July Wine (and pairings)

A peak into my wine club!

Hello! If you are just picking up the Grape to Table newsletter, thanks so much for joining to learn more about wine, food, and life. We have just wrapped up my origin story (click here to read), and we are diving into fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. For now, my newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. As always I really appreciate when you hit the like button at the bottom as it helps get this newsletter in front of more people :) and spread the joy of wine and food! 

This is my bonus addition of the newsletter where I fill you in on my current (July!) wine club offerings, which I think you will enjoy even if you have no interest in signing up for the club and/or don’t live in Charleston. It’s a nice little look into wines that I think pair well with this time of the year (deep summer in my neck of the woods) and the stories behind them AND pairing ideas. Perhaps you can even find these wines at your own local wine shop! I will include the brass tacks about my wine club below in case you are interested in signing up. But feel free to scroll down to my July wine picks if you are just here for the reading!

I am honored to host my wine club out of Wine & Company (a bottle shop and wine bar) at 441 Meeting Street, corner of Meeting and Spring, in downtown Charleston, SC. That’s where you will pick up your wine if you sign up :)

About the wine… this is a wine club that celebrates the magic of wine and food through an exploration of small, family-run wineries and detailed pairing suggestions! I definitely draw heavily from the old world (Europe!) with an occasional new world gem thrown into the mix. All of the wines are sustainably farmed with some producers going the extra mile with organic and biodynamic practices. 

The GTT wine club is $70/month for 3 bottles that are available for pick-up on the first of each month. You can choose between my seasonal mix, all white, or all red.  But the seasonal mix is the MOST popular option for good reason!!

Most importantly – wine club is a great way to learn about new grape varieties and styles that you might not reach for yourself! If you want to join: sign up is easy and secure by clicking here!

Cheers!

Now about July’s seasonal mix offerings:

Le Salse Verdicchio
Grape: Verdicchio 
Region: Le Marche, east coast of Italy
Story: FUSO is the project between acclaimed importer Porto Vino and some of their small, Italian producers. It is the goal of PortoVino to bring in authentic, local wines from each of the 20 regions of Italy – wines from real growers rather than from tank farms. They asked some top-notch producers to offer what they usually sell just to locals (“vino sfuso '' in Italian), and they got some cool stuff! From PortoVino: “Le Salse or ‘salt springs’ are found underground throughout the town of Matelica in the central-Italian region of Le Marche. It’s a great name for a wine that combines salt and mineral elements with the brisk acidity of tangerine, lemon zest and green apple. Our friends at the high quality cooperative Belisario make this certified organic bottling for us from their high altitude vineyards.”
Pairing: I couldn't agree more with the Portovino description of this wine. It just embodies summer, and it’s everything I want in a summer white. For the pairing…how about a salad of avocado, melon, and cucumber alongside some sort of local seafood (grilled fish, boiled shrimp, or even crudo!).  My pairing inspiration comes from one of my fave Substacks — The Department of Salad. DOS creator Emily Nunn mostly has her own recipes in the newsletter, but she will sometimes do write-ups on other current cookbooks, and such is the case with this recipe. It comes from Kismet restaurant in Los Angeles, and it sounds divine! Of course I am sure we have all married avocado and cucumber but adding in a melon is genius. They suggest a green melon like honeydew to keep it lovely and monochromatic.

Thomas Julienn Rosé
Grapes: 90% Grenache & 10% Syrah
Region: Ventoux, Southern Rhone, France 
Story: Thomas Julienn was born and raised in this picturesque corner of southern France. He comes from a winemaking family (La Ferme Saint Martin), and he continues to make those wines alongside his own project, which he sources wine from a neighbor who farms using organic and biodynamic practices. 
Pairing: This is such a classic and OUTSTANDING example of southern Rhone rosé. (Beware there’s a lot of mediocre rosé out there at this price point!) For the pairing you could go soooo many ways. But since fig season is upon us I have to mention my Fig Mostarda. This is a recipe I created a few years ago that’s partially my own and partially inspired by a food writer friend from New Orleans. It’s fig jam but with a savory note, and it’s outstanding with cheese of course! And yes, you can simply enjoy this wine with a giant cheese and charcuterie spread! But the MOSTARDA could also be quite nice with grilled pork or even grilled lamb! Here’s the link to recipe :)

Ampeleia Un Litro
Grapes: Alicante, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet
Region: Maremma, Tuscany, Italy 
Story: Ampeleia is a winery in the Upper Maremma region of Tuscany, along the Mediterranean Sea. It is managed by a group of young people guided by vigneron and company manager Marco Tait who took the reins when he was just 22. Over the past 20 years, they have converted to organics and biodynamics. Also of note, Ampeleia is at the heart of the Colline Metallifere National Geopark (a UNESCO heritage site).
Pairing: This wine has been a long time favorite of mine, and really I am surprised I have not used it in wine club before now. But the stars have aligned and here it is — a liter of summertime red! Maremma is a region in Tuscany that’s mostly known for BIG, BOLD “Super Tuscans” (usually red blends centered around Sangiovese and Bordeaux grape varieties). Such is not the case here! This is a quaffable summer red best served with a chill. And yes, it’s got all sorts of esoteric red grapes. And only one, the Sangiovese, is even Italian :) But I do have a slightly Italian recipe for you…I was reading yet another favorite Substack, Alison Roman, and she mentioned a wild idea that sounds positively delicious. The idea is serving fresh summer corn atop polenta (or could even be grits) for us Southerners. Yes, it sounds odd but also very good, and she placed it beside grilled pork chops, which would be a very nice meat to pair with Un Litro. Look up her recipe if you like but the general gist is just sautéing corn with paprika and chili flakes and serving over polenta (or grits) that have been cooked up with parmesan cheese. Btw, my favorite grits are Anson Mills quick yellow grits. (And no, they are not instant grits, just a finer mill!)