After the harvest in late August, the grapes macerate for a couple of hours and are then directly pressed. And of course, they use an actual Champagne press, which is typically operated by winemakers in the Champagne region, where they use the whole cluster and try not to bruise the fruit before. Once all the juices have been carefully extracted, they ferment and age first for 6 months in barrels. Afterward, the still wine is bottled with neutral yeast and some sugar and ages for 18 months in the bottle until it is disgorged (the process of removing the dead yeast from the bottle). The sparkling wine is then finished with a little bit of sugar, a process called dosage. The result is a pretty straight and dry Sekt with a fair amount of Strawberry with a little bit of pink grapefruit in the mouth. It's definitely a good opener for the night, but don't underestimate its power as a food companion.

This almost classical Chianti's grapes come from a hillside which is approximately 550 meters above sea level and very well ventilated and sunny. It's still cool enough for a well-balanced wine. As Francesca doesn't like the green tannins in her wines, she waits until the grapes are perfectly ripe, and harvest is usually not until mid-September. The grapes then macerate and ferment in concrete tanks for eight days before the pressing and then continue fermentation and aging in concrete until May the following year. It's a beautifully simple wine for cold days expressed by the typical cherry and plum aromas. With some well-integrated tannins, it will make you want some more of that Tuscan salumi or cheese.

Originally Jean-Louis started the "Minima" project to showcase what's possible with perfect grapes and no sulfur. A couple of years later, his wife wanted to rediscover what that expression would mean for the Alsace region. Over the years, this has evolved, and this year has culminated in an equally sophisticated wine. Most of the grapes come from the Rosembourg terroir, except for the Muscat, which comes from the Schœnenbourg grand cru vineyard. With its sweet and fruity opening and flowery notes, you wouldn't expect enough acidity to get through a meal. But fear not, this could easily survive any Alsatian dinner or maybe just a French classic like snails.