Moms, Grandmothers, Stepmothers, Aunts, Cousins, Siblings, Guardians, and Caregivers, we salute you! We appreciate the love and support that you share with us, and all of the hats that you wear in our homes, and in our communities.
Today, we pay homage to some of our producers that in addition to being recognized all over the world as incredible creators of wine, sake and spirits, are also known as moms. These selections are a few of our favorites.
MINGES SCHEUREBE FEINHERB 2019
Regine Minges works alongside her father, Theo, at their family estate in the Süd-Pflaz, at the southern end of the region. Together they organically farm 25 hectares of vines, with a not insignificant number planted to Scheurebe.
Mother’s Day falls in peak Scheurebe drinking time! Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the weather is finally enjoyable, and Minges’ Scheurebe Feinherb is the perfect wine to ring in the spring. Scheurebe is a highly aromatic grape with a bracing acidity to match. Minges’ Scheurebe is lightly sweet, the barely perceptible sugar perfectly balancing that high acidity as juicy grapefruit and mandarin flavors mingle with peppery, herbal notes. To say this wine is highly drinkable would be an understatement; it’s hard to think of a more delicious, refreshing, and easily enjoyable wine!
- Certified Organic
- 100% Scheurebe
- From the rich, loamy soils of the Vogelsang and Zechpeter vineyards in Flemingen
- Spontaneously fermented and aged in stainless steel
MULLINEUX OLD VINES WHITE 2019
Few wines are more aptly summarized by their back labels than this transcendent white blend from husband-and-wife winemaking duo Andrea and Chris Mullineux based in South Africa’s Swartland region.
The back label reads: “This honest wine from sustainably farmed vineyards is fermented using indigenous yeasts to maintain its integrity.” Simple, but encapsulating of their philosophy! I can’t be certain whether it’s their choice to include Mediterranean white grape varieties like Verdelho and Grenache Blanc in the blend or the diversity of the vineyard sites they source their fruit from, but this wine radiates a unique energy that speaks more of the place it was grown rather than the grapes themselves, despite old vine Chenin Blanc serving as its backbone.
The nose of the wine reminds me of freshly squeezed citrus fruit while its textured palate is defined by the tension between its bracing acidity and ripe orchard fruit.
Sarah Henrich Larue’s family roots in Champagne date back to 1952 when Gilbert Gruet established Champagne Gruet in the Val de Marne. In 1987 he decided to try something completely new and started a winery in the United States – where he eventually founded Gruet Winery in New Mexico. His Champagne DNA never left him though, and in 1993 he returned to his home and began making wine under the Paul Laurent name.
Under Sarah’s inspired leadership over the last 10 years, Champagne Paul Laurent has established itself as a trusted source for delicious, mineral-driven Champagne from vineyards in and around the village of Bethon, where the family winery is located. With Sarah in charge, the quality at the estate has never been higher, making consistently balanced and textured wines from the chalky soils of the Val de Marne.
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- Sustainable farming
- 65% Pinot Noir, 16% Meunier, 10% Chardonnay, 9% still Pinot Noir
- Made from vines in the village of Bethon, just south of Epernay
- Clay and limestone soil
- Yes malo
- Rosé de Assemblage
- Fermented and aged in stainless steel
- Aged on the lees for 21 months before release
LAND OF SAINTS ‘SANTA BARBARA COUNTY’ ROSÉ 2020
Land of Saints is a collaboration between Angela and Jason Osborne (A Tribute to Grace Wine Company), and Manuel Cuevas, who met during the 2013 vintage and have been discussing sunshine, moon signs, and their diverse roots ever since.
For Angela Osborne, this new project is an exploration of her beautiful home valley and the different expressions of the many sites. Land of Saints continues her passion for crafting honest wines from the golden hilled “Land of Saints” – California (at last count there are 33 Sans and Santas!).
- 70% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre
- From vineyards along Sierra Madre Mountainscape with decomposed granite and clay soils
- Vinified separately
- Following long, slow, and cool fermentation the wines are blended together to rest for 11 weeks before bottling
- 899 cases produced
SCOPETONE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2016
When Loredana Tanganelli and her husband started producing wines under the historic Scopetone label in 2009, they were also raising their four year old daughter, Giada! But fate had called them: Loredana’s uncle had been helping to take care of the property which had fallen into neglect since the passing of one of the previous owners (see the story here).
In a few short years, Loredena has brought the estate back to prominence, improving on the breathtaking classically-styled wines for which the estate had always been known.
Loredana’s 2016 Brunello, she feels, is her crowning achievement:
- High elevation vineyards just outside the town of Montalcino in the Scarnacuoia cru – 380-420 meters above sea level
- Calcareous clay soils
- Vines range from 40 to 15 years old
- Fermentation and maceration over 15 days in stainless steel
- 36 months in 30 hectoliter Slavonian oak casks
- 730 cases produced
BODEGAS BARBADILLO PALOMINO FINO ‘SABALO’
Bodegas Barbadillo is one of the oldest family-owned companies in Spain. Seventh-generation descendant Montse Molina Barbadillo is the oenologist at this esteemed Bodega, overseeing a vast network of soleras and nurturing the precious flor which imprints its character on the wines.
She was the first in the Marco de Jerez to bottle an ‘En Rama’ Manzanilla, and has shown that table wine made from the unheralded Palomino grape can be note-worthy and delicious. All of this in a region where female winemakers are few and far between.
- 100% Palomino
- From two parcels planted in pure albariza chalk in 1986 and 1996 (two of the oldest certified parcels in the region)
- Hand-harvested, spontaneous fermentation in tank
- Aged in tank on the fine lees for 4 months before bottling
- Certified Organic (CAAE)
With more small sake breweries than any other part of Japan, Niigata is the land of undiscovered sake gems, small family owned makers that are beloved by their local communities but unknown to the wider world. Kinshihai Shuzo is one of those gems, nestled on the main street mountain town of Gosen, pulling clear snow melt water from a 50 meter deep well to brew clean and defined sake.
Managing Director Takako Shigeno is one of the few women to lead a sake brewery in the world, maintaining the family tradition of handcrafted sake by traditional methods mostly made for locals, but now enjoyed by a few of us here on the other side of world!
- Gohyaku Mangoku and Koshi Ibuki rice milled to 58%
- S-3 yeast to produces a delicate aromas of cacao and a light, dry finish.
- Earthy and abundant aromas lead to a focused structure with toasty brown rice flavors and a clean finish.
VICARIO QUINTESSENCE LIQUEUR
Janette Wesley and her husband, Renato Vicario, divide their energy between two family farms—one in Cortona, Italy, and the other in Greer, South Carolina. With a loving enthusiasm for ancient recipes, rare fruits and herbs, and traditional methods of production, the duo handmakes a range of unique yet versatile liqueurs.
As the matriarch of the business, Janette nurtures everything from the herbs in the family’s six-acre, organic garden in Greer, to the visual identity of the brand, having created the Hieronymus Bosch-inspired collages that can be found on every bottle. She is extremely proud to work alongside not only Renato, but also her daughter, Lindsay Wesley, son Kristopher Wesley, and his wife, Leah.
- Vicario’s Signature Amaro
- Mildly bitter, light in body and rich in flavor; the palate is full of cassia, lemon peel, rhubarb, and black tea with a slightly spicy finish.
- 30% ABV
- Enjoy neat, with club soda, or in a spring-perfect Hot Toddy with a peel of lemon
