‘Aus’ Pet-Nat, Celler de les Aus, Allela, Spain
Located on the same site as Alta Alella is Celler de les Aus, headed by Mireia Pujol-Busquets – the daughter of Josep Maria. Mireia has already established a reputation as one of the most exciting young winemakers in Europe and, as well as assuming many of the roles from her father in the Alta Alella operation, she has established her own micro-project, producing natural wines without the addition of any sulphites. The small yet striking winery is filled to the brim with vessels of all shapes and sizes as Mireia continually experiments in an effort to produce wines that are as pure a representation of the Alella terroirs as possible. hak
Catarratto, Palazzo Del Mare, IGT Sicily
Sicily’s geography and climate are perfectly suited for the production of healthy, ripe grapes and quality wines. Palazzo del Mare’s vineyard sites are situated at an altitude of 200-300m, ensuring cooler night-time temperatures which preserve crucial acidity in the grapes. Yields are naturally limited by the winds and the wines tend to be harvested earlier than many of their neighbours and consequently are bright and fresh. The Catarratto particularly displays that signature crisp, citrus laced fruit filled style. The Palazzo wines tend to be harvested earlier than many of their neighbours and consequently they are bright and fresh with no baked flavours.
Chenin Blanc, ‘Releaf’, Western Cape
A self-empowerment project, ‘Releaf’ project symbolises the true meaning of sustainability and harmony within nature. Sustainable agriculture is used in order to cultivate 100% hand harvested, organically grown grapes that are used to produce two separate cuvées. Every effort has been made to ensure this wine is as eco-friendly as possible, down to the fact it is packaged using partially recycled glass and is labelled with recycled paper and sustainable ink.
A portion of the proceeds of the Imbuko Releaf wine goes towards supporting the Imbuko Schools Support Project – through which the estate supports a number of children in education by funding scholarships to local schools.
Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie, Mabis, Biscardo Uvam, IGT, Veneto
The Biscardo Family have been making wine from their base in Soave for over 150 years and are currently led by brothers Maurizio and Martino. During the course of Maurizio’s long and illustrious career, he has consulted for well-known wineries around Italy and in doing so he came across the vineyards for their Puglian wines. Both the Pugliese and Veneto wines are characterised by an almost dangerous drinkability, aromatic purity and exceptional value for money.
Verdejo, Silga, Alvarez y Diez, Do Rueda
Alvarez y Diez is one of the most important producers of the D.O. Rueda. They have made major investments to ensure that the winery is at the vanguard of changing wine styles in the region. Concentrating on the indigenous Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc, they were one of the first to produce the crisp, herbaceous style that is associated with Rueda today and also the first to introduce screw caps to the region.
