Volume 54: the shades of white edition

Illustration by Anna Vu (@goodwinecrapdrawing)
Weingut Leiner
2021
Bitches Brew
Scheurebe, Silvaner, Kerner, Sauvignac
Pfalz, Germany

Bitches Brew, part of the Leiner LP line made in collaboration with Berlin’s Viniculture, is a Pét-Nat with skin contact. A third of the grapes were left whole (using carbonic maceration), another third were macerated and chilled, while the final third were macerated and left at room temperature. More expressive than previous vintages, Bitches Brew 2021 has an exciting structure, lively bubbles and an aromatic twist, with just a touch of tannins – a great match for roasted parsnip.

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Alfredo Maestro
2021
Lovamor
Albillo
Castile and León, Spain

Lovamor 2021 is a new take on a native variety. Albillo is traditionally used in this region to make a dry white wine, or sometimes added to red wines as a secret ingredient – but Alfredo has created a unique gem from these hundred-year-old vines. The grapes were picked in the last week of September, de-stemmed, and left to macerate with their skins for seven days. Once they have been transferred to stainless steel tanks, the trub (the particles that make up sediment) is left to settle. This is a complex, juicy and fresh wine with plenty of structure. On the nose, orange blossom and toasted rye followed by refreshing acidity and a delicate bitterness on the palate. This wine needs some air so be sure to decant an hour before drinking, and enjoy with seafood or a caesar salad.

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MicroBio Wines
2021
La Resistencia
Verdejo
Castile and León, Spain

La Resistencia 2021 was born out of necessity and passion. Ismael had planned to sell the grapes to another winery but, just before the harvest in 2018, the deal fell through. The solution? Make the wine himself. Whole bunches are pressed slowly then transferred to tinaja, a stoneware vessel taller and larger than the qvevri of Georgia. Here the juice is fermented and aged for approximately 9 months. An aromatic wine with fragrances of fennel and apple, and plenty of layers to explore.

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