February Wine Club
We are definitely experiencing a cold winter, so let’s have some wine to warm us up.
This month’s theme is “Wines of Aquarius”, as in the sign of the zodiac for the period January 20th – February 18th. Gemini AI informed me that “Aquarius” wines – like the personalities of their people - “are intellectually engaging, slightly unpredictable, and, like the water-bearer, stand out from the crowd.” Oh, and Aquarians are great communicators, so we also need wines that are expressive of terroir. These sound like great wines!
We came up with 2 fabulous wines that are complex, unique, and expressive. They are both from the southern-hemisphere, where harvest begins in the heart of Aquarius season.
Lourens Family Lindi Carien White Blend, Western Cape
Lourens Family Wines is small and – as the name suggests – family owned. The estate is in Paarl, in the Western Cape northeast of Cape Town. The grapes are organic and the whole process and enterprise are sustainable. Winemaker Franco Lourens grew up in the area and says he got the wine bug “through osmosis” by riding his bike to school over smashed, slowly-fermenting grapes that fell off the trucks on their way to the local wineries.
The Lindi Carien is a white blend made with 62% Chenin Blanc, 30% Verdelho, and 8% Grenache Blanc. These white varieties are hand picked, and their harvest is smack dab in Aquarius season – January and February. Appropriately to Aquarius, the fermentation process was complex; most of the grapes were whole-bunch pressed immediately, while the Grenache Blanc were whole-cluster fermented for a week prior to pressing. Then they were all separately rested in barrels on their lees for 10 months on their lees before being blended and bottled. Phew!
The label is an indicator of the wine’s great story. The woman pictured is Lindi Carien, the wine’s namesake and Franco’s now-wife. Franco used the earnings from this wine to purchase an engagement ring for Lindi. Romance… that is definitely NOT an Aquarius trait! But, the story and the production surely get an A+ for innovation.
And the wine… ahhh it is lovely. The Chenin dominates the blend and lends its unmistakable mouth feel and heft to this winter-weight white. The mouth has light citrus and peach notes, with a white-flower finish and smokey-saline rinse. Kick up your feet by the fire and enjoy.
Speaking of white flowers, Aquarius – being an “air” sign – is associated with the orchid. Orchids are plentiful in South Africa, though most are terrestrial rather than “air” orchids that grow on trees. Orchids of all colors are found there, the most prolific being the bright red Disa uniflora. Recently, a new species of orchid was discovered in the mountains just east of Paarl, called Satyrium situsanguinum. This is a terrestrial orchid with white flowers and a strong fragrance that grows on steep slopes – an homage to Aquarius!
Paso a Paso Bonarda Vino de Garage, Mendoza
Paso a Paso Wines is a project that was developed by two friends. Norberto Páez and Sebastián Bisole were childhood friends and “academic companions” who became interested in an experimental winery project, and a garage winery was formed! The name is a fairly literal reference to the importance of the “step by step” (Paso a Paso) process from which they elaborate on ancient processes through rigorous research and artfulness, and with new techniques. The project started in a garage, though today the production occurs in a purpose-built winery in Tupungato.
The wine is made from Bonarda, which is also known as Douce Noir or Corbeau Noir (in France) and Charbono (in California), but – given its popularity in Argentina, it seems “Bonarda” should be the commonly-used name of the grape. I love this description: Bonarda’s sensory profile is like a fruit basket that decided to crash a spice market.
The Bonarda for the Pasa a Paso is sourced from El Cepillo in San Carlos. The 70-year-old vines are organically grown at high altitude, around 3600ft. That elevation and resulting cooler temperatures are unusual for Bonarda, which needs a long time for ripening.
The grapes were manually harvested and underwent spontaneous fermentation in concrete vats. Roughly a third of the grapes were put in a tank, whole cluster. After 7 days, the grapes were pressed and spent 9 months in concrete, while a tiny amount (10%) spent time in an oak barrel.
This high-altitude bonarda has great aromatics, including a bit of whole-cluster cola. It is very concentrated with coffee and sasparilla, plus wild blackberry. It has great acid. Take this to eat with your next satay!
“Tupungato” is one of those wonderful names - like Montevideo, Isfahan, or Casablanca – that to me just radiates the potential for amazing adventures. Like this winery! It is also a mountain that reaches higher than 21000 ft, high up in the thin air – appropriate for Aquarius, an air sign. Such high places were important to the ancient Inca, whose territory reached Tupungato.
The Inca calendar was lunar, and the 2nd month, “Hatun-pucuy”, spans Aquarius season – roughly January 20th – February 18th. This was a very rainy month, and rites and rituals at this time focused on managing the rains. Like many of their rituals, this involved visiting the sacred places of the high mountains – of which one was Tupungato – to make sacrifices of llamas and guinea pigs, in hopes of stopping the rains. In essence, then, asking the Aquarian water-pourer to right her vessel.
Wine Tastings
Lately, I have been co-theming the Wine Club with our monthly wine tasting. This month’s theme is “Born in Aquarius: Unruly Wines for Unruly Minds”. Your two Wine-Club wines will be featured, as well as three others. It is a recognition of the character traits associated with the sign of Aquarius; our wines reflect their forward thinking, unique perspectives, and trend toward rebelliousness.
The February 18th tasting is sold out, but tastings are listed through June, so secure your spot and don’t forget to use your discount code!
