Wine Jams and Non-Jammy Wines
Sans Souf - April 9. Sapori is hosting a natural wine party ($10) showcasing low or no sulphur wines with so much energy that they will revitalize you like the warming rays of the sun. If you can’t make it, be sure to check out their BTG list another time; the last time I was there I had a few revitalizing orange wines including Le BRUTAL! de Jean-Marc’s Gewürztraminer/Pinot Gris/Riesling - Brutal is a loose conglomerate of natural winemakers and their label has a Grim Reaper reaping SO2 on it - and I had the Fleurs Macération Pinot Gris from Domaine Brand & Fils, a biodynamic winery working without any additives, who strive to retain life within their wines.
Dinner with Dream Date Pearl Morissette - April 17. Lake Inez is hosting a dinner with Ontario winery Pearl Morissette, featuring 5 courses and 5 wines for $130/person. Sommelier and PM ambassador Svetlana Atcheva will lead the tasting of back vintages, yet-to-be-releases, and faves. To reserve a spot, email or DM them. Pearl Morissette not only started me on my natural wine journey, but has also become the most sought after wine in Canada. Coincidence?
Weingut Brand Bros - April 25. The Grape Witches are hosting two Education Hour ($40) tastings with Daniel & Jonas Brand, who make natural wine in Germany's second largest winemaking region, Pfalz. Pfalz is a derivation of the Latin word palatium, meaning place, which is fitting as these brothers are making wines that express the place where they are made. After taking over the winery in 2014 they decided to go organic: if one eats organic food, why wouldn't one drink organic wines? Preach. And the labels for their 'Pur' wines are illustrated by their Oma! Cute.
The Lighter Side of Australia. Wolf Blass was probably the first "fancy" wine I bought that best represents the tastes of my 20s, and also how jammy alcoholic fruit bombs were the popular style then. And for some, they still are, with Blass selling around 60 million bottles a year. But there’s been a seismic shift toward lower-alcohol “smashable” wines with wineries like Shobbrook, Brash Higgins, Ochota Barrels, Jauma, BK Wines, Patrick Sullivan, Harkham, and others, who are making fresh, light-on-its-feet wine long considered antithetical to Australia. You can find some of these by the case through the Living Vine, or sometimes by the bottle at the Australian LCBO. Patrick Sullivan - whose wines were the first of Australia’s new wine scene to turn the head of IG natural winethrob Marissa Ross - can be found at some of your fave natural wine bars/restaurants; and as of press time, there is one 6-pack of his Chardonnay available online.