If I am being completely honest, starting a low intervention wine blog was most definitely not on this year's bingo card. Yet as the days get shorter and I adjust to the next stage of life, just weeks after making the decision to move on from my first proper Sommelier role (more on that another time perhaps), my passion for finding living wines and sharing their stories with people, is in need of an outlet.
So here we are.
When first considering what kind of pieces I might like to write, a round up of some of my current favourite white wines, I admit, was not at the top of the list. However, in the name of practice and in the hope of finding a comfortable writing style, I suppose that starting with something simple is sensible. It also occurs to me that as the Summer slowly shifts into this wet and windy Autumn, what I’m drinking will shift too, away from crispy whites into headier skins and warming reds.
In the name of sensibility then and a nod to summer days gone by, let me walk you through 5ish of my favourite still white wines that I have had the pleasure of pouring, and sipping on this summer.
First, before I list my Top 5, an honourable mention goes to a favourite from a few years back Judith Beck Weissburgunder 2021. Beck is hands down, one of my favourite biodynamic producers.
Her wines have a refined and solid quality that make them a great choice for converting the unconverted (read conventional wine drinkers). Grown in Burgenland, Austria, on black earth and gravel, her Weissburgunder 2021 saw the grapes manual harvested, whole bunch pressed into old acacia wood casks before undergoing spontaneous fermentation, then spending 6 months with lees contact. The Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) gets a little bit of skin contact, which in 2021 gave the wine a touch of structure which balanced with its acidity and minerality made for delicious drinking.
In more recent vintages, the wine has gone from drinking white to more characteristically orange, coming through a little more fruit forward with a slight savoury edge. Judith Beck’s wines are widely available and always a delight to see on a wine list, I’ll definitely be talking about her red ‘Ink’ at length in the future.
How to Find: @weingutjb on Instagram, supplied to the UK by Les Caves de Pyrene.
What I’d Pair: We drank this wine while preparing Christmas dinner, snacking on crisps and leftovers from the lunchtime cheese board. I’d actually say this still holds up, but would probably do well served with the Christmas dinner itself, especially if the family are curious about ‘this orange wine business’!
Without any further ado, on to my *current* top five still white wines...
At Number Five, we have a wine I’ve sold countless bottles of this summer, owing to the fact I’ve spent the last 3 months working there, Tillingham Qvevri Artego 2023. When I first arrived in Sussex back in July, I had a job lined up at Tillingham and was pretty excited to be back working with the kind of wine I love, after a year and a half hiatus.
At the time I started, they had just released the first 4 wines of the 2023 vintage, and the first wines made under new winemaker Salvatore Leone. The Qvevri Artego 2023 was one of those wines. Now Tillingham has made this wine before under previous winemaker Ben Walgate, and in his iterations the grapes got skin contact. The difference here then, with this new vintage, is that the new winemaking team made the decision to forego the skins and let the clay lead. 100% Ortega was whole bunch pressed, underwent spontaneous fermentation in 2 400L Qvevri, where it was then aged for 5 months. The result it something quite lovely; rich and drinkable the wine doesn’t lack any structure for the lack of skins. I find the clay comes through in a slightly smokey texture, the wine is a tinsy bit floral and still holds enough acidity to be refreshing.
Why this stands out amongst the other whites from Tillingham this year, is that the Qvevri Artego 2023 already tastes a little more sure of itself, a bit more grown up. The Chardonnay 2023 for example, while tasty has a greenness that I think would benefit from a few years ageing under cork; these are young wines after all.
How to Find: @tillinghamwines are now sold through Wanderlust.
What I’d Pair: I’ve paired this at many a lunch service in the past three months, it pairs beautifully with a chicken or fish dish, but it would also make for great summer drinking with snacks. I’m thinking salted almonds and aged Comte!
Up for Number 4 is Matthias Warnung Potato Land 2022, a wine I first encountered back when working at Essen General Store in Beeston, Nottingham a couple of years ago. When I saw it on a supplier list when searching for wine to add to the list at Tillingham, I knew I had to get it in! My affinity for Austrian wine is showing a bit here and I’m not even sorry!
This beautiful expression of the classic Austrian Gruner Veltliner gets a tiny bit of skins but you wouldn’t even know it, making for an overwhelmingly moreish and imaginative bottle. The hint of skins delivers a stunning structure, making for a grippy, herbal, stone, and citrus fruit forward drinking, best shared with friends! Aged in stainless, rather than the commonly seen Austrian oak, this is a wine that reflects all Matthias gained from his travels, training with natural wine legends like Tom Lubbe (Matassa) and Craig Hawkins (Testalonga).
When I first came across this wine, I was told a story of how Potato Land got it’s name (which I can’t verify for truth but feel is worth mentioning regardless). It basically goes like this: when Warnung was looking for more land to plant with vines, he came across a plot that much like all the other productive land around it, was only used to grow potatoes. When telling neighbouring farmers of his plan to grow grapes and make wine they said the same, that this was only land for potatoes. Undeterred by this, he planted the vines anyway and now the grapes are used to make delicious wines. Hence, Potato Land.
Based in Kamptal, Austria, Warnung aims to craft the kind of wines he himself loves to drink and I can safely say: there is lots to love here.
How to Find: Available through many good online low intervention wine shops.
What I’d Pair: This wine has me thinking of schnitzel, sue me. But also I could well imagine this with a potato based dish for the sake of poetry (gratin? or gnocchi? chips?)
It is also worth mentioning that Matthias is also making wines collaboratively with Austrian Wine Mafia and after trying their The Fruit of the Doom, I definitely think these are wines to look out for.
In the Number Three spot, from Gers in South-West France, is the wonderfully unique Domaine Jeandauge Partie Fine 2022. This is an awesome example of a wine made from Colombard, with a touch of Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano). Colombard is a grape I find myself a little enamoured with and Partie Fine is certainly a wine that encouraged that love. Despite being heavily planted, known for its blending capacity and long standing use in Armagnac and Cognac, it is not a grape that often gets its time in the sun.
Sebastian Fezas works organically & biodynamically on his families estate, taking over in 2012 and converting in 2018. Partie Fine 2022 was whole bunch fermentation with native yeasts and underwent no fining, filtration, with no sulphur added.
This is a intriguing wine. On the nose I am reminded of a sweeter Riesling, with the palate leading with buckets of moreish acidity and a slender salinity. With a little hint of yeast, this wine has a bread and butter type quality that I adore.
I’ve seen a loose translation of ‘Partie Fine’ to ‘Pleasure Party’ while researching this wine, which makes for a accurate anecdote, as this wine is certainly a pleasure.
How to Find: Supplied to the UK by Les Caves de Pyrene. @domainejeandauge on IG.
What I’d Pair: Fish wine. This is fish wine. I’ve paired this with Hake, with Plaice, with Sole, usually served with a rich beurre blanc.
Still in France for Number Two, just travelling North to the Loire for this super super lovely Chenin Blanc: Domaine aux Moines Le Berceau des Fées 2022. Oh my! Oh Chenin!
In my head this is fairy wine (the name translates to ‘cradle of the fairies’) and it transports me to a place of childlike joy. Complex, mouthwatering Chenin with a vibrant depth and stunning finish. From Tessa Laroche, this searing schist-y magic is one I would sit with and save for a special summer’s day.
Tessa’s parents bought Domaine aux Moines in 1981, today they are certified organic, leaning towards biodynamic practices. The fruit in this banger comes from young vines grown on two hectares. They are very selective about the fruit picked, with only perfect fruit making it to the winery. Le Berceau des Fées 2022 undergoes vinification in stainless steel for 9 months.
How to Find: Supplied to the UK by Les Caves de Pyrene. @larochetessa / @domaineauxmoines.savennieres on IG.
What I’d Pair: I’ve recommended this bottle so many times, regardless of the menu and it always delivers. My ideal choice for this would be something light and simple, as not to distract from the wines pure and rich palate. A beautiful piece of fish and buttered veg would do it.
Before I get into my current Number One, holding a brief moment of suspense, here is a quick shoutout to a couple of much more local Chardonnays that blew me away this summer. Ham Street Chardonnay 2022 and Woodfine Wines Lost Vagus 2022. Both are fine examples of English Chardonnay, but such different expressions of the grape and from producers I admire so deeply.
At Number One is a wine that I have really loved sharing with people and that is Kelley Fox Willamette Chardonnay 2022. Having only previously tried her very special Pinot Noir Vermouth, once spotted on a supplier list, the Willamette Chardonnay instantly sparked interest.
This is the second vintage of this wine. The Chardonnay here is from young vines, and Kelley’s vision as a winemaker really comes through when she says “as these vines mature, they will increasingly transmit the unique place on earth that they are in relationship with.”
This wine is a fantastic example of wine from Oregon, and one that has helped me challenge many a staunchly held wine opinion. From your classic ‘Anything but Chardonnay’ to the perhaps more obscure ‘I don’t like American wines’, this wine out shines them all.
Aged without oak, but instead on the lees in stainless steel it is thanks to malolactic fermentation that this wine has developed a soft creamy quality that is in equilibrium with the gorgeous minerality sitting alongside superb stone fruit acidity. Farmed biodynamically, with the utmost honour for the Earth, this wine captures something quite alpine in energy and in honest in spirit.
“The wines are made to reflect the land, the vines, the fruit of the vines, the year, and everything else unknown and unseen that comes with those things.
They are Oregon wines, and hopefully, they are wines specifically of their vineyards. That said, the wines are not really “made” at all. I am not Pygmalion, imposing my idea of what they should be onto them. It is a vulnerable approach, but to me, it’s how this work becomes non-hierarchical and respecting life. What I am doing-and it still takes a lot of inner and outer work-and being in the silence- is responding to the essence of the fruit from each block, which I hope is carrying the essence of the earth that bore it, along with the details of the year (the weather, the stars, and the planets, etc. etc.). As I age having worked like this for so long, I feel profound gratitude to be on this walk.”
How to Find: Supplied to the UK by Les Caves de Pyrene. @kelley_fox_wines on IG.
What I’d Pair: In the past I’ve paired this with pork croquettes and basil aioli, or crispy pork belly with fondant potato. Something fatty and salty is my first instinct here. I bet soft cheeses would be good as well.
In conclusion then, the wines mentioned here are all great examples of young wines. Wines that carry with them the vision and energy of the land they are grown on as well as the people who grow them. When it comes to what makes these wines special, it is of course the pleasure one gets from drinking them, but for me it is also the pleasure of sharing their stories.
If you read this, thanks a whole beautiful bunch. Maybe see you next time! You can talk to me about wine on instagram @forestandfork.
I’ve realised in writing this that for me at least, it has really been a summer of Chardonnay, which means I should probably write up a little ode to one of my favourite grapes ever. I guess that’s what I’ll be writing next.
COMING SOON…
‘Chardonnay Summer (A Hot Girl Guide To Chardonnay)’
and
‘What I’d Bring To A Pet Nat Party’
