts, no filtration, and solely stainless-steel and bottle aging. Taking each wine vintage by vintage she lets them evolve and age “according to their own natural rhythm”, making each wine unique. This could be just one year in bottle before release or over 10 years. Not only does she capture the unique character of the grape variety but that of the vintage it's from too.
Together with a handful of other wineries in the area, Mariangela is part of “The Cirò Revolution”, a group formed to promote and protect their territory’s identity. They are dedicated to organic viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking, they make traditional wines, in homage to their ancestors, from native grape varieties.
Rallo Vicoletto Orange Cataratto 2022
Regular price £15.50On the west side of Sicily close to Marsala, Cantine Rallo has its vineyards and winery.
This ‘Orange’ wine is bright yet slightly cloudy in colour thanks to the natural approach to winemaking; with no stabilisation, fining or filtration resulting in a wine with very low sulphur levels. The bouquet is a beautiful mix of citrus, grapefruit, apple and white flesh fruits that follows onto the palate. Complemented by Mediterranean herbs and a backbone of fresh acidity.
Country: Italy
Region: Marsala, Sicily
Grapes: Catarratto
ABV: 12.5%
Abel Mendoza Garnacha Blanco 2020
Regular price £37.95This viscous, mouth-filling wine offers notes of toast, red and green apples, caramel and almond.
Fermentation in new French barrels and 5 months battonage until bottling.
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja
Grapes: Garnacha Blanco
ABV: 14%
The grand master of white Rioja, Abel Mendoza never fails to impress with his uniquely complex, old vine wines from small plots planted high up in the Alavesa. Tim Atkin MW often scores between 94-95 for this wine and past vintages received 95 points from Robert Parker. Sublime and a must for anyone serious about their wine.
Caizergues 'Les Amoriers' Rouge 2019
Regular price £18.95Wonderfully balanced and rich concentrated notes of red cherry and cocoa. Silky tannins and a hint of liquorice on the finish. Named after the mulberry trees 'Les Amoriers' on the estate, historically cultivated to feed the silk worms.
Country: France
Region: Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac
Grapes: 30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache Noir, 20% Carignan, 20% Syrah
ABV: 14%
Food match: slow roast leg of lamb.
Vi LOF Mencia 2018
Regular price £16.95Lively, expressive and juicy red from the lesser known region of Bierzo in North West Spain. Menzia, a native grape, gives lovely dark ripe fruit characters of plum and bramble berries.
Country: Spain
Region: DO Bierzo
Grapes: Menzia
ABV: 13.5%
Iona Elgin Pinot Noir 2020/2021
Regular price £29.00Succulent black cherry aroma, bright but delicate and hints of forest floor, with underlying floral and spicy notes. On the palate, the wine is powerful, with silk-textured length.
Country: South Africa
Region: Elgin
ABV: 13%
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Food match
Beef Bourginon with mushroom or braised lamb shanks.
In early 1997, Andrew Gunn, an engineer by training was contemplating his next career move. Having always loved the outdoors, the prospect of farming appealed to him and feeling young and energetic enough to start a new career, left the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg to begin the search for the ‘perfect’ farm.
After months of searching and 40 farm visits later, Andrew and a very tired estate agent stumbled upon a solitary run down apple farm on a mountain top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prospect of a suitable farm in Elgin intrigued Andrew and on driving through the valley, he became excited by the beauty of the area. Surrounded by the Kogelberg Biosphere and Forestry the property had no agricultural neighbours. The rolling hills and the drive up the mountain to where the farm was situated, 420 meters above sea level, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was love at first sight.
As he drove in and stopped in front of a rather run down Herbert Baker homestead, he felt, “this is where I would like to live”, and the view from the front of the house overlooking the Elgin Valley below, made up his mind.
Château L’Escarelle Deux Anges Rosé 2022
Regular price £19.95The ‘Château’ is the most traditional – and the oldest – of their wines. It’s blended in the traditional way, with a short maceration period – these wines are designed to be drunk fairly soon. Dependable, elegant and bursting with fruit. The ideal way to get to know the vineyard and taste the terroir. Delicate and elegant floral aromas with lively minerality on the palate, clean attack and delicious strawberry notes.
Country: France
Region: AOP Côteaux Varois en Provence
Grapes: Grenache, Cinsault , Shiraz
ABV: 12.5%
Chateau de L’Escarelle of one of the most prestigious wine estates in the heart of Provence, with 100 hectares of organically certified vineyards set in 1,000 hectares of beautiful woodland.
Food Match: Perfect as an aperitif or an accompaniment to southern French dishes
Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo La Fogliola Rosso Marche IGT 2021
Regular price £12.95Summer berries with a hint of vanilla pod. Perfect for balmy summer evenings, you could even chill this on a very hot day.
Country: Italy
Region: Marche
Grapes: Sangiovese
ABV: 12.5%
Coral de Peñascal Ethical Rosé 2022
Regular price £12.95Delicately pink in colour. Dry, but fruity and juicy. Delicious summer beverage.
Country: Spain
Region: Valladolid
Grapes: Tempranillo
ABV: 12.5%
Organic
Cava Vilarnau Brut Nature Organic Reserva 2020/21
Regular price £15.25One of our favourite bubblies in the shop - such good value for money for a traditional method sparkling. Rich, toasty and complex.
Country: Spain
Region: Catalonia
Grapes: Chardonnay, Macabeo and Paralleda
ABV: 11.5%
Half Bottle Laibach The Ladybird Organic Red 2018
Regular price £11.95Complex nose with hints of spice, chocolate and mocha. Good structure with plum and mineral complexity and a lingering finish.
Country: South Africa
Region: Stellenbosch
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet, Petit Verdot & Malbec
ABV: 14.5%