It's a really great time to be sitting here writing this to you all because there is tons of great new wine arriving from producers all over the place! Also, if you haven't heard, we're throwing another party with our good mates at Lulie Tavern in Abbotsford on the 13th Feb. It's going to be a doozy and bookings are filling up pretty fast so if you are interested, head over to lulietavern.com and secure a table.
Our dear boy Dan Watts is moving on this week but he has written one final piece below about one of his favourite producers, Elisabetta Foradori. We still have some of her wine available for purchase online or instore.
We have also just received four delicious wines from one of our favourite winemakers James Erskine aka Jauma as well as some great gear from local legend Oscar Hermann aka Combes Wines.
If you're living that hard seltzer life at the moment, check out the products we have in stock from Pure Bay too! Super delicious, refreshing and low on calories!
A quick heads up, if you are within 15km of the Melb CBD and you want delivery today, get you orders in before 1pm and we will deliver to you this arvo.
Photo from The NY Times
MAJESTY AT THE DOLOMITES
The breathtaking amphitheatre of Cisa Toma surrounds Elisabetta Foradori’s vineyard in Mezzolombardo. If you stand in the right spot, you could almost reach out and grab the snow capped peaks which make up the Dolomites.
Elisabetta took over operations in 1984 and after few years at the helm an existential crisis ‘del vino’ eventually led her to give up any sense of chasing market trends of the wine industry to develop the estate towards the goal of making wines respectful of the soil and the local grapes she wants to honor. Foradori uses amphorae to age her wine and it is their particular shape and the porosity of the clay that eschews the winemaking toward purity and balance. The process of turning grapes into wine is not affected by outside influences as the amphora acts as a shield, allowing the grapes to progress with only the character of the earth and grape variety as their guidance.
While Elisabetta has always been a leader, potentially even a maverick to some, family is always at the core of the Foradori operation. Her grandfather started the estate and her father followed in his footsteps but died very young. Elisabetta, an only child, had no choice but to take over at age 20 after barely completing her oenology degree. Now the matriarch, all 3 of her children work there in different capacities. Theo and Emilio in the winery and Myrtha recently initiated a biodiversity project with vegetables and cows bred for the production of cheese and milk.
Since 2002 Elisabetta has farmed her land using biodynamic principles and winemaking remains ‘natural’ with very little intervention. The focus here is on the red indigenous Teroldego grape with Foradori’s examples being amidst some of the best in the world. Hence, her early nickname the Queen of Teroldego. Yet, Foradori shines with brilliant mineral driven skin-contact wines too, like Nosiola and Fuoripista. These are artisanal wines which are also highly sought after by collectors and wine lovers across the globe. They are adorning the tables of the world’s most exclusive restaurants because they are truly unique and original wines with personality and purpose.
NEW SHOP HOURS + DELIVERY SCHEDULE
We have slightly changed our opening hours for the Southbank store and adjusted our delivery days too. We will now be offering free same day delivery for those within 15km of the Melbourne CBD from Tuesday to Saturday. Just order before 1pm. New shop hours are below:
Have you checked out our Curated Packs? Grab yourself one of these to enjoy discounts on selections that wouldn't normally see them. Wines that we've picked around the shop just because we like them, you'd be mad not to.
We're on the road every day aside from Sunday and Monday offering same day delivery to those customers within 15km of the Melbourne CBD. Simply order online before 1pm and you'll get your wines that arvo.... easy!
THE AOW SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
We've streamlined our subscription offerings to focus on getting the absolute best wines we can to our subscribers, whose loyalty and vision will always be rewarded with insane value wines and first looks at things that are yet to be released. Jump on here and give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
We have from the outset prided ourselves on having the best monthly subscription wine service in the game. We take this so seriously that each and every month we convene a panel of expert wine industry folk around a cheese board at Sam's house for a tasting selection panel. No punches are pulled, frankly it's brutal. So the wines that go in our monthly packs are certified FIRE.
