Hey you lovely lot,

I aint gon’ do it. I’m not gonna cave to the capitalist pressure and send you some soppy V-Day email about what to drink with your *special someone*. That said… If you do require a last-minute gift, we’ve got you covered. Order before 2:30 pm today, and we’ll get it to you on the 14th. And nope, we can’t add roses to your order, unless, of course, you mean this kind.

Boring stuff aside, now I can ramble on about what I love. Thankfully, we’ve just received a small top-up from Bencze Birtok. Located in Badacsony, just north of Lake Balaton where the soil is mainly volcanic basalt, Bencze’s a stickler for detail in the vines. Biodynamic techniques and the full works ensure pristine fruit. When it comes to harvest, he’ll often pick in multiple small batches to get the balance just right. In the cellar, he’s much more hands-off. The wines ferment spontaneously, lots of amphora and pretty much zero adds. The wines are just SO GOOD. So much so I’ve spied these on the shelves in the cool caves of Paris and you know how fussy the French are about drinking outside their borders!

We’ve got a fresh restock on the Pinot. Bright, light, and dangerously drinkable. If you’ve had it before, you know the drill. Plus, we’ve got a brand-new red blend with a bunch of grapes I can’t pronounce. When things taste this good, who cares what’s in it? It’s got a Jura-esque vibe, with fruit ranging from cranberry to blood orange to rosehip. Chill it, decant it, or drink it straight from the bottle. Whatever works for you, just save some for me.

The Riesling is pure, precise and acid-driven. This one’s got a finish that’s got me puckering up as I type. Lemongrass, herbs before it’s all salt and wet slate. Simply begging for fried food. Fried fish, fried chicken, or even a veg alternative—this wine will cut through all like a dream. The Furmint rides along a similar vibe if not with more volcanic minerality.

Honestly, I know I say this a lot, but these are some of my absolute favourite wines. Show ‘em some love, and who knows? I might just be able to hook you up with some seriously hard-to-get bottles allocated bottles. Do it for you, do it for me, do it for us? xox

Thought I was done? No Chance. Sorry, it’s gonna be a long one but I simply MUST tell you about some new bits we’ve started bringin’ in straight from the source in Umbria.  We used to work with these back in the day and I’ve been hooked ever since. Now that we’ve got them direct everyone wins in that both the supply is healthy and the prices have been slashed. Yes, you read that right - a price decrease in 2025!

Giovanni is a third-generation shepherd turned winemaker. He tends to his sheep, makes cheese, and now, he’s putting out some seriously joyful wines. The farming is exceptional (those sheep are doing work!), and the winemaking is refreshingly simple. Natural ferments, no additions, stainless steel. The labels are made from grass, and they sum up everything good about these wines—thoughtful, honest, and pure. Oh, and they’re priced to pour with abandon.

We’ve got two rustic reds. The Rozzo is your go-to for any midweek Italian. Herbal, soft tannin, smile-inducing. The Chiaretto is lighter, meant to be chilled down for when only a good hunk of salumi will do for dinner. We’ve also got two delightful pet-nats, one pink-ish, one white-ish. Both should, but probably won’t, be enough to see you through Apero hour. Finishing up with a bright Bianco. This is a salty, lil’ skinsy Vermentino that will transport you to the lush, verdant hills of Umbria. Liquid sunshine.

Also, we’ve got some silky EVOO made from ancient, UNESCO protected olive trees. Just the cutest bottle no? Now that is an actual V-day gift I can get behind!

Alright, I’m off now.

LYSM
Fionn