This month, we asked wine pro Rey Mora of The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills for his recommendations for a few mid-winter wines.
“The list is endless, really, but I do have some favorites. I typically say: full-body white and light, easy drinking, low alcohol reds. This is to say minimalist wines that are ‘glou glou;’ easy drinkers meant to be enjoyed without pretention,” he says.
He typically leans toward natural, biodynamic, minimalist wine production that, he says, “is respectful of the fruit.”
Here are his top three picks.
Heather Hauser
1) Uivo Douro Branco, 2018
The grape is Moscatel Galego, from the Douro region of Portugal. True to Portuguese roots in the Douro, winemaker Tiago Sampaio of Folias de Baco bridges tradition and innovation by creating field blends of red, white, and red/white mixing of indigenous varietals planted some 80 years ago. Branco leaps from the glass with honeyed aromas of orchard blossom and fruits. Rich, yet lifted; Branco hints of extended skin contact, while showcasing the mineral essence of the high altitude granite soils. ($21)
2) Les Foulards Rouge Octobre, 2019
“The Red Scarves” is the work of childhood friends, Jean-François Nicq and Bijan Mohamadi. Octobre is as minimalist as it comes. This fresh, juicy, “nouveau” style of wine has left us in anticipation every fall for the last couple of years. This year, a higher percentage of Grenache has been blended into this Grenache/Syrah for an especially savory and vibrant wine. The carbonic maceration and limited skin contact produce a translucent garnet hue, somewhere between rose and red. Octobre drinks like herbal cherry juice. Enough said. ($27)
3) Le Coste Rosso di Gaetano, 2018
From a small lot of vineyards in Lazio, Italy, amongst olive groves, and chestnut and oak trees, Rosso di Gaetano is a blend of Sangiovese, Syrah, and Merlot. Winemakers Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron describe this as their “picnic wine.” I call wines like this “nutritious”! This is all the things, indeed; pretty, charming, and easygoing. Syrah provides the unctuous blue fruit, Sangiovese lends the herb and earth, and Merlot rounds the palate with a silky mouth feel. Glou to the glou to the glou. ($27)
The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills, 2109 Abbott Martin Rd., 615-297-5220; wineshoppegreenhills.com