Mosse, ‘Moussamoussettes’, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d'Aunis & Gamay, Loire Valley, France

We are kicking off your advent adventure with a dry, juicy and fanciful bubble from one of our favourite regions & producers! The Mosse family are Loire Valley legends, making wines that continuously strike a perfect balance between straight-up freakin’ yummy & wholly finessed. Made from groleau gris, pineau d’aunis and gamay grown on schist & quartz soils in Anjou that were fermented in barrels and bottled when the wine reached 18 grams of residual sugar. In bottle they continued fermentation until MOST of the sugar was gone, resulting in a bodacious, lively lover. ‘Moussamoussettes’ is an enduring, frothing, luscious pet-nat that you will dream of forevermore – raspberry sea foam, liquorice Nibs, watermelon vitamin, glittering ruby necklace minerality, garden rhubarb & fresh peach juice. A great time to practice your sabering, we also recommend you enjoy while skating ‘round a backyard rink – Axel, Salchow, and Lutz-ing your way into a sweet starry night’s sleep. A delightfully delicious way to start this tour, consume at your leisure and then tell us you don’t agree, bisou!!

Camille and Mathieu Apffel, ‘Avant La Tempête’, Jacquère, Savoie, France

Before the storm of the holidays, before the tempest of the NEW YEAR, take this chance to ground through a stunningly herby, mountain-water-washed white. Allow us to bend your ears and take your tongues on an alpine journey! Camille and Mathieu Apffel work in a zero-zero fashion aka no additives, but warm respect is used in production of their alluring regional grapes like altesse and jacquère. Their 4.5 hectares are packed with hearty, tenderly cared for ecosystems, a safe haven in the vast expanse of jutting mountain ranges. (not so) FUN FACT! This cuvée is named in remembrance of a day in 2019 when a violent hailstorm ravaged 80% of their old jacquère vines! After the storm, we take a deep breath and look for the beauty. The leafy and vibrant jacquère is direct pressed and aged on lees to plump and propel the beloved grapes into demure unforgettability. Like drinking from a glacial pond that might tell your fortune. Morning air, frosty grass, underripe pear juice, honey thinned butter, chiseled acid like a romantic roman nose bridge & a harmonious consistency that undulates between thick and thin. Enjoy after a jolly afternoon of snowshoeing, the golden hour glistening off the banks of crystal white. See you tomorrow for another bottle of pure delight!

Béatrice et Pascal Lambert, ‘100% Pur Jus’, Cabernet Franc, Loire Valley, France

Next up, a ruby-hued, and energetic glou-glou red to stave off the frost bite! For those new to glou-glou, think a chillable and chuggable red wine, an important category if you love spicy food, an afternoon sip and just-plain-old JOY. This best-in-class-example is from Lambert, a family winery founded in 1987 in Cravant-les-Côteaux, and dedicated to the organic and biodynamic cultivation of the region’s cherished grapes: cabernet franc and chenin blanc. Carbonically macerated, think Beaujolais-meets-the-Loire, the 35-year-old, biodynamically tended cab franc vines come from Chinon’s porous tuffeau, a local limestone of the Loire Valley that gives wine beautiful freshness and texture. Cracked red peppercorns, rose petals, jiggly cherry jello, wild strawberry snacking, graphite-y minerality, raspberry tonic & winter savoury. A JUICY red to stick in a snow bank for chilling while you drop your line down the first ice fishing hole of the season and chow down on your favourite snack for the occasion. Look out for a continuation of our cab franc journey tomorrow so you can compare and contrast versions of this classically beloved grape.

Stoss Lee, ‘Vol de Nuit’, Pinot Noir & Cabernet Franc, PEC, Canada

There has never been a better time to drink Canadian wine. If we can’t convince you, let this true beauty grown in Prince Edward County limestone do the talking. May we introduce to brand new and buzzy Stoss Lee! Helmed by the fermentation-focused sommelier, wine and cidermaker Zoe Marshall Nares, and named after the distinctive geologic feature that is home to their first vineyard, a glacially deposited hill of gravels, clays and sands. The winery also has support from her brother Kyle, co-owner of Lieu Dit Winery in Santa Barbara County and Garde Manger Restaurant in Montreal! You are now privy to a producer almost exclusively findable in only the most fashionable places in Montreal – aka you’re a cool kid now, but weren’t you always?! A blend of warm-vintage Niagara pinot noir (65%) brings the deep fruit, while Prince Edward County cabernet franc (35%) brings a spiced, prickly and food-craving edge. Tank fermented and aged for 18 months in neutral oak to round and ground. FUN FACT! Only 500 bottles released and this one is YOURS! Mineral-driven, with crunchy blackberries and black cherry in the passenger seat, cool, wet earth, dried herb undercarriage & grippy, spiked tannins like the tricked-out shoes given to mail carriers in Montreal to weather their winters. Enjoy alongside anything roasted over a roaring open fire – squashes, steaks, chestnuts or your favourite hotdog.

Sette, ‘Bianco’, Moscato, Nizza, Italy

A crystal-clear, overwhelmed-palate CLEANSER from one of our favourite Piemonte producers. We often talk about a salty white wine being the cure for just about everything, and when we do, we mean exactly the kind of ocean-splashed playfulness you taste here. It’s easy to think of Piemonte as all about its star reds, from nebbiolo to barbera to the lesser-known but equally delicious grignolino, but we are here to tell you that the regional whites are JUST as worth traversing the region’s steep and winding hills to taste! Forget all you think you know about muscat and give yourself over to the tender ebb and babble of the amphora aged ‘Sette Bianco’. Two old friends – one an oenologist, the other a lawyer-turned-winemaker, now grow grapes in the Nizza Monferrato region of Piedmont, Italy. This poem from the producers speaks to the vibe of Sette ‘Bianco’ best – “Rarefied air. Aniseed… An arctic safari. In a salty desert. Life forms that resemble jellyfish, and like mirrors show us glimpses of our past…”. We’ll have what they’re having! With eight hours of glorious skin contact we are getting a gentle face-full of papaya mist, sidewalk purple cornflowers, sunflower seeds, beach shell collection, bottom-of-the-pack tobacco scatterings & a preserved lemon planet whose gravitational pull keeps everything in check. Enjoy while weaving a wreath, arranging your dried floral vases or admiring a deer through a steamy window, this wine pairs real good with the season’s flora and fauna alike.

Thymiopoulos, ‘Rosé de Xinomavro’, Xinomavro, Naoussa, Greece

A rosé?! In December?! We KNOW, but trust us, this one is gonna knock your woolen socks off. From a great producer in the northern mountains of Greece, we have found for you an unapologetically expressive, savoury & aromatic rosé that laughs in the face of other flimsier rosés! Family-owned for several generations, this winery had previously sold their grapes until Apostolos Thymiopolos left to study oenology, and returned to the winery to make wines under his own label. This cheeky rosé take on the pinot-meets-big-spice Greek grape xinomavro, comes from certified biodynamic vineyards grown at a freshness-giving altitude. After 12 hours on skins it offers a supple, but broad structure. Tomatoes on the vine, olive tapenade, negroni if it was a wine (seriously) and the whiff of fresh red berries minus the sweet flesh (like, the FEeLinG), poised tannins, oregano, hot stone & rose bushes. The perfect afternoon bottle to whip out at a moment’s notice, like when your university-friend texts you out of the blue and is in fact outside of your childhood house at this very moment. See you tomorrow for a second, Mediterranean-sprung siren.

Tsiakkas, ‘Porfyros’, Merlot, Syrah & Agiorgitiko, Pitsilia, Cyprus

Today we are continuing our exploration through a thicket of dense herbaceous-ness and savoury swells, with this ultra satisfying red from one of the oldest winemaking countries in Europe, the island nation of Cyprus! Established in 1988 by Costas and Marina Tsiakkas near the village of Pelendri in the Limassol region, the pair work organically on the steep slopes of the Troodos mountains. From 1500 meters above sea level, the berried and gentle merlot, peppery and savoury syrah, and spiced, regional agiorgitiko vines are goblet trained, sprouting like gnarly vine-hands from sandy, volcanic soils. Grapes are harvested by hand, and cold soaked for 10 days on skins where they pull generous tannins and fruity-richness. Plum pudding, cherry gobstopper, anise, shaved nutmeg, pomegranate powder & a coffee flavoured chocolate bar warm from your pocket. A perfect holiday pairing with any and all stews, broths or devilishly indulgent desserts. A clue for tomorrow you ask? Now that we’re adjusted to island time, why leave?

Borja Perez, ‘Artifice Llanita Perera Blanco’, Listan Blanco, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

TWO island respites in a ROW to keep you as warm as possibly from that dreaded seasonal chill! The wines of the Canary Island are some of the world’s best, full stop. Honestly, you should try many more, but for today, a deep, luxurious and complex white wine from potent volcanic soils is hard to beat. This wine is like a great, gilled creature who rose in a storm of damp, volcanic ash, windswept brush and salt crystals. The wine’s maker, a former race car mechanic (!), Borja Perez is a rising star of the Canary Island’s natural wine scene. He has implemented sustainable and biodynamic farming techniques since 2011 and aims to bring long-forgotten local vines like this one back to life. ‘Artifice’ was grown on sandy, stony basalt soils, lending that uniquely salt-soaked volcanic minerality. Made from 100% listan blanco that is fermented with skins for 25 days to pull great aromatic and textural complexity. Bronze in colour, with persistent honeysuckle, sleek clove, bitter lemon, tidal pool, kadota fig & a luxuriously fine mineral fishing net to catch hold of everything. Drink alongside the deepest, darkest storm of the year, spring will come again…but if that’s too far away, a sunny archipelago does await you, as does this bottle.

Scout, ‘Syrah’, Syrah, Similkameen Valley, Canada

Rivaling the northern lights in all its jewel-toned wonder, today we land in BC’s semi-arid desert appellation, the Similkameen Valley. (NOT SO) FUN FACT! You are holding history in your hands, as due to an extreme cold snap in 2024, Scout’s syrah vines died and have not produced grapes past since this, the 2023 harvest. Even more reason to relish every drop. One of the most cutting edge natural wine projects in Canada, winemakers Maggie, Murray, Carly and Aaron are dedicated to the health of their land and crops, consistently exemplifing how inviting & intricate Canadian wines can be. This syrah was spontaneously fermented for 10-14 days on the skins & gently pressed into clay amphora for 10 months on the lees, before an additional year in neutral barrels helped morph the juice into this truly spectacular expression. Brimming with mineral vitality, blackcurrant freezie, powdered potpourri, wet clay, waxy citrus, and a cured & spiced, meaty umami flicker. The perfect wine to enjoy before hibernation – just grab this bottle, a down duvet, a forehead kiss & settle in for a LOOONG nap. We will see you next you awaken, xoxo.

Alfredo Maestro ‘Consuelo’, Albillo Mayor, Riberio del Duero, Spain

Good day hibernating hunnies! We adore the last wine’s showcase of syrah for its complex, umami-rich SPICINESS. To follow, we wanted to share a complimentary example of how, when this characteristic is translated to white wines, it is often through skin contact of grapes and juice, shown here in a textural Spanish orange. Alfredo Maestro is a self-taught winemaker in the small town of Peñafiel, Ribera del Duero, focused on sourcing old, neglected and high-elevation parcels and caring for, and fermenting wines that reflect the regional grapes & thriving land. The floral, herbal and multi-fruited albillo mayor is sourced from several tiny vineyards across sandy-clay, and limestone soils, and features vine clones planted from 1891 to 1910! Seven days in contact with its skins picking up complexity, ‘Consuelo’ then spends 12 months in barrels rolling around before emerging as this tight knit ball of energy. FUN FACT! Only 600 bottles of this were produced and we are overjoyed to have been able to bring this bottle right to you! Orchardly, with browning green apples, lime juice acidity, bitter orange, packaged mushroom, pine resin, a honeyed richness, flouncy florals & eroding cliffside minerality. Enjoy after an afternoon of strolling through the nearest wooded area, admiring the dainty icicles, snow-topped evergreens and following the smallest bunny footprints and pacing crow tracks in their snowdrift dance.

Elio Altare, ‘Dolcetto D’Alba’, Dolcetto, Piedmont, Italy

As we all know, nothing says, “I am a very good bottle of wine” like a strong dose of cursive writing on the label (*cheeky wink*), but honestly here, you could’t be more spot on! Elio Altare was quite the maverick when he began making wine, abandoning Barolo’s traditions in favour of modern techniques like green harvesting, reducing yields and implementing the use of French oak, all of which are carried on today by his daughter, Silvia. The jolly, dependable dolcetto grapes come from 20-40 years old vines grown on sandy-calcarious soils. Grapes are macerated for 2-3 days and aged in tank for 10 months to keep their true bright and bold nature shining through. Our advice for you when it comes to this region? Yes, of course try the nebbiolos, but remember, the locals have dolcetto on THEIR tables! Violets, violets everywhere, and in every drop you drink, black cherry juice, blueberry pie, liquorice, velvet wallpaper, mossy logs & a vanilla float. Enjoy with everyone’s favourite treat: a pizza night sprinkled between December 25th and New Years! A classic styling of pineapple + ham, pepperoni + mushroom or 90’s veggie deluxe are sure to be pleased with this poised bottle posted up beside them. See you next time for a celebratory bottle, hopefully it makes our parting a little bit sweeter.

Alta Alella, ‘Mirgin Cava Gran Reserve’ 2021, Macabeu, Parellada & Xarel-lo, Catalonia, Spain

Today we culminate our journey, what a time we’ve had & what wonders we’ve tasted! To finish off, we present you with a stunning aged cava from an iconic Catalonian producer. Established in 1991, the Pujol-Busquets Guilléns family lives and breathes viticulture and has ALWAYS practiced certified organic farming techniques, supporting a balanced ecosystem full of local wildlife. Clearly thriving in the midst of the Serralada de Marina Natural Park, they are a mere jaunt from the Mediterranean Sea, and we can taste it here! The regional blend of citric, herbal xarel-lo (40%), floral, tropical macabeo (30%) and mineral, crispy parellada (30%) comes from sandy, granitic soils and spends 15 months aging on lees to plump. Toasted bread slathered in hazelnut spread, roasted green apples, lime juice, pistachio nougat & preserved lemons. Pour alongside New Years’ romps, kisses in the snow, making wishes & plans for your bright, bright future.