Ever feel like you are choosing the same wines over and over to drink. Well break out of the mold. Here are some very delicious and distinct whites that aren’t easily pigeonholed. A perfect exploration for any summer evening.
2020 Arzabro Harria Txakoli $15
Hondarrabi Zuri
Harria (‘stone’ in the Basque language). Not much fizz here but the flavor is intense, with varietal aromas, particularly of citrus fruit (limes, grapefruit) and apples and other white pulp fruit. Fresh and harmonious in the mouth, with that elegant bitter hint typical of the grape variety.
Was $19 Now $15
12.5% alcohol by volume
2020 Hild Elbling Trocken $18
The joy of Elbling is the uncompromising vigor and energy, the raucous and super-chalky acidity. This mineral aspect comes from the limestone soils (not slate!) that you find in the upper Mosel Valley It is here where the Elbling grape thrives & makes a delicious white wine. Organic
11.5% alcohol by volume
2021 Cor Cellars Alba Cor $19
55% Pinot Gris, 45% Gewurztraminer
A blend of two traditionally Alsatian varietals into one Columbia Gorge wine from the Celilo vineyard. Co-fermented in a concrete tank, the Alba shows notes of peach, melon and honeysuckle accentuated by spicy notes of pear and lychee.
13% alcohol by volume
2020 Leth Roter Veltliner Klassik $20
It is not Gruner. Subtle nose of red apple and sweet melon. A juicy, tropical fruit mix on the palate with a perfect balance of acid and a wisp of sweetness. Warm, creamy spice that lingers. Organic
12.5% alcohol by volume
Vincent Couche Vooulez Vous Couche Avec Moi? $42
65% Pinot Noir, 35 % Chardonnay
This wine is an unusual curiosity. From vineyards in Champagne with clay and limestone soils, this wine is aged for 2 years in clay amphora and oak barrels. It transports all the yeasty complexity of a champagne to a still white wine.
No sulphites, Organic
12.5% alcohol by volume
2021 Swick Wines The Hux $31
100% Huxelrebe
Willemette Valley
Huxelrebe [hooksal-reeba] is a crossing of Chasselas and Courtillier Musqué. This wine was destemmed and macerated on the skins for 30 days, plunged or foot-stomped twice daily. Umami is the predominant flavor here – like a lick of salt and damp earth. Organic
2020 Marginalia Amber Wine $30
Semillon
Semillon from Les Collines Vineyard on skins for two weeks before pressing to barrel; this is on the more structured end of the amber wine spectrum with a whole lot happening on the palate.
12.4% alcohol by volume