Spring has finally really sprung, and we can tell not only by the weather, but also by the wines that we have uncorked during tastings in recent weeks, because the wines are behaving exceptionally well and bursting with energy. To celebrate spring, we are organizing a Zuivere spring tasting on Monday May 12, which will be attended by Alessandro, the winemaker of Valli Unite . We will be tasting a wide mix from the Zuivere portfolio, and Alessandro will be opening our Valli Unite line-up. On Sunday May 11, we will be pouring Alessandro's wines together during a real Slow Food lunch at Pianeta Terra . You will find the invitation for both the tasting and the lunch later in this mailing.
In the meantime, the season of receiving new wines and vintages has also slowly started: we kick off with fresh wines from Veneto by Il Ceo and Daniele Portinari , both from volcanic areas in the region. Fresh from Portugal is also coming in: new cuvées from Humus are on their way, just in time for the long evenings on the terrace and in the park. Incidentally, we have added a new permanent value from Austria on bag-in-box for the home, garden and kitchen drinks.
Furthermore, in this mailing we already look ahead to our trip to Austria for Karakterre — the annual fair for natural wines from Central Europe. On the way back we will also visit a promising new producer in Hungary, near Lake Balaton, whose wines we secretly already have in stock, but have planned the official release after our visit to the special domain.
FRESH WINES FROM VENETO PART 1 – IL CEO
More Italian news: Davide and Francesca of Il Ceo wine estate in the volcanic Breganze region of northern Veneto bring us some of his signature, honest wines this month. Working primarily with indigenous grape varieties like Vespaiola, Gropello, Pedevenda and Friulano, Davide makes well-priced, pure wines — like his better-than-Prosecco pét-nat Vespri Frizzante , or his raspberry-tinged, mineral-rich rosé bubbles , which we’ve been jokingly calling “ The Pink Chicken ” for years .
Davide’s two still wines are also always bottled under crown cork, to keep the fruit and volcanic energy in the bottle. Togo is made largely from Vespaiola, blended with a little Pedevenda and Friulano, and is a salty, juicy orange without coarse texture or overpowering bitterness. The cuvée Toro is a light red wine from Merlot — not the most attractive grape in our opinion, but Davide is absolutely trustworthy with it. Light, minerally, a little smoky, grassy and beautifully cherry, without being thick or dusty. All the wines come from the 2023 vintage, which is characterised by a certain calm and clarity. Viva!
Please note: for all our private customers who want to get to know the new wines of Il Ceo, there is a discount of 10% in the webshop during the month of April. Enter the code VESPAIOLA at checkout. For catering customers who are interested in a specific cuvée, we will gladly open a sample bottle.
FRESH WINES FROM VENETO (PART 2) – DANIELE PORTINARI, INCL. KEYKEGS
From Daniele Portinari — a permanent fixture in the Zuivere portfolio for many years and one of the Italians from the Zuivere portfolio with an excellent price-quality ratio — we receive this month, among other things, the new vintages of his volcanic orange Garganega , the serious red Tai Rosso and the mature, gastronomic Nanni .
As icing on the cake, fresh shipments of Pietrobianco and Pietrorosso also arrive; the lightest and sunniest wines from the Portinari range. Pietrobianco, made from Pinot Bianco and Tai Bianco, is deliciously citrus-fresh and easily digestible. Its red brother drinks just as easily — especially chilled — with fresh, forest-like fruit and the clear volcanic backbone that runs through the entire Portinari range.
PORTUGUESE SPRING WINES FROM HUMUS
Rodrigo Felipe — an avid surfer and without a doubt the most laid-back winemaker we know — makes his wines at the family estate called Humus , some 70 kilometers north of Lisbon, right on the Atlantic coast. The proximity of the ocean ensures that the vineyards are well cooled, and regularly receive a fresh salt spray thanks to the sea breeze.
From the white, floral FLUI Branco to his Jura-esque 'regular' Branco , the generous Rosé or the new edition of his Curtimenta (Curta = this year with shorter skin maceration), all the wines have a salty touch and friendly acidity that makes you immediately crave a well-grilled rodovalho .
Before we forget: the red wines of Humus, Tinto and Tinto Especial , are also always released with some extra maturation, and are the perfect companion for everything that comes off the grill or on the plate this spring. The wines are available from the middle of this month. Pairing has rarely been so easy — certainly with the prices of Humus.
BAG-IN-BOXES FROM MEINKLANG
And then some short but relevant spring news: from Meinklang we now have their Grüner Veltliner not only available in 0.75L bottles (and for the catering industry in 20L KeyKeg), but also in bag-in-box (BIB) of 3 liters . Perfect for those who do not have a wine tap connection at home, but do want to pour or drink Austrian biodynamic white at a discount. Of course also ideal for at home in the refrigerator or on the back of the luggage rack.
Speaking of BIBs: since last month we also have the amazing T'As Poussé from Domaine du Petit Oratoire in our range, next to the familiar packs from Valli Unite and Grapehunters . Lots of wine, little fuss – convenience is king!
CHARACTER AND VISIT TO BENCZE BIRTOK
In mid-May, Dana, Dick, Job and Olivier will travel to the Karakterre wine fair in Eisenstadt, a little over an hour south of Vienna. As every year, we will taste the new vintages of all our Central European Pure producers, as well as other producers from the region. Before the fair, we plan a short tour through Steiermark and Burgenland.
This year, after the fair on Monday, we travel a little further to meet the newest addition to the Zuivere portfolio: István Bencze of Bencze Birtok . István makes his wines on the northern shores of Lake Balaton in Hungary, and his cuvées have gained cult status in the natural wine world.
The first shipment of Bencze's is already in stock with us, but after our visit to his domain in this volcanic area we will report extensively and show the wines to the general public.
Finally, while we are preparing for our journey to Austria and Hungary, colleague Dick is currently travelling through the south of Italy. In Sicily he visited a promising potential new producer for the Zuivere portfolio, and he crossed over to the special island of Pantelleria, where he visited the Bini family — a producer of impressive, characterful wines for many years. With the wines of the Bini's we will restore a Zuivere event classic to its former glory this summer; details will follow soon.
Dana, Job, Figo and Olivier can be found at Zuivere before and after Karakterre and are of course available for all questions via the usual channels.
For now: have fun discovering all the new things, and hopefully see you at the spring tasting or somewhere on a sunny terrace. A happy month from all of us!
Kind regards,
Dana, Dick, Figo, Job, Merijn and Olivier
