Tag: White Blend

Assyrtiko, Greece, Greek Wine, Malagouzia, Vriniotis Winery, Wine, Wine of the Week

Our Wine of the Week: Vriniotis Winery IAMA White 2018

Appetite for Wine

As the days grow longer and warmer, our thoughts turn to crisp, refreshing, white wines. Who are we kidding? We enjoy white wines all year round! But the onset of spring brings a sense of newness, hope, and anticipation. We look forward to shorts and t-shirts, summer vacations, and afternoons on the patio with friends and a good glass of chilled white wine. 

Wine can also evoke memories, and this week’s Wine of the Week did just that. Though we did not visit Vriniotis Winery during our Big Fat Greek Honeymoon, we did fall in love with Greek wine, and every bottle we open brings us back to that trip. Keeping with the theme of warmer weather, summertime also reminds us of the warm days on the Greek islands, and our time at the beach on the Aegean Sea. 

We picked up this bottle of Vriniotis Winery White 2018 from Uncorked Greeks. Vriniotis Winery has become one of our favorite producers of Greek wine, and Uncorked Greeks carries a wide selection of their wines. The White 2018 is a blend of two indigenous Greek grapes, Malagouzia and the more widely known Assyrtiko. Malagouzia was nearly extinct until 1983, when winemaker Evangelos Gerovassiliou planted the variety in his vineyard at Epanomi. The grape is often blended with the lighter Assyrtiko to provide body.

 Vriniotis Winery is located in the town of Gialtra, on the island of Evia (also known as Euboea), overlooking the North Eviokos Gulf, about three hours north of Athens. They are a family owned winery, with 100 acres under vine, and absolutely stunning views. Check out their gallery on their website! We need to go there! Until then, we can enjoy the wines at home. 

Outstanding Greek white blend. Golden color. Aromas of pear, citrus, floral notes, and the saline nose we appreciate about Greek wines. On the palate, citrus, green apple, pear, and tropical fruit, with that saline and minerals. Medium body with fresh acidity. Perfect with garlic shrimp or any other seafood dish.

We look forward to the day when travel restrictions have eased, and we can once again move about the planet. We have many new places we want to visit, but Greece is definitely on our return-visit list!

What was your Wine of the Week?

Cheers!

  • By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
  • Photo cred: Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
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Biodynamic Wine, Cline, Cline Family Cellars, Farmhouse Wines, Natural Wine, Sustainable Winery, White Blend, Wine

Down Home with Farmhouse Wines

Appetite for Wine

More and more wine producers are embracing environmental consciousness. Whether out of concern for conserving our planet and its resources, or reacting to consumer and market demands, there is no doubt that organic, sustainable, natural, and biodynamic wines are on the rise and here to stay.

It’s not just the small, boutique, dare I say “hippie” or “hipster” wineries that are turning toward Earth-friendly farming practices. Many well known, large production producers are getting on board, and at converting at least a small percentage of production to sustainable farming, most with an eye toward long-range growth and conversion.

Recently, we received an invitation to sample two natural wines, Farmhouse Wines, produced by Cline Family Cellars. If you don’t know Cline, you really ought to get out more. Fred Cline founded Cline Family Cellars in 1982. He started in Oakley, California, in the Delta region, east of San Francisco. In 1989, he moved the winery to Sonoma County. One of the original Rhone Rangers, Fred Cline helped establish Northern California as a serious producer of Rhone varieties like Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. Cline Family Cellars has gone on to expand their portfolio to include a plethora of grape varieties, and produces some stellar wines.

FarmhouseLaunch
Photo Credit: Cline Family Cellars

Fred Cline and his Soil Manager, Bobby Cannard (aka The Soil Whisperer) have developed biodynamic practices they dubbed the Green String method. A significantly environmentally friendly farming process, it minimizes pollution of the air, soil, and water, and minimizes the overall environmental footprint. Utilizing natural weed control (sheep and goats), cover crops, aviary pest control (owls and hawks), and ar power, they have made big inroads in sustainable farming. They established a farm, the Green String Farm, in Petaluma, CA, to foster these practices, producing a variety of crops for consumers. They even established an internship program to expose farming students to these practices.

There are two Farmhouse wines; a white blend and a red blend. Both are natural, sustainably produced wines. They are unpretentious, user-friendly, sealed with screwcap, and easy drinking. Oh, and they retail for just $10.99! That’s wallet friendly, too!

FarmhouseRelease
Photo Credit: Cline Family Cellars

Winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos wants the grapes to take center stage in these wines. He uses minimal oak, and incorporates blending to bring out the best of each variety and vintage.

The following wines were provided as a media sample for review. All reviews, descriptions, and opinions are our own. We received no additional compensation.​

The 2017 Farmhouse White is a blend of Palomino (41%), Muscat Calelli (25%), Rousanne (22%), Marsanne (6%), Viognier (5%), and Riesling (1%). Cold fermented in stainless steel tanks, the resulting wine is light and fruity, with balance and finesse. Here’s what we thought of it:

A very interesting white blend. Don’t serve too cold or the bouquet and flavors will be muted. Pale peach color. Aromas of peach, honeysuckle, mango, and tangerine. On the palate, there are flavors lemon curd, guava, mango, and peach, with a touch of honey on the finish. That’d be the Muscat! Medium body and acidity. Fruity, mildly sweet. Pleasant for sipping, structured enough of fish, chicken, or spicy Thai.

The 2017 Farmhouse Red leads with a punch of Zinfandel (59%), followed by Syran (15%), Carignane (9%), Mourvèdre (6%), Petite Sirah (5%), and the remaining 6%, splashes of other red varieties. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, the wine is racked into 40% new French oak to enhance the flavors as it ages. Here’s what we thought:

Inky purple color. On the palate, aromas of raspberry, fresh blackberry, clove, and spice. On the palate, boldly fruit forward; bordering on jammy but there is enough complexity to bring some balance. Flavors of ripe blackberry, black cherry, cassis, and black plum, with licorice, baking spice, black pepper, and caramel. Rich and full bodied with round mouthfeel and bright acidity. The finish is very long with black fruit, ripe plum, and black pepper.

For more on the Farmhouse line, check out their video from the Farmhouse Wines website:  

Both Farmhouse wines would be at home on your Thanksgiving or other holiday table, and equally comfortable snuggled up on the couch in front of a warming fire, binge-watching your favorite Netflix show.

Let us know, in the comments, what you paired it with, and what you’re binging on Netflix!

Cheers!

  • By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael