March is one of my favorite times of the year! We get beautiful, cool Spring days and the occasional snow and there is something so exciting about seeing bulbs peeking out of the snow. March also marks five years that I have been at the store and I am so grateful that I found such a wonderful community to be a part of.
This month is very Italian heavy but with the amount of land they have under vine you can’t really blame me. All three reds are from Italy but are incredibly different stylistically. For the white wines this month I am doing one of my favorite South African blends, a textural Italian white and a crazy deal on a French rosé.
The Gatekeeper
White Blend 2022
Reg. Price $14.99
Sale Price: $10.99
White Wine of the Month
Ricasoli
Antico Feudo Toscana 2019
Reg. Price $14.99
Sale Price: $9.99
Red Wine of the Month
I guess it’s a month of Italian reds! Despite being from the same country (and even from the same region in the case of the Ricasoli and Un Litro) they could not be more different! Italy is such a vast country with so many different climates that you could solely drink Italian wines and never run out of styles and wines to suit every mood and occasion. Aside from Piedmont, Tuscany is one of the most well known regions and Ricasoli is documented as the oldest winery in Italy dating back to 1141. They have made many contributions to the wine world but their most impactful one was made by Baron Bettino Ricasoli who developed the formula for Chianti that is still used today. The Antico Feudo Toscana Rosso is their entry level red that is 60% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that is fermented in stainless and aged in large, neutral barrels. The wine is refreshing and bright with moderate fruit notes that play off of the Italian earthiness. This goes to show you that wine doesn’t have to be fussy and complicated to be enjoyed, especially since that’s the purpose of it.
Vigne Surrau
Vermentino di Gallura 2021
Reg. Price $23.99
Sale Price: $16.99
One of my sales reps and I have spent a lot of time exploring the wines from Dalla Terra Winery Direct, an importer that exclusively works with Italian wines. I have worked with many of their wines on and off throughout my time in the industry but it’s always interesting to hone in on their style. There are many importers that I completely trust and I think you can buy wine by who has their logo on it; European Cellars, Rosenthal, Old World, T. Elenteny, Rare Wine Co and now Dalla Terra is on that list. Dalla Terra was founded in 1990 by Brian Larky who had been in the wine industry for over a decade. He got a degree in fermentation sciences from UC Davis and made wine at Domaine Chandon and Far Niente before heading to Italy to do a harvest in 1985. That harvest turned into five years of working in Italy and making wine at Ca’ del Bosco and he realized he wanted to become an Importer of Italian wine. The Vermentino is 100% Vermentino that is fermented and aged in stainless steel vats and has saline minerality and pronounced acidity to balance out the stone fruit notes. This wine is more textural than a lot of other Vermentino and is less floral, making it the perfect gateway to southern Italian white wines.
Vigne Surrau
Cannonau di Sardegna 2021
Reg. Price $23.99
Sale Price: $16.99
Dalla Terra features producers from all over Italy but I have been focusing on Southern Italy recently. Both the Vermentino and Cannonau from Vigne Surrau are from Sardinia, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Sardinia is Italy’s second largest island and is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean but the interior of the island is incredibly mountainous with cork tree forests and scrublands with herbs and cacti. The soils are mainly granitic and the wine region Gallura pays tribute to this as Gallura means “stony area”. 70% of the winery’s production is Vermentino since Gallura produces some of the best Vermentino in the world but they also grow Cannonau which is what the Sardinians call Grenache. The vineyards for the Cannonau are grown on granite and sandy soils in a valley in the hills so it is a much fresher style of Cannonau than those that are made at lower elevations that have notes of baked fruit. This wine is done in stainless steel so it is light on its feet and has notes of ripe berries, dried herbs and vibrant acidity. Enjoy this with pastas, grilled meat, roasted portabellas and hearty foods.
Maz Caz
Rosé 2021
Reg. Price $23.99
Sale Price: $12.99
We are starting to have more and more nice days out, bulbs are emerging and birds are singing. Before you know it I will be cramming the store full of rosé but right now there are fantastic deals on the rosé that my distributors bought too much of last year. Maz Caz is our favorite organic French brand that is made by American born female winemaker Michele D’Aprix. She got involved in wine in the late 90’s and has been making wine ever since! Maz Caz is her project in the Costières de Nîmes in southern France where she makes incredible blends. Southern France is the epicenter for French rosé with the Costières de Nîmes, Provence and Bandol all grouped together on the Mediterranean coast. In the Costières de Nîmes rosé makes up for almost 40% of the entire wine production! The Maz Caz rosé is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah that see skin contact for about 6 hours for the delicate color. The wine is fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts and is lightly filtered so despite its light color there is tons of flavor! Notes of raspberry, wild strawberry, dried herbs and wet stone minerality compliment the vibrant acidity. Enjoy this with lighter dishes or out in the sun!
Ampeleia
“Un Litro” Rosso 2021
Reg. Price $28.99
Sale Price: $22.99
Ampeleia’s Un Litro has been one of my favorite Italian reds for about as long as I’ve been in the industry and every year when this comes out I rave about it. Since I am typically able to get such a small amount I run out quickly. Not this year! Other accounts didn’t take their allocations so I swooped in and got about 15 more cases than usual. Ampeleia is a project in the Maremma region of Tuscany between Elisabetta Foradori, entrepreneur Giovanni Podini and agronomist Thomas Widmann. Elisabetta Foradori is a phenomenal winemaker from Trentino in northern Italy who focuses on biodynamics and responsible viticulture and she brings that to Ampeleia. The Un Litro is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet that is all hand harvested and vinified separately. About 10% of the wine is carbonic maceration so the wine is light, playful and quaffable. It is aged 6 months in cement vats and only about 13,500 cases are made each year. The finished wine is bursting with notes of fresh cranberries, sour cherry, pomegranate and dried herbs. This liter bottle has a whole extra glass so have this with friends or on a date night!
I can’t wait to explore these wines and more with you!
Pop into the store for all of your beverage needs and don’t forget about our in store tastings!
Beer Tasting Thursday 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm
