march wine club!
vins et délices. a curated wine list and recipe pairing.
This month’s club is inspired by the Spring Equinox coming this month on Thursday, the 20th! As you’ll read under Everwild Pense Pour Toi-Même’s section, there is also some inspiration from my neighborhood women’s club. I’ll leave the full reasoning till then, but I’ll give you a little teaser: I’m not a big astrology girl, but this women’s group has made me consider it more in my mindfulness practices… so there is also some Pisces energy inspo in this wine list! You’re welcome, and happy season, my Pisces pals! ❤️
Gearhead Wines Princess Agent Carbonic 2023, Siletto Vineyard, San Benito County, Point Richmond, California
Bubbly, Light Bodied Red Blend | Roussanne and Cabernet Franc | 12.2% ABV
Gearhead Wines is ran by winemaker Craig West. He makes wine at Noel and Barrie’s Richmond Wine Collective facility, from Purity Wine— one of my absolutely favorites, and the kindest people!!
Craig’s winemaking practices are organic farming, all foot tread, carbonic maceration, and no added sulfur. His wine is made small batch, so this wine has only 100 cases. Princess Agent Carbonic is a blend co-fermented carbonically, made in ancestral method for sparkling, bottled, and un-disgorged.
A wild wine! Included in my wine list month purly for anyone wanting to step out and try something out of their comfort zone. But don’t let that scare you. This wine bursts with attitude. It’s vibrant and untamed. A wine for when you’re barefoot on a perfect Spring day, and want to be sipping a fruit punch (classy adult version) with your friends on the porch. It has notes of wild strawberry, fresh raspberry, and tart rhubarb, and a fizzy that dances on your tongue with a slight effervescence.
Everwild Pense Pour Toi-Même 2023, Sierra Foothills, California
Rosé Blend | Syrah and Viognier | 12.5% ABV
Another member of the Richmond Wine Collective.. Winemakers Talia and Austin created Everwild in 2020. They partner with vineyards and farmers who practice regenerative and biodynamic farming principles with the intent to advocate for soil regeneration and ecological preservation. When it comes to their winemaking approach, they love the slow and delicate dance that is crafting their bottles of wine. All of their wines are made with 100% native yeast fermentation, no additions or subtractions of any kind.
I included this wine for this month’s list because in my women’s group, we just did a New Moon Circle yoga practice to welcome Pisces season. In the Ordinaire (wine bar from Oakland) Substack article on Talia and Austin, Bradford (Ordinaire) quoted Talia when talking about how she views winemaking, saying: “winemaking has always been about getting in touch with___ a more feminine energy if you will - open, fluid and yielding.” The symbol for Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions, representing fluidity and movement. Pisces are also known to be compassionate, intuitive, and creative; all characteristics I’d say Talia and Austin put into their winemaking.
Your dressed in light linen, strolling through a flower field with your pal on a warm Spring afternoon. The breeze is full of blooming flowers, and your friends sweet perfume. This bottle is the beginning of the season warming up: bouquet of wild strawberries, vibrant red currants, and the crisp, refreshing scent of watermelon rind. It’s perfect for the days of picnics at the park, or a nice leisurely afternoon.
Cantina Terlano Terlaner Cuvée Classico 2023, Alto Adige Italy
White Blend | Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
Founded in 1893, Cantina Terlano is located in the Dolomite Mountains in the foothills of the Alps. This location and extraordinary terroir are the key to their beautiful wines. Alto Adige is at the tippity top of Italy, below Austria. This wine region is makes stunning white wines, and there is a big claim they produce some of the world’s best Pinot Grigio. Cantina Terlano has a stellar reputation, making them highly sought after.
This cuvée opens with a burst of freshness, like stepping into a garden just after a spring rain. The air is scented with fresh flowers, like a delicate honeysuckle, mixed with the zesty limes and the crisp, green scent of sliced apples. The longer you sit with it, the aroma deepens with a hint of candied lemon, bringing a playful sweetness. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, vibrant, and alive. The citrus notes are bold and bright, like the zest from a freshly peeled lime or the tang of a lemon. There are layers of minerality for a deeper richness. Perfectly balanced, beautifully layered, and utterly unforgettable. Grab this bottle when you’re wanting to feel sophisticated or for a special occasion. But it’s vibrancy is also perfect for an evening of high energy and celebration.
Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Auf dem Hölzchen Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2023, Saar, Mosel, Germany
White | 100% Riesling
Before we begin, I highly recommend that if you’re going to open up this bottle, to also open up this link to learn all about magical Mosel wine region. The TLDR version is: The Mosel wine region is one of most treacherous and steepest vineyard slopes on Earth. Making it’s terroir insane and the wines are a 100% beautiful expression of it. My wine educator once said that Mosel wines are like lightning in a glass; they electrify your palate. This is because the Mosel river’s (aka Moselle) windy and twisty turns chisel stone into the vineyards, making the top soil for the vines a mixture of gravel, stones, and sediment from broken down slate bedrock directly beneath it. This makes for the steeliest, most mineral wines. One of the top producers with wines of this characteristic is Hofgut Falkenstein.
Germany gets a bad rap for producing sweet wines. Sure, they do, but they also produce so many dry (trocken) and off-dry (halbtrocken) wines. Hofgut Falkenstein is making some old-school Saar (it’s village along the Mosel) wines. Erich and Johannes let ambient yeasts ferment the musts in old oak casks in a deep, cool, and damp cellar until they get naturally dry or off-dry. Besides making distinctive, light, brisk bone-dry or dry-tasting Rieslings, Hofgut Falkenstein is a rare producer that specializes in , bottled their wines traditionally by the cask. All of their wines have a ripe, racy, and acidity from low yields and old vines.
Understanding this German Label: Riesling Kabinett Trocken Prädikatswein
Riesling = the grape
Prädikatswein = a higher quality German wine. Prädikatswein has an additional level of classification based on the ripeness of the grapes when they are harvested. The sweeter the grape, the higher the potential alcohol and/or sweetness in the wine. This Hofgut Falkenstein Riesling is at Kabinett classification. Kabinett = the lightest style of Riesling, made from grapes that have a sweetness level rage of 148–188g of sugar. A Kabinett class can range from dry to off-dry.
Trocken = dry. If you see Trocken on the label, it typically means the wine has ~9g or less or residual sugar.
Maybe it’s the fact that I lived in Germany, so my German language knowledge advanced me in my German wine understanding, but I loved learning about German wine labels and classifications. So if anyone needs a German wine label / knowledge breakdown or convo, I’m your gal.
Alright.. if I didn’t bore you with a ‘brief’ Mosel intermission.. now to this bottle itself:
Grab this wine for a day that calls from something fresh, lively, and invigorating. When you’re wanting to feel alive, refreshed, and energized. When the Spring sun, and promise of Summer’s warmth ahead makes you feel like the world is bright and full of possibilities. It would shine on a day spent outdoors, and especially a picnic at the beach or a lunch filled with seafood, oysters, and a citrusy salad.
On the nose this wine is full of zesty lemon peel, fresh mint, crisp green apple, and a whisper of smoke, with dainty fresh herbs in the background. On the palate, it's an razor-sharp, but beautifully balanced—super dry with searing limey acidity that dances with intensity, followed by a touch of salt, and a pithy bite.
March Recipe: Smoked Trout Dip
Since these recipes call for days where you’re frollicing through Spring flower fields, or at a park, or time sitting on the porch, I wanted to give you my favorite dip for these kinda days. It’s easy, and can be made ahead of time, or quickly through together for last minute friend hangs. Great for picnic potlucks, or for when the Cantina Terlano cuvée calls for something sophisticated, through some smoked trout roe on top and you have fancy starter dish.
Ingredients
Two tins of smoked trout (I like Fishwife, Patagonia Provisions, and even Trader Joe’s), drained from their can and oil
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 bunch of chives, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of dill, finely chopped
1/2 cup labneh (OR greek yogurt, crème fraîche, sour cream)
1/4 cup mayo
Salt + Pepper
Optional: smoked salmon roe
To serve: potato chips, baguette, crackers, or crudités
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, add the smoked trout and mash with a fork until the trout is loosened up and in smaller shreds vs big chunks. Then combined all the rest of the ingredients (lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, dill, labneh, mayo) as well as a good couple cranks of fresh black pepper and a small pinch of salt. The fish is fairly salty, so once we mix, we will asses salt.
Give everything a good mix to combine, and then adjust with more salt and/or lemon juice. Add to a serving bowl, (or keep it in its mixing bowl to be extra casual) or in a tupperware to head to your picnic. Serve with roe, if using, and/or your desired scooping vessel; I love salt and pepper potato chips and seasonal crudités.