Wine Club 030 Winners!

The 30th round of Highbury Library Wine Club took place this week on Tuesday and Thursday with a different wine winning the vote on each evening. I have to say, everything was tasting quite different last night compared the beginning of the week... checks moon diary... "LUNAR ECLIPSE!"

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On night 1, Sense Pressa's Kunik 2023 took the top spot. This light and delicate red made from Grenache grapes grown on the border of Languedoc and Roussillon is so unique. Everyone loved the aromatic and floral notes that combine beautifully with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and peach (!). Having recently caught up with winemaker Marius Long in London, it was great to see one of his latest releases so warmly received. 

English winemaker Lucy Chilvers was also recently in town to showcase her new wines and she ran out as the winner on the second night with Nuria 2023. This wonderfully balanced skin contact cuvée made from Moscatel and Xarel Lo exudes profound tropical notes on the nose before adding fresh minerals on the palate. A special wine that has got us excited to visit Lucy later this year in her vineyards just north of Barcelona in Penedès.

Groove 2023 proved popular on both nights, with chillable reds very much in vogue right now, even when the weather doesn't quite warrant it! Winemakers Deidre and Maurizio wanted to create a light wine to be drunk in warm weather in their region of Monferrato, Piedmont. This part of north west Italy is more synonymous with big, heavy red wines so it's great to see Cascina val Liberata thinking outside the box and utilising the rare, local grape variety, Slarina, along the way. 

With every other wine of the night being from 2023, attendees enjoyed the contrasting 2019 Sylvaner from Domaine Bohn in Alsace. When you read the back of the label, it appears that Les Copains d'Abord was originally intended to be an easy-drinking wine to be shared with friends but time in bottle has transformed it into a more serious affair. Dark, concentrated mineral elements alongside preserved lemon in a litre bottle. What a bargain! 

Next we went to the southern French seaside town of Banyuls to experience the weird and wonderful wines of Theirry Diaz aka La Martine. Bang Bang Macabeu 2023 is the deep end of the wild scale, with flavours more reminiscent of Mezcal rather than any wine we have ever tried. Pineapple, lime, salt and smoke! Some loved it, others didn't. Exactly the response I love to receive at wine club. 

We finished the night with Frauenpower Vol. III from Vin de Lagamba. Canadian winemaker Alanna works with partner Marto in the German region of Rheinhessen where she mainly produces bright, energetic Pet Nats. A red a white blend bursting with lively fruit and aromatics. A fresh and fun wine to end the night with.

The next wine club dates will be announced tomorrow so stay tuned...