#vinotasselections

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Wine Tasting Tonight! 7-9 PM! 🍷🧀#drinkwine #winetasting #greenpoint #naturalwine #winewithpersonality #vinotasselections #burgundy #bordeaux #sicily #alsace (at Dandelion Wine)

[dandelionwineshop]

Azienda Agricola Al di là del Fiume

Founded in 2004, Azienda Agricola Al di là del Fiume (“The Farm Beyond the River”) is a small family farm practicing Biodynamic techniques to make gorgeously natural wines.  Though Danila, Gabriele and Adriano own and farm 27 hectares, only 3 (7.41 acres) are planted to vines, with Albana for white wine and Barbera for reds.  Their entire philosophy is to respect the earth and create a living, breathing organism of their farm.

Everything is done by hand, from the picking and sorting of the grapes to the making of the wines.  Wild yeasts are allowed to ferment naturally, and the Albana and one of their 2 Barberas undergo skin contact maceration in Tuscan amphorae according to ancient principles.

Danila’s Fricando is an amphora fermented and macerated Albana.  This ancient, almost unknown thick-skinned grape is native to the Bologna region just north of Marzabotto.  Whole clusters are added to terracota vessels and after a long, slow ferment in the Tuscan clay jars, the wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered and unsulfured, for a brightly oxydative, slightly ripe wine with herbal accents, a wonderful umami mouthfeel and a mineral-driven finish.  $28

[dandelionwineshop]

DANDELION WINE THURSDAY NIGHT SUMMER WINE TASTING 7 -9 PM

B A L L E R   W H I T E S (& a red Bordeaux too)

Do you think white wine is boring?  Or do you love white wine?  Either way, this tasting is for you!  Before rosé flooded the market due to high demand, chilled white wine ruled summer.  Tonight from 7-9 pm David Sugarman of Vinotas Selections will be pouring three of our most nuanced and natural whites, and finishing it off with a big biodynamic Bordeaux made from 100% Merlot for all the red-heads out there... and I don't mean gingers.  As always, we will offer up some cheese from Bedford Cheese Shop and bread from She-Wolf Bakery.

PIANOGRILLO GRILLO 2015, SICILY

Located at the southern tip of Sicily, Azienda Agricola Pianogrillo has been a working farm since before the Middle Ages! The current owner, Lorenzo Piccione, places great value on the polyculture of the farm, so he grows olive trees to make his own olive oil, plants various other trees to ensure the health of the vineyard and of course raises pigs to make his own cured meats and sausages. When it comes to the wine he makes, Lorenzo only uses native varietals; Grillo, Grecanico, Cariante for the whites and Nero d'Avola and Frappato for the reds.  He abides by the most ancient principles of winemaking: biodynamics in the field, hand-harvesting, natural yeasts, and almost no SO2. You may consider this Grillo a natural wine, but it shows super clean and bright, like the Sicilian sun. "Notes of bright citrus, bitter pith on the nose. Medium body with similar aspects (citrus and pith) as well as Asian pear balanced by quartz-like minerality and a long, lip-smacking finish." Ahhhh, gotta love a lip-smacking finish. $23

DOMAINE VINCENT FLEITH SYLVANER 2015, ALSACE

Vincent's family wine history goes as far back as 1661 when his ancestor Antoine Fleith began working the vines. Vincent's grandfather Ernest started making wine and then finally his father René bought 4 hectares of land in the Haut-Rhin part of Alsace. Vincent took over in 1996 and now has 9 hectares of mountainous vineyards, with 4 different terroirs.  Everything is done by hand and only wild yeasts are used. Fleith has been certified biodynamic since 2008. He started working naturally as early as 1994 and by now his local flora and fauna are in exquisite balance with wildflowers growing between the rows to attract beneficial pests. Hello bees! I wonder if it's all those wildflowers that make the wine so gorgeously light and crisp and floral.  Sylvaner is generally considered a neutral grape and I think these grapes are very happy because there is a lot of beautiful nuance coming off this wine... think flowers and honeycomb. For sure gonna taste great with a hunk of salty cheese.  $22

MANUEL OLIVIER HAUTES CÔTES DE NUITS 2015, BURGUNDY

Manuel Olivier's domaine is located just West of the prominent vineyards of Vosne-Romanée. His familly has been making wine in this region for generations, using non-interventionist and (nearly) organic methods. Today, Manuel farms 10 hectares, and at 38, is considered one of the up-and-comers of the new generation of vignerons. He works the soils by hand and by horse and while attention to detail is everything to him, he lets the wines tell him how they should be made. I hadn't had the chance to try his HCDN before it landed in Dandy's fridge... well, a customer loved it so much he insisted on buying one and sharing it with me when he realized I hadn't tried it. How cool!  I love when someone is so pumped for a wine, they have to share it, as if they can't believe it's that good and need someone else to taste it too!  It's a classic white Burgundy, and a great example of why Burgundy is so loved. Rich and creamy, elegant and floral... Chardonnay at it's absolute best. The wine is just grippy enough and lingers on your palate for an eternity.  Drink with a nice dinner with friends or an elegant long lunch outdoors somewhere... this wine deserves your time. $28

DOMAINE ÉMILE GRELIER MERLOT 2012, BORDEAUX

And now for you red wine lovers...  Domaine Émile Grelier is named after Delphine Vinet's grandfather, who was a big supporter of local traditions and respecting the Earth. Today, Delphine, along with her husband Benoit and their children, work 8 hectares of land in a single plot. Their vines are densely planted and facing South with "friendly cover crops" between the rows, and beehives, insect hotels and bird sanctuaries to maximize biodiversity. Not only are they certified Biodynamic, but the French government has been studying their methods to learn how to emulate their environmentally friendly vineyard management! They only harvest one grape for one wine and this is it! 100% Merlot as they feel that's the perfect varietal for these soils and their methods. The juice is wild-yeast fermented in cement and rests for 18-24 months before being bottled. The result is a dark (but bright) plummy wine with a gorgeous balance of earth and spice. We love their story and we love this wine.  $20