RAINY REDS AND BLAUFRÄNKISH, BABES

2019 OUECH COUSIN FOR RAINY DAYS

Olivier Cousin has made a name for himself in the natural wine industry; being one to tie nature, humanity and wine together harmoniously. He works his Loire valley vineyards with the help of his horses, treating his fields like his garden that needs careful and tender care. Since 2012, Olivier has passed along the production of Gamay, Grolleau, Chenin Blanc, and Pineau d’aunis to his son Baptiste, while he himself continues to grow and produce Cabernet Franc, his favorite.

The 2019 ‘Ouech Cousin’, made from Grolleau Noir by Baptiste, is extraordinary. Bright Maine blueberries. You know the kind; really small ones that you rarely see in the grocery store. Cherry blossoms. Baking spices in a mulled wine that you’re enjoying outside in the snow, bundled up, nose red from the cold.

It’s acidity plays on the palate while the fruit coats and paints a soft ember of warmth. This wine was cared for, thoughtfully, from before the grape was picked to bottling. I don't often say that you can taste the love and harmony of a wine and the process it was made under, but man oh man. This wine is all love, all feeling, all beauty.
-Molly

2018 SCHIEFER ER FOR SPECIAL NIGHTS

There I was, somewhere along the 6-mile stretch of antique furniture, vintage jewelry and crowds of international buyers drinking some of Austria’s most delicate red wine out of a stainless steel canteen. When I poured an entire bottle of Joiseph’s Schiefer ER into my water bottle that morning (shout out to the Mass MOCA gift shop) the synchronicity of drinking an incredibly hard-to-find wine in preparation for a day of antiquing was not lost on me.

Joiseph – named after the small lake town of Joïs, nestled in Eastern Austria and straddling the border of Hungary – is a relatively young producer (launched in 2015) that is making wines that other Austrian winemakers want to drink when they’re off-the-clock. Whereas many other Austrian vineyards are passed down from generation to generation, Alex Kagl, Richard Artner and Luka Zeichmaan started their operation from scratch with the aim to make wine as authentic as possible: as their website reads, “there were three pruning sheers. and rubber boots. and a lot of passion”. Their 8 hectares of land at the shores of Lake Neusiedl are home to cherry, plum, almond, and pear trees in addition to one of the oldest signature grapes of Austria: blaufränkisch. Dating back to the Middle Ages, blaufränkisch is often lost in the hype for other historic varietals (think the austere mythos of Burgundy and Bordeaux) despite its elegant reflection of Austro-Hungarian terroir.

I popped out of a bustling tent, teak coffee table in one hand and blaufränkisch canteen in another and relished the juicy pomegranate complexity of Joiseph’s high-end bottling; the light, silky body an elegant dance between zingy fruit and wet-earth recalling the schist and limestone its grapes were born of. If my new coffee table is any indication, the best-luck pairing for a late summer treasure hunt is undeniably this obscure and luscious wine of Austria. Whether it’s in a canteen or swirled in your best wine glass, this blaufränkisch will go toe-to-toe with other old-world European wines without the clout-chasing and fanfare. We love that.
-Kyéra

WEEKLY WINE SCHOOL

NEVER FEAR: WINE SCHOOL IS HERE AND IT'S BACK IN PERSON*

You asked for a wine pairing class--and we rewarded (betrayed?) you with a class all about Fluff! Maia, the Rebel Rebel Wine Director, is up to the challenge: we'll be discussing how to pair wine with dessert, and we'll also taste three different wines alongside fluff-filled snacks! Oxidative white wine and a fluffernutter sandwich, anyone?

It's going to get silly! It's going to get scientific! We're going to celebrate the history & craft involved in BOTH fluff & wine!

This is a one-hour class, and we'll taste 3 wines, and eat some fluffy snacks.

NOTE: wine classes are held indoors and require proof of vaccination to attend.

EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS!

PORCHFEST IS BACK IN BOW BABY!
 

Come over on Saturday, October 2nd to listen to tunes and chill out with our lovely friends and neighbors over at Union Tavern! The Somerville Arts Council has put out a lovely map of all the porches in use this year, so plan a nice meandering path and stop over here for some snacks/drinks/more music.

Here are the timeslots for musicians playing at Union Tavern-- don't miss this chance!

Also while you're here, consider becoming pen-pals with a queer incarcerated person through Black and Pink MA. This is something you can do for your community.

WINE/INDUSTRY READING

Starting you off with an article about resilience in the face of disaster, which also mentions a pet-nat made with elderberries as well as French Colombard. super cool, and we're glad these folks were able to make something from the Californian fire season.

In Napa, folks are figuring out how to use rootstocks* in the fight against drought, re-planting and re-formatting their farms to use as little water as possible. Love the rootstocks baby, lets go rootstocks!

Some winemakers in New York are making wine with indigenous grapes, like vitis riparia and vitis aestivalis. This seems like a super cool project, all the luck and love for em.

(as an aside, I've been talking to one of my friends about indigenous american fruit, did you know we have persimmon's? the above article was extra exciting after having these conversations) -evie

*this article might have a paywall! or it may not, depending on your computer/browser.

REBEL REBEL PLAYLIST

Last but not least, we have the REBEL REBEL PLAYLIST. This one is filled with some incredibly catchy tunes from all of us! Check it out why dontcha!

Thanks for reading!
-evie