And here it is. July- sadly the only ‘True’ summer month we get with a full 31 days not focused on school, sports, holidays (besides the one that basically is for high quality BBQs anyways). It’s the month that pretty much makes or breaks your summer.

This month we are covering the art of barbeque. Whether its grilling meat to perfection or straight crushing that salmon on a cedar plank, or an even truer testament to your cooking skills…the ideal level of grills marks & delicate char to whatever veggies you’ve got…basically you gotta have some skills. I nail the hot dogs for my 4 year old but I’m still finding my footing on the rest. But it signifies summer time to me. You can picture it- less dishes to clean up, kids/dogs/your fun friend Jane playing in the lawn, unfortunately getting bitten by mosquitos, and endless fun & laughter in the sun until the last light kisses the horizon goodnight. And what’s a great bbq without kickass wines? This is my forté…

Meet our guests.

Pomalo, Dalmatia Croatia • Debit

The whole point of Pomalo is to take it easy and not take things too seriously…so we’re off to a great start. The true meaning of ”pomalo” is rooted in the coastal and island lifestyle and the general state of mind of the Dalmatians. Us Americans can use more Pomalo, all the time. With this wine we highlight the indigenous varietal known as Debit which is often overlooked by the locals. This white is the epitome of sunshine in a glass- its bright, its salty, and its crushable.

Ameztoi ‘Rubentis’ Txakolina, Basque Spain • Hondaribbi Zuri, Hondaribbi Beltza

If you’re like me at all you may need a little help with this one…Txakolina is pronounced “chah-kuh-leena.” It is also sometimes called Txakoli (“chah-kuh-lee”). Effervescent, fruity, saline, mineral, and low-alcohol … what's not to like? Plus its very fun to say. We are hailing from the Basque region on Spain with this one, specifically Getariako Txakolina, an area with a wetter & cooler climate ideal for creating the lowest alcohol and spritziest versions of Txakolina and the Ameztoi family does it very very well. It smells like the sea, jalapeño peppers and crunchy red plums.

Wine Club: 3-4 Bottles

Casa Belfi ‘Naturalmente Frizzante ,‘ Veneto Italy • Raboso del Piave

The frizzante reds. I love them so. And this was a super fun one to discover and add to our repertoire. Maurizio Donati is a biodynamic farmer and scrupulously natural winemaker going starkly against the norm of his region. He is located in the Valdobiaddene, neighboring industrial farms that are all slated for Prosecco production. This frizzante rosso is a modern interpretation of the local Raboso variety giving off fresh raspberry & rhubarb, with an earthy finish. You put a full chill on this one and kickoff the night.

Terra Bassa (L’Orto del Vicino) ‘Bianco,’ Tuscany Italy • Trebbiano Toscano with a smaller percentage of Trebbiano Romagnolo, Albana, Malvasia and Canaiolo Rosa

No this bambino isn’t the winemaker…maybe Emillio will follow in his parents footsteps someday. But for now his parents Anna and Leonardo Gabellini are taking the plunge and we are thrilled to get what we can of their wines. They took a chance to bid on a tiny 3 hectare piece of land and changed their lives forever, embracing a life lived off the land and one directed towards their local community just north of Florence. They are willing to do the hard work and quietly share it with their neighbors (“orto del vicino” literally means “the neighbor’s garden”). Their vision lead to converting their land to a fully biodynamic, regenerative poly-culture farm where they grow vegetables, rare native fruits and grains, raise chickens and sell direct to consumers at their tiny farm stand.

These bbqs aren’t always just about throwing a rad party, but finding the time to embrace the beauty that we live in and the people we want to share that with. So this bottle is a sharing one. One of our extremely limited magnums from Terra Bassa of these classic Tuscan white varieties. Most of their production is sold locally with only 10% being exported. It deserves a hearty meal of whatever you fancy- it pairs with just about anything, but just remember this family and their attention to not just making wine but to their farm & community- it is projects like these that are the guiding inspiration for our wine program. Cheers