A Few of My Favorites

Over the past year, we’ve expanded our selection to include some of the most acclaimed wines from regions beyond the traditional excellence to be had in California, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Italy. There are so many incredible bottles that live outside those boundaries, and in case you haven’t browsed our selection recently, I want to do a quick showcase of some of my favorite wines from (slightly) off the beaten path. For many of you, some of these bottles, regions, and producers may already be familiar. But I want to point them out because these are the kind of bottles that might slip below the radar, especially when they share shelves with some of the most famous wines in the world.

2019 Quinta de Santiago Sou Alvarinho (Portugal) $54
2020 Adega do Vulcao Ameixambar (Azores) $54
2021 Stargazer Single Vineyard Riesling (Tasmania) $45
2021 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay (Australia) $51
2021 Forge Cellars Seneca Lake Riesling (New York) $17

I’ve had quite a few revelatory glasses of white wine this year, and I’ve listed some of my favorites here. I’ve waxed poetic about riesling to you in previous newsletters, and the two above are prime examples of why I love this versatile varietal so much. If you are a fan of crisp minerality and salinity in your wine, allow me to aggressively steer you towards either the Sou Alvarinho or the Ameixambar Adega do Vulcao. Looking to try some excellent chardonnay from beyond California? I cannot recommend the Giant Steps Yarra Valley highly enough.

2019 Espectacle del Montsant (Spain) $154
2018 Gran Enemigo El Cepillo Cabernet Franc (Argentina) $112
2018 Zuccardi Alluvional Gualtallary Malbec (Argentina) $88
2017 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot (Australia) $61
2020 Dominio de Pingus PSI (Spain) $35

My red selections for off the beaten path are, admittedly, not far off the path for an avid wine drinker. But for a shop where our list has historically skewed towards France and California, I’ve been delighted this year to add some incredible bottles from Spain, South America, and Australia. Every one of the bottles listed above has received well-deserved critical acclaim (99 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for the Espectacle del Montsant; 97 for the Gran Enemigo El Cepillo) and represents excellence across a range of five different grape varietals.

I encourage you to browse these selections, as well as our entire list. Our website is organized to make your shopping experience easy, including the ability to search by keyword or region for the particular wines that might interest you most. You are, of course, also always welcome to come browse our shop in-person, and I am more than happy to assist you in picking out the perfect bottle.