All wine regions want to be like Burgundy. To make small volumes of sought after-wine, to sell at a high price, often before the wine’s been bottled, and to sell out every year.
Almost all Burgundian wines are single varietal wines – the whites made from Chardonnay, the reds from Pinot Noir. And so you could casually come to the conclusion that single-varietal wines are superior to wines made by blending different grape varieties.
But with a little understanding, we realise that blending different grape varieties is a key tenet of winemaking in plenty of prestigious wine regions – Bordeaux, say, or Champagne, and our next wine tasting will explore how grape varieties can complement and enrich each other. We’ll also touch on the important role mixed-planted vineyards have to play in making wine more resilient in a changing climate.
On March 14th we’ll feature six wines from three small independent producers of organic, biodynamic and natural wines. We’ve imported these wines direct, and they are exclusive to Substrata in the UK.
This time we’re teaming up with Wright’s, who moved into Ramsay London Street at the end of last year. Perhaps more a comrade than a neighbour, Adam Wright started out on a market stall before opening his first café in Bury St Edmunds. The Norwich site is his third, and together with his young and creative team, he’s putting on a series of evening events to complement his busy daytime café trade.
The wines
1) Domaine La Lauzeta, Corteza rosé 2021
St-Chinian, Languedoc, France
Grapes: Grenache/Syrah/Cinsault. 13% abv. RRP £20
Dry, pale & mineral rosé. White flowers, apricot, redcurrant
2) Gardunha Sul, Primeiras Gotas Pet Nat Branco 2022
Beira Baixa, Portugal
Grapes: Fernão Pires/Moscatel Graúdo. 12.5% abv. RRP £26
Dry & cloudy naturally sparkling wine. Lemon, yellow grapefruit, peach
3) Smallfry Wines, Tangerine Dream orange wine 2021
Vine Vale, Barossa, Australia
Grapes: Semillon/Pedro Ximénez/Riesling/Roussanne/Muscat. 12% abv. RRP £26
Dry, medium-bodied orange wine. Apricot, oatmeal, black pepper
4) Smallfry Wines, Eclectik Violet 2022
Vine Vale, Barossa, Australia
Grapes: Grenache/Cinsault. 12.5% abv. RRP £26
Feather-light red, best served chilled. Cherry, almond, bubblegum
5) Smallfry Wines, Stella Luna 2021
Vine Vale, Barossa, Australia
Grapes: Cinsault/Shiraz. 12% abv. RRP £26
Tangy medium bodied red. Violets, plum, raspberry
6) Domaine La Lauzeta, Mezura rouge 2016
St-Chinian, Languedoc, France
Grapes: Syrah/Grenache/Carignan. 15% abv. RRP £26
Full bodied, deep & herbal red. Blackberries, fennel, iodine
