It’s a weird time of year as we settle into the school year with the foggy mornings, hot days, and very crisp nights. Last week we experienced a quintessential ‘false fall’ here with temps in the low 60s- and I’m not going to lie- I did love it a bit. Not only do I sleep great, my excitement to cook goes through the roof, and my palate teeters into the weightier whites & chillable reds that are ideal with fall flavors.

I don’t believe I’ve done an all ‘orange wine’ wine club in quite some time, and all italian wines…ever. But these wines give me that nostalgic feeling of fall so I hope you are as excited as I am. I recommend eating alongside these wines as they are complex and full of structure. Think white bean stew, fall panzanella salads, nutty cheeses & salty snacks.

Poderi Cellario ‘É Orange’ Piedmont Italy • Nascetta, Moscato Giallo, Incrocio Manzoni

Fausto Cellario is the man! We have worked with his wines for years! He and his wife are third generation winemakers in the Piedmont region of North Western Italy. They have always worked with the indigenous wines of the regions such Nascetta, Grignolino, and more widely known Dolcetto, Favorita etc. The É Orange is a wonderful entry to orange wine with just one week of maceration and utilizing predominantly Nascetta giving it burst of clementine skin, zesty lime, and refreshing acidity.

Signoraginni ‘Vivienne’ Tuscany Italy • Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia

Giorgia Salierno’s background is in the fashion world. She studied, lived and worked on the runways of Milan for several years before returning to Umbria and Tuscany. She wanted something more fulfilling and self-made and was enamored with the blossoming natural wine world. In 2021, Giorgia rented a small vineyard in Cortona, just over the Tuscan border where her family is from. Signoraginni is Giorgia's vision and a dedication to the new generation of women in the wine world (still relatively rare in Italy though that's changing quickly!) "In Donna Veritas'' (in women there is truth) is her motto and it guides her on the winemaking and farming journey. Each cuvee is named after a woman of significance to Giorgia and in the fashion world. The Labels are a nod to her fashion designing past. Vivienne is named for Vivienne Westwood, the revolutionary English designer. 50% Trebbiano Toscana and 50% Malvasia from a single hectare of 30 year old vines on clay, sand and silt. Co-fermented with 15 days skin maceration. Aged for 6 months in steel tanks. No filtering or fining, and minimal added sulfur as necessary. 3200 bottle production.

Wine Club: 3-4 Bottles

Poggio Bbaranello ‘RM ,‘ Lazio Italy • Roscetto

Poggio Bbaranello specializes in white wines and uses only the native cultivars that are particular to the history of their micro-region. The grape varieties are all indigenous and showcase the unique character of the Lago di Bolsena region. Procanico, Roscetto and Malvasia are planted on various soil types including tufo, limestone, volcanic basalt, sand and clay, at exposures on the windswept hill surrounding the cantina-casa. Ciliegiolo and sangiovese are used in minuscule quantities to make small amounts of red wine. Biodynamic and organic farming practices are incorporated into their holistic approach to agriculture and winemaking. In 2019 Silvia Pagliarola and her wife Lisa Gentili vinified their first harvest of grapes, grown on a sunsoaked hill just south of Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio. Since 2009 Silvia and Lisa have been working the land of their small 14 hectare farm -- 4.5 of which are planted to vines -- while the rest of the land is dedicated to ancient grains and unspoiled woodlands. Located on the outskirts of Marta, a village on the southern rim of the crater Lake Bolsena at ~450 meters. The ‘RM’ is 100% Roscetto with 30% getting 15 days skin maceration. Spontaneous fermentation without temperature control. The only producer making 100% Roscetto w/skin maceration, due to vines being very low yielding. ~260 bottle production.

Collecapretta ‘Terra dei Preti’ Umbria Italy • Trebbiano Spoletino

The Mattioli family has been in the tiny hamlet the Roman's once called Collecapretta (hill of the goats) since the 1100's. For generations the Mattioli have been cultivating the rugged hillsides of southern most Umbria. Located just outside of Spoleto, in the near-impossible-to-find borgo called Terzo la Pieve, today's farm is a scant 8 hectares in total; 2 planted to a mixture of local olives trees, 2 ha of farro and other ancient grains and  ~ 4 ha of indigenous old vines. Vittorio Mattioli, his wife Anna and their daughter Annalisa live together with 3 generations of their family inside the tiny village overlooking the valley below with the high Apennine Mountains and Gran Sasso looming in the background. The elevation is some 500+ meters and the soils are a mixture of calcium and iron rich clay with outcroppings of tufo and travertine limestone. Though the total production of Collecapretta is only some 8000 bottles in a good year, the family chooses to vinify many different cuvee's in hopes of expressing the vineyard and grape varieties at their best.

“Terra dei Preti” or “Hill of the Priests”, is 100% old vine Trebbiano Spoletino. Spontaneous fermentation with 10 days of skin maceration, as in the traditional ancient practice - "Ribollito". The work in the vineyard and in the cellar is inspired by principles of absolute naturalness and the influences of the lunar cycles. No artificial yeasts are used, no sulfur is added, and no filtering or fining. The wine ages in cement tanks before bottling.