BANK HOLIDAY BOTTLES🍹 (MEDITERRANEAN MOOD)

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's May 21, 2026 newsletter

Hey,

The bank holidays are coming thick and fast, and the weather this long weekend looks to be absolutely class. If you want some wine to go alongside your SPF, today at 1pm is the guaranteed cut-off. Order before then and it'll be with you tomorrow. How good!

Fear not if you catch this too late. Our courier is also delivering on Saturday, so if you miss today's deadline, we'll be shipping for Saturday delivery right until Friday at 1pm. That said, if anything goes wrong with the courier (fingers always crossed it doesn't), there's little we can do. As always, please lean on the side of caution with delivery times and get those essential orders in ASAP. No need to be so cautious when adding to cart though… ;)

You can put me through my paces before I take a much-needed long weekend off.

Quite a lot of new wines were bought with the weather in mind. La Furvita have been on the radar since I consumed my body weight of these in Barcelona last month. They've finally landed in the UK, and after tasting through the range on Monday I got my hands on as much as I could.

Òscar Navas is one of the most exciting growers in Spain. He cut his teeth in wine alongside Eloi Cedó Perelló on Mallorca before returning to farm seven hectares of old vines across several Terra Alta villages, planted up to 600 metres above sea level on deep, chalky soils the locals call panal. In his small bodega in Vilalba dels Arcs, Òscar keeps things simple: ripe, healthy grapes, gentle handling, old casks, patience. Each year he makes a white and red vi de taula for everyday drinking, alongside an occasional series of single-vineyard wines bottled in tiny quantities

An old soul with a laid-back sensibility, what Òscar deems a simple table wine would be lauded by other producers. These are some of the best Catalan wines you'll find and will be perfect for the incoming mini heatwave.

Vi de Vila is sun-kissed and salty. He isn't ashamed of picking ripe fruit, and whilst there is some opulence here, it's offset wonderfully by energy and tension. An assault of raw nuts and honeyed tones. Table wine? Yeah right. Comasorts available only in pathetic amounts (3 bottles). A single vineyard of gnarly old bush vines planted in the 1930s at 600m altitude, with limestone soils pushing the freshness even further. A clone with smaller grapes that, despite being picked late, retains a wonderfully low ABV. Lean but not mean, saline and citrus-driven. I can't remember a Spanish white with such veracity and verticality.

The reds are equally tasty. Punt Verd is a blend of plots, some direct press, some whole bunch, vines young and old, with limestone the common thread. There's a lot to like aromatically and the palate follows suit. Juicy, with a nice splattering of earthy spice. Far too easy. BBQ bottle.

Furtifato is made from a Garnacha clone that gives lower tannin, lighter colour, and more modest alcohol, so a French-style carbonic treatment was the order of the day. More lifted than you'd expect, but still with that signature fruit and a kiss of bitter brine to cut through. At once fun and fascinating. A wine to ponder on, but also pound on the porch. A collab with Eloi, whose wines I'm also obsessed with. We have tiny amounts left from Eloi here…

Hopping over the Med, I've been refreshing the Italian selection too. The Le Coste pinks are back. The Litrozzo is unrivalled in its grapefruit-like drinkability. One litre? This long weekend you'll need at least two. Made for drinkin’ fast from the esky.

The ‘24 Rosato is one of my favourite vintages to date. Cool year, so Provençal pale, but with actual personality. Its blood orange bite and subtle smokiness make it a drink-on-sight whenever the sun's out.

There are also tiny amounts of the Dard & Ribò-like Syrah and a highly energetic take on Chardonnay. Just look at the label. A cute cat. Tiny allocation on this one too.

Bianchetto is back with a new vintage as well, salty, and just so sunny. Le Primeur is a fragrant + carbo driven Aleatico that is in a divine place atm. The whole Le Coste family can be found here.

Last but not least, a Bianco from Barbacan. This is a wine I've been waiting far too long to have access to. In Italy, a bottle of this practically changed my life. Seriously. Never had anything like it. You probably never will either. The ultra-rare Chiavennasca Bianca in all its herbal glory. Abundant in Alpine joy, the fruit is all orchard yellows, cooling mountain air, fennel seeds, and pine. The Italians are true masters of weaving a bitter grip into their biancos, and this is no exception. Everything Barbacan touch is pure gold. Instagram page included. I hear they also have an unrivalled TikTok, but I was born pre-2000, so I can’t confirm.

Ahh how good is wine? I’ll catch you Tuesday. Hopefully hangover and sunburn-free. No promises.

Speak soon and have a good long weekend if you’re off. U DESERVE IT.

xoxo