We’re so proud that Vermont winemaker and vigneronne Krista Scruggs has been named to Wine Enthusiast magazine’s 2018 list of the “Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers”! Congratulations Krista, from all your friends at the Beverage Warehouse!!
Krista Scruggs, Vigneronne and Winemaker, and the Beverage Warehouse’s Kate Cartwright on an early (very early!) morning foraging windfall apples at Canamack Farms in Grand Isle, Vermont.
From Wine Enthusiast:
Krista Scruggs, Vigneronne, ZAFA Wines
Farm, forage and ferment
It may seem counterintuitive for a native Californian to open a winery in Vermont, but Scruggs specializes in work that lies outside the ordinary. After she assisted Deirdre Heekin at Vermont-based winery La Garagista, Scruggs ventured out on her own to develop this wholly original brand. She uses biodynamically farmed hybrid grapes and sometimes co-ferments them with foraged apples. Her wild-fermented, unfined and unfiltered bottlings debuted in March and drew raves. There seems no limit to her sustainable and delicious creations.
NOTE: ZAFA Wines are currently extremely limited, and not available for retail sale, but stay tuned for more information when her next vintage is released!
Slovenian wines have been extraordinarily popular this year, and for good reason!
Multifactorial, responsibly made wines, bursting with unique characteristics at everyday prices from a place not everyone is familiar with are inspiring us to buy every drop available in Vermont.
Today, we highlight two Slovenian wines (which both happen to be vegan) – Rojac Refošk (red) and Slavček Sivi Pinot (white/semi-orange).
Slavček Sivi Pinot – A slightly extended skin contact white (semi-orange) wine that primarily inspired us to create our ‘Native & Natural’ wine section. Semi-dry, medium bodied white that is not too acidic or oaky – very crowd pleasing for an eclectic wine.
Rojac Refošk – A robust, very food friendly wine (think BBQ, roast beef, game, Bolognese, anything rich!) bursting with old-world rusticness, deep earthiness, tannins, and a little acidity for balance.
If you haven’t taken a journey to Slovenia, Rojac Refošk and Slavček Sivi Pinot can take your primary senses away on ‘liquid trip’.
Fermentation Vessel(s): 50 % oak barrel (10 years old), 50 % stainless steel
Yeasts: Natural
Maceration: 24 hours
Malolactic: Spontaneously during fermentation
Aging: 25% in the old acacia barrels (200 L), 25% in old foudres (200 L), 50% in foudres (1000 L, 1500 L & 2000L)
Aged For: 3 months of lying on sediments
Clarification/Filtration: After a month in a stainless tank, where the wine is exposed to ambient low temperature to become stable and ready for bottling by racking
Vegan: Yes
Alcohol Content: 13.5% vol.
About Slavček – Slavcek is a family winery with a history of over two centuries in the Vipava Valley. It’s currently helmed by Franc Vodopivec. The historic winery runs as a traditional agrotourismo and inn. The Slavcek winery and inn only serve what has been grown on the land, everything prepared with centuries-old traditions, including the wine. The oldest records of the farm, from 1769, indicate that it was called “Slavčevih” (Nightingale).
In Vipava, the reputation of Slavcek is centuries deep for high quality wine, but only under Franc’s stewardship has the winery become world renowned for traditional Slovenian wine.
“Today’s task is to raise the quality of growth, to better express terroir, tradition and the essence of our family cultural values through the winemaking techniques of our forefathers.”
The vineyards are planted with environmentally friendly methods and with consideration and respect of the biodynamic force. All grapes are hand-picked and carefully selected. No pesticides or herbicides of any sort are used.
Even the barrels are local, made from acacia and oak that grow in the nearby forests. The lands are dutifully maintained. Just as much as much as the wines are the family legacy, so are the lands that surrounds them.
Slavcek’s wines are produced according to ancient Slovenian traditions with exteneded maceration for many bottlings which develops a richer taste and deeper color. Natural stabilization occurs at ambient temperatures, with racking only just before bottling.
Uroš is the vivacious heir to one of the pioneering families in traditional honest winemaking on the Slovenian coast. Rojac has been making wine in Slokenska Istria since the 19th century. Uroš is considered the wild child of famed wine maker, Bruno Rojac. He’s known for playful antics and a free spirit, and has made a proud and enthusiastic protégée for his father. He rode (and sometimes crashed) motorcycles to school at the Bio-technical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana where he stirred controversy with his thesis about his native grape Refošk.
“There was a time when there was no wine industry. People just grew grapes and made wine…. We do all we can to make drinkable and ultimately healthy wine.”
What promised to be a dynamic father son team came to an unfortunate halt in 2005 with the untimely passing of Bruno at the peak of his career. Reeling from the heard news and pain, many assumed that Uroš would abandon his dreams of running the ancestral winery. Instead Uroš came back stronger than ever running the vineyard, making the wine and becoming one of the youngest and most notable winemakers in the region.
Channeling his energy and passion, he perfected the craft of his forefathers, and started a family of his own. Rather than capitalizing on his success through globalizing his wines, Uroš remained true to his fathers traditional wine methods and continued his approach in the vineyards and the cellar. His is the greatest comeback story in the region, and he’s earned himself the title: King of Refošk.
The Refošk Grape –
Indigenous grape varietal to the region.
Historical records show that the Roman Empress Livija Drussila who lived to the enviable age of 86 years (at that time) presumably by many references to her enjoyment of this “black grape” from river Timavo (Triest river from sea).
This came from a “rocky hill” which produced very little yields to fill only a few amphorae. These vineyard positions can be none other than the great refošk vineyards of the current Rojac Family Estate.
The grape was frequently referenced in Roman times for its health qualities.
The hills of Gažon give the great acidity and elegance for growing refošk, due to the poor soil, altitude, and positioning to the sea.
Eden Specialty Cider Tasting & Welcome to the Winooski Neighborhood Event | Friday, September 7th 4-6PM
Our Vermont maker friends Eleanor & Albert Léger have been transforming Vermont apples into complex and enchanting elixir’s for years.
Join us Friday, September 7th from 4:00-6:00 PM as we host an event for them in which you can sample a variety of still apple cider, exquisite and effervescent craft cider, Orleans Bitters (a bartenders favorite!) and whatever else they happen to serve from their amazing portfolio.
Featured and hailed by the New York Times, Condé Nast, Imbibe Magazine, Rachel Ray, Boston Magazine, Food & Wine and many others, our friends enthral international critics with their graceful beverages.
Be sure to check out their new tasting room in downtown Winooski, only a 2 minute walk from us! You can indulge in savory hand pies, cheese & charcuterie, skewers, and enjoy cider not available anywhere else.
Read more about the orchards, ciders, and the Eden team at: edenciders.com
Lagunitas IPA & Tart Ale Tasting PLUS Enter to Win Grand Point North Festival Tickets | Friday September 7th 3:30-6:30 PM
Juicy IPA’s, tart ale’s, deceptively smooth double IPA’s, seasonal one-hitter series, darkness, one of the best triple IPA’s on the market… Lagunita’s does it all!
Get into the Bevie, try some luscious suds and buds and enter to win Grand Point North Festival Tickets featuring:
Fresh Citra, Azacca, Centennial, & Mosaic hoppy haziness abounds! Stake your claim on Upper Pass Beer Company Cloud Drop DIPA & First Drop APA while you can!
60 Days of Rosé #16 | Joseph Mellot | Sincérité | Pinot Noir Rosé | Loire Valley | $14.99
When you think of the Loire Valley in eastern France, you don’t instantly think of Pinot Noir, your mind usually thinks of the predominant Sauvignon Blanc (there are many other varietals, of course).
Vivid and refreshing, this Pinot Noir Rosé has a brightness on the palate, and a crisp, proportionate grapefruit note.
Thai food, crispy chicken, grilled summer squash, fresh sheep or goats milk cheese are all great pairings for this lively Loire vin.
Beyond the bottle, the Joseph Mellot family has 500 years of history behind them and are keeping up with responsible, modern practices that include being the first domaine in the Centre Loire region to obtain ISO 14001 certification.
Only a few cases of Sincérité make their way to Vermont and at $14.99, they don’t last long – just like a Vermont summer.
VINE GROWING Making good wines begins in the vineyard, working in harmony with the terroir to draw out its best.
The Joseph Mellot vineyards are managed according to principles of:
Sustainable pest control: prolonged observation of vine plots and climatic conditions and the implementation of environmentally responsible treatment programmes which take into consideration the real risk of disease development.
Yield management: systematic vine-pruning, disbudding, crop thinning if necessary and shoot thinning.
Vine plot traceability: all plots are monitored by computer to ensure complete traceability in production.
HARVESTING From the beginning of September or even late August, grape samples are taken regularly to monitor levels of maturity. Grapes are harvested at full maturity and sorted carefully to ensure that the juice is of the best quality. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately, with the grape harvest lasting approximately a fortnight (14 days).
LOIRE VALLEY The Loire Valley is the third largest wine-growing region in France. Designated a UNESCO world heritage site from Chalonnes-sur-Loire by the Atlantic coast to Sully-sur-Loire in the Centre, the Loire Valley offers exceptional land for viticulture and is a textbook example of a region with diverse terroirs. Seventy four appellations make up the mosaic of Loire Valley wines from Nantes to Sancerre, most of which are situated along the River Loire.
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