If you are a frequent reader of the newsletter you might think that all these winemakers are solitary types. The type that spends every waking hour working in their vineyards, or in their cellars, thinking serious thoughts about gravity and moon cycles. Solitary souls trying to distill the essence of their spot on earth into a grape. This dour portrait of the natural winemaker may be true some of the time, but let's not forget that this is wine we’re talking about. Wine is celebratory and communal. For thousands of years, it’s brought people together. Both to drink, and in the case of the producer Tutti Frutti Ananas, to make. 

Growing wine in areas of the Banyuls is a very difficult proposition. Schist* soils, incredibly steep inclines, and little rain mean that most vignerons are accustomed to some of the lowest yielding vineyards in France. These low yielding vines turn out a very concentrated grape and the traditional wines from the region are intense. However by pooling resources and joining forces Manuel de Vecchi, Zé Tafé, & Jochim Roque are able to produce a much more approachable wine that, like the name implies, is juicy and vibrant. All three of these individuals are very interesting in their own right. For example Manuel has his own label and due to the gradient can only tend to his vineyard with hand tools and a mule. But together they are able to produce a different kind of wine from the region. And though it might be more approachable it still seems to capture something about the region. It’s by no means watered down. 

The pick this week, Toranja, is a Grenache Gris and Macabeo blend. Grown over pure schist soils. The wine is direct pressed, then fermented in stainless steel vats and then aged in concrete. No fining, no filtration, and no Sulfur. Back to this wine capturing something of the region. The region is located on the Mediterranean and many of the vineyards overlook the sea. The Toranja really captures that. Slightly fizzy, bright with stone fruit and lemon, finishing with a pleasant salinity. Seems like the perfect pair for warmer sunny days in the south of France or for these first warm days of spring here in Montana. 

Winemaker/Estate: Manuel de Vecchi, Zé Tafé, & Jochim Roque / Tutti Frutti Ananas 

Label: Toranja 

Country/Region: Banyuls, France 

Grape: Grenache Gris, Macabeo 

Making of: Direct press Grenache Gris. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in concrete. The wine ferments naturally and is bottled unfiltered with either no sulfur or a tiny amount at bottling. The wine's label clearly indicates if S02 was used or not.

Notes:  White stone fruit, citrus peel, ocean, slight fizz 

Food: Shellfish, Chips & Salsa, Crudite, succotash