Blaufränkisch & Roesler, Burgenland, Austria | Gut Oggau winemakers Stephanie & Eduard Tscheppe are deeply adored by natural wine lovers the whole world over and deserve every last iota of praise & reverence they receive! The fabric of the wines hinges upon the existence of a fictional family, with every vineyard plot being characterized by one of its members. Sometimes the cleverness of this device can call attention away from how consistently elegant, bewitching & functional these wines truly are, and either way, the Gut Oggau fam is way more than a cutesy gimmick— it’s a progressive and anti-patriarchical language for thinking about wine emotionally & intuitively, which we are obviously way here for. Josephine is Timotheus’ second wife (little is known about Tim’s elusive first wife! We hope she makes a dramatic return in wine form at some point in the nearer-than-usual future!) & Winifred’s stepmom. She radiates big time coolest mom ever vibes, the kind of woman you’re seated next to at a dinner party & she smells really good & all you want in the world is to be taken under her wing & then grow up to be her. Her namesake wine is dense & intense; classic Josephine to be half-vinified from an obscure & esoteric wine grape— Roesler is a cross between Blau & Zweigelt, known for its deep colour & abundant extract. Josephine is a study in abundance, with low-key Port-adjacent raisination & a wild gnarly nose calling back to Jo’s tempestuous youth, which we’re sure was chock-a-block with sexy backpacking-related misadventures. Tastes more like a cherry than a cherry, full-bodied but perfectly balanced with zingy acidity that hits like a perfectly-timed joke. Grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, & fermented in oak, then aged in barrel for an additional eight months. Unfined, unfiltered, no sulfur. Pleasantly farmy mid-palate, steely minerality, spot on fruit to earthiness balance, a faded tattoo that has aged remarkably well, an exquisitely tailored oxblood leather blazer, mahogany nails & lipstick.

Blaufränkisch, Burgenland, Austria | Gut Oggau winemakers Stephanie & Eduard Tscheppe are deeply adored by natural wine lovers the whole world over and deserve every last iota of praise & reverence they receive! The fabric of the wines hinges upon the existence of a fictional family, with every vineyard plot being characterized by one of its members. Sometimes the cleverness of this device can call attention away from how consistently elegant, bewitching & functional these wines truly are, and either way, the Gut Oggau fam is way more than a cutesy gimmick— it’s a progressive and anti-patriarchal language for thinking about wine emotionally & intuitively, which we are obviously way here for. Joschuari is from the middle generation of the Gut Oggau legacy, son of Mechtid & Bertholdi, dad to Theodora & Atanasius. Let’s face it— Joschuari (do you think he goes by Josh for short???) straight-up rules. He’s the kind of dude who seems so easy everywhere, he can hold his own in literally any situation, as comfortable at a soccer match as he is at a slightly sketchy art world after hours. Most thrillingly, he’s a super-educated diner who knows how to eat in a restaurant, always takes charge at the table, and tips like 30%. It is really hard not to fall in love with him—we definitely have.

Grüner Veltliner & Weissburgunder, Burgenland, Austria | Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe from Gut Oggau are at the forefront of the natural wine movement in Austria (and the world!), known for their meticulous, vibes-driven and near-spiritual approach to biodynamic winemaking. Timotheus sits among the parents in the Gut Oggau family of wines, a wry, slightly bitter & intellectual white blend with an impressive stature and acerbic wit. Son of Mechthild and Bertholdi, brother to Joshuari and Emmeram, Timotheus is the proverbial rock of the family, a rebellious sophisticate who always preferred white over red anyways. Singular in its lean, mean & acid-driven structure, this wine is only a touch curmudgeonly, made from 40 year old vines and bottled without fining, filtration or added sulphur. Tangerine pith, white pepper and dried bouquet garni meet a lithe texture, powdered granite minerality and piercing, clairvoyant acid. Drink while doing the New York Times crossword after dinner and discussing the many virtues of Frantz Fanon.