MORNING SUNSHINE

G’day,

Lovely morning for it. Writing from to you all from sunny Greece. This isn’t a brag, more of a timely introduction to our newest import.

If ever there was a wine visit to make you want to pack it all in, it must be cruising into Merimbula on the NSW South Coast. Here’s an operation that truly begun it’s life in 1980’s Sydney, with Tony’s parents Aristotelis and Anthoula buying grapes from the farmers markets and fermenting them in their garage ala the classic personal supply you see all throughout Europe. Fast forward 30-odd years and Tony has understandably caught the bug. Either side of winters in Europe working with lo-fi producers and learning the trade, he is crafting increasingly soulful wines from a garage out in Bowral, country NSW.

In 2020 he was joined by his partner Maddi, and they relocated down the coast, perhaps seeking that same kind of view I’m now enjoying, and a similarly relaxed pace. We pulled in back in March, and over an awesome lunch at Superette (if you’re ever in the area) ran through the range in ideal context. These are joyful and gastronomic wines, made to be drunk, relaxingly, at the table amongst a plethora of food, as is the culture. It’s one I’m enviable of, and perhaps this is me trying to bring a bit more of that kinda thing into the 24/7 of London living.

The entire range is now live right here, hopefully forever!

Moving into more regular territory, and a Burgundy Jura Mega Crossing courtesy of David Croix and Damien Courbert. David is largely responsible for the fact that the Camille Giroud wines are now unreal, and Damien is local to the Jura, which carries a lot of weight in those parts. They kicked off in 2019 with several wines focussing purely on Savagnin fermented ouille (topped up, no oxygen). I was a big fan of these from the first look. Whilst every now and then calls for something wild and edgy, occasionally I want a wine that is going to taste like what it is and where it comes from. They’ve nailed the brief, grab a look here.

That’s it from me today, we’ve got a huge Cheese and Nice Wine Night in the works which should be out in the wild on socials tomorrow for those who like delicious Wednesday evenings.

For now I bid you adieu

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