Summery Whites and Reds and Essex Mandala Cheese

A very tasty and summery wine line-up on the Saturday tasting table from noon-4pm. If you’re looking for crisp reds and light whites to carry you through Labor Day, this is the tasting set for you!  And definitely come by from noon-4pm on Saturday to sample a brand new to the USA cheese treat:  Essex Mandala from Brazil.

Here are the wines you’ll love tasting on Saturday from noon-4pm:

Dom Maison Cremant De Loire Brut NV – Up your casual fizz game a bit with this flavorful, dry, bottle of bubbles from 50% Chenin Blanc, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir made like Champagne. Delicious solo and in a spritz!

Dom des 13 Lunes Vin de Savoie Apremont 2024 - Certified organic/biodynamic Jacquere from the French Alps, this is a stunningly delicious white at 10.5% alcohol and tiny, tiny, amounts of sulfur. A pretty heroic accomplishment in the challenging 2024 vintage.

Dom Du Pas Saint Martin Sous Le Tilleul (Grolleau) 2023 – More commonly used to make off-dry Rosé d’Anjou, Grolleau makes a very “glou glou” red as well. All this wants a nice chill and a sunny day to deliver delight, although a plate of fried chicken would be welcome at the party, too.

Tenute Senia Frappato Terre Siciliane Ti Cunta 2024 – The perfect red for a summer’s eve, full of red berry fruit and the stoniness you’d expect from volcanic soils. Goes with just about any food and loves a light chill, too.

Les Lunes Wine Sweet Vermouth 2022 – A preview of Sunday’s spritz fest, this is what happens when a plot of California Zin gets too ripe before you can pick it, so you turn it into wildly flavorful vermouth! Delicious solo and in a Negroni.

With the wines a wild, just launched in the USA, cheese from Brazil!  It comes from cheesemaker Vanessa Alcoléa and raw milk from a unique breed of cow a crossing of Indian Gir Zebu and classic Jerseys. Inspired by European Alpine cheeses, the 25 pound wheels age for a year or so on pine racks and landed in the USA for the first time ever earlier this summer. You’ll recognize the buttery, mountain herb, flavors of traditional mountain cheeses plus wild notes of pineapple and even cocoa. This is a one-and-done offer, so come try Essex Mandala while it lasts!