Sur Le Zinc
The Remarkable Geology of the Agly Valley
Reading Time: 3 minutes Located in the larger IGP of the Côtes Catalanes, the Agly Valley is nestled in the foothills of the Corbieres Massif, an ancient mountain range in the pre-Pyrenees. Coming from the west, you descend into the valley on narrow mountain roads flanked on either side by sheer walls of white limestone…. READ MORE
Drinking Sans Soufre – You’ll Be All Right
Reading Time: 3 minutes At the risk of wading into a hotbed of controversy, it’s time to talk about sulfites. Much ink has been spilled as to whether sulfites cause headaches or other symptoms and equal amounts of effort have been put into marketing low-sulfite wine and its perceived health benefits. However, much of the… READ MORE
Rediscovering Sauvignon Blanc
Reading time: 4 minutes When scanning wine lists and scouring retail shelves, most people in the industry have their go-to’s, whether it’s high-acid Riesling, cult Beaujolais, or any other sought-after category of the moment. That’s not to say we do not color outside the lines, but I am certainly an acid hound all the way,… READ MORE
New Producer in the Southern Rhône – Domaine du Trapadis
Rasteau is an appellation that is close to Martine’s Wines President Greg Castells’ heart. This ancient winemaking region, long known for its Vins Doux Naturels, has recently begun to be acclaimed for its dry red wines as well, gaining full Cru status in 2010. Castells’ appreciation for these wines goes back to 1996, when, as… READ MORE
2021 Burgundy: A Small But Mighty Vintage
Reading time: 3 minutes In his summary of the 2021 vintage in Burgundy, wine critic Neal Martin provocatively proclaimed, “it is indisputably one of the most fiendishly complex, byzantine seasons I can recall.” The reasons for this are many, but chief among them was undeniably the weather. Save for a horde of locusts, it seemed… READ MORE
New Producer from Saint-Joseph – Thomas Farge
Located on hillside slopes just across the Rhône River from Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and its iconic granite soils are home to a variety of microclimates, all of which give this unsung appellation great diversity. When carefully crafted, these serious, age-worthy wines can go toe-to-toe with any of the more famous Rhône appellations. Saint-Joseph is also an… READ MORE
Gouffier’s Wines of the Côte Chalonnaise – Mercurey and Montagny
Covering about 5000 hectares that lie between the Côte de Beaune and the Mâconnais, the Côte Chalonnaise is an area that is stepping into its own. Boasting complex geography and a diversity of climats, ever more talented vigneron are taking up residence here, and the potential of this unique, 35-kilometer stretch of land becomes clearer by the day…. READ MORE
New York Distribution of Schatzi Wines
We are sharing the exciting news that starting March 1, 2023, Schatzi Wines will be distributed by Martine’s Wines in the state of New York. Dedicated to cultivating a focused selection of producers, Kevin Pike created Schatzi Wines in 2014 with encouragement from his good friend and business partner, Johannes Leitz. Today Schatzi comprises a… READ MORE
New Producer from the Willamette Valley – Flâneur Wines
“For the perfect flâneur, for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement, in the midst of the fugitive and the infinite. To be away from home and yet to feel oneself everywhere at home.” – Charles Baudelaire,… READ MORE
Champagne Stéphane Coquillette and the Clarity of Brut Zero
With the recent arrival of the Stéphane Coquillette’s Brut Zero Blanc de Noirs Cuvée Les Clés, we decided to take a closer look at the style and how it is evolving in the modern Champagne market. Brut Zero is a wine that is made by not adding any sugar during the dosage process, resulting in… READ MORE
