partida creus – Grape Nomad

Coming from a part of Europe which is filled with indigenous varieties such as Blatina, Tribidrag, Prokupac, Pecorino, Xinomavro, Vranac and many, many more, I understand and truly enjoy the biodiversity they create in their habitats. These grapes were cultivated for centuries, through various political and religious reigns, winemaking styles and climatic changes. Planting the same old grapes, doing the same old generic winemaking is all fine and dandy, but how much that will matter 20 years from now is highly questionable. Sure, the classics will always be there, nobody is doubting that, but with the wine world expanding by the hour and new grapes being (re)discovered, I find that classic will be considered solely a safe zone to fall back to when things get too crazy or weird. New frontiers will be challenged and getting the best out of unknown varietals will be inspirational for generations to come. You can thank artisanal producers for that. Continue reading “An Ode to Forgotten Grapes”

Pet-nat. The first time I tried this fizzy beverage I was under the impression that somebody poured me a glass of faulty wine that was still fermenting in the bottle. I wasn’t wrong. Well, at least for the fermentation part. On the other hand, it did smell like wet socks and horrendously rancid fruit, but the somm told me “that’s how it’s supposed to be”. Needless to say, I didn’t come back to drinking this for a while. But everything in life deserves a second chance. Turns out that that was just some overly enthusiastic hippie producing undrinkable rubbish. Today’s the day where shit gets serious. Welcome to House Pour, a guide that breaks down (not so) famous grapes and gets to the bottom of things by drinking (fo’ real). Continue reading “House Pour: A Real Guide to Pet-Nat”