Wine Club: May ‘Flower’ Days
You know the saying...April Showers...Bring May Flowers. For the most part it can be true here in our little northern abode. But there is always the risk of some snow fall too so don't unpack your summer whites quite yet. May Flowers- May is a beautiful month to celebrate new growth of life. And in thinking about this month's club I thought it might be fun to dive into the tenets of Biodynamics (not too heady) but more like a fun experimentation to see if a May 'Flower' day truly brings out more in a wine. The results will be up to you but let me give you a soft intro into Biodynamic theory and you can let me know what you think.
Celestial energy, buried cow horns, compost preparations of yarrow blossoms or stinging nettles....yeah... it may seem a little out there. But in all reality, biodynamics is the most holistic approach to agricultural practices through balancing the interconnectivity of man, earth, stars & vine.
To break it down; the theory of biodynamics stems from the Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner back in the early 1920s but was hardly a new concept considering mankind's guidance from celestial bodies since the ancient greeks. With the growing reliance on chemical fertilizers at the time the concern became about the quality of the crop and the health of the farm. Therefore this holistic approach focused on maintaining the biodiversity of the vineyard created more of a symbiotic entity instead of single use agriculture that would ultimately break down in quality over time and look to chemical intervention for stability.
Okay so trying not to get too wordy or heady on this so Ill pivot. A quick explanation about the Cow Horn cause I'm sure you want to know....In the practice of biodynamic farming there are nine preparations to 'enhance the vitality of the field.' The most common is the BD500; a dilution of cow manure that has been buried in a cow horn for six months. Here is a brief breakdown:
1. This preparation involves packing cow manure (preferably from a lactating cow) into cow horns and to bury them in Autumn on a 'Root Day' with a descending moon to exert the greatest pull down on earth into the soil. It is then dug up or 'lifted' in the spring also on a root day with the season exhalation or 'burst of life' that occurs.
2. BD500 works to bring cosmic energies to the ground. Horns must be from cows, not bulls- to ensure the optimization of mothering and fertile energies. It is also estimated that 80% of blood flow goes through the horns allowing the richness of that life-giving blood to permeate into the horns and in turn provide additional nutrients to the BD500 preparation.
The more you dive in, the more it seems to make sense. To learn more check out this great explanation: https://biologicwine.co.za/2014/11/19/biodynamic-preparation-bd500/
Building on Rudolph Steiner's theory, Maria Thun published the lunar planting calendar in the 1950s. According to the position of the moon and stars she identified certain days as fruit, flower, leaf, or root days. The concept being that planting or pruning may be ideal on these days whereas harvesting may be better suited to a fruit & flower day. There are plenty of articles that dispute the idea that flower & fruit days impart any difference on a wine, but hey...it's all subjective and some days that crisp rosé just tastes like perfection and the next day it tastes completely different.
So have fun with it...sometimes it's nice to think that there is a finer balance to life than what we have control over. As the earth exhales this spring and we all go running for the Claritin, maybe check the calendar below and see if it works to taste wines on any cusp days- and if not that's cool too. Either way you'll still have badass wines this month. We are showcasing 4 brand new roses/rosatos/rosados to the shop that we are so excited to have this spring.
Cheers!
Wine Club: 2 bottles
Sierra de Tolono 'Rosado' Rioja, Spain • Tempranillo & Garnacha
So for those of you who have been in wine club, you already know the wines of Sandra Bravo. But this is the newest beauty that has graced us- Her rosado! Sandra joined us at the end of March for a wine tasting and she is simply the sweetest. For those who are new to the club- Sandra works some of the highest altitude vineyards in Rioja all organically and some biodynamically. She is incredibly driven to the point that she has worked her entire life just to buy vineyards but still just rents a home in the area. She is in her second vintage of producing the rosado and not only do you gravitate to it for its electric pink color, but it is the perfect balance between juicy ripe strawberries & refreshing acidity.
Dinamo 'Nucleo 3' Rosato, Umbria Italy • Gamay del Trasimeno & Sangiovese
A nod to the historic peasant wines of Umbria, the Dinamo project is the collaboration of the Nofrini family and Danilo Marcucci. They work together in the highest vineyards of Lake Trasimeno ( a region we've worked with before; winemakers like Montemelino, Tiberi) and aim to express energy; purely & naturally.
“I made the first wine with my grandfather. My snack was homemade bread dipped in wine and a little sugar. It was 1976 and the wine was natural and still had a high daily food value and was an important source of energy for everyone, especially those who had to face the heavy days of farm work .... the body and then the mind. An inspiring idea to jump back to rediscover my origins thanks to the strength of all that I have built up to now in natural wine "- D.M
Wine Club: 3-4 Bottles
Poderi Sassi 'A Riveder le Stelle' Lazio Italy • Montepulciano
I recently popped down to Boston for the first portfolio tasting from Selectio Naturel which is like my version of meeting famous people! I get giddy and nervous and wish time and time again that I spoke Italian #lifegoals. This trip I was able to meet a lot of new winemakers to the SN portfolio but got to revisit with winemakers I had met before which is always a treat!
Leo Sassi was one of the newest additions to the portfolio when we visited Italy back in 2018 but the wines were as perfect then as they are now. This Roman native has spent most of his life progressing his family's bakery in the northeast of Lazio but with the addition of his wines, he has been able to build quite the future for his family. After rehabilitating family vines and finding new parcels he has acquired 3 hectares and has recently finished a larger cellar. It was fantastic to visit with Leo again and try new cuvees that I had only seen on the instagram. The 'A riveder le Stelle' - translation 'to get back to see the stars' is his rosato made from 100% Montepulciano. It sees just one day of skin contact with no filtration or fining and no additions of sulfur. It's bone dry with a crunchy raspberry and crisp cherry fruitiness but don't let the color fool you....it's wicked easy to drink.
Las Jaras 'Superbloom' Sebastopol, California • all the grape varieties!
This is ultimate representation of springtime. The wine is named for the wildflowers that erupt in the desert after the rainy season signifying the end of winter and the onset of warmer & happier days. It is a co fermentation that was made in several tanks with different varietal mixes. There is Grenache Noir, Verdelho, Mourvedre, Roussane, Carignan, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc & Albarino all blended into this perfect package of beauty. They say it defies categorization; is it rose? is it a light red? They simply recommend drinking during the 'violet hour'- the moment right after sunset before the stars come out. So I would advise the same. Embrace the end of winter and embrace the exhale of earth and new beginnings.