Bibineishvili 2017 Adjara Chkhaveri

Chkhaveri is an incredibly rare indigenous Georgian grape with a violet-pink hew, grown in the subtropical region of Adjara. The name of the bottling translates to "This is it!" which could either be an exclamation that this is just how this ancient variety should be made, or how I feel drinking this fascinating rosé. The juice spends four months on the skins in a gentle extraction which gives the wine powdery soft tannins on the palate. The nose is a rustic but pleasant mix of red apple skins, dried roses and herbs; it seems to speak to the forest-covered mountains from which is came. Michelle DeWyngaert

Casreli 2018 Kahketi Mtsvivani

A classic skin contact wine from the Republic of Georgia, from the Kakhuri Mtsvivani grape. The juice ferments and ages with the skins in underground Qvevri (terracotta amphorae) for 3 months. Delicately amber in the glass, this is a very traditional wine from Georgia - a country with over a thousand years of history making orange wines.

Chappaz, Marie-Therese 2017 Valais AOC Grain Blanc (Petite Arvine)

Chappaz, Marie-Therese 2018 Valais AOC Les Dahrres

Domaine Tatsis 2016 Macedonia Xinomavro Old Roots

The Tatsis brothers were among the very first natural winemakers in Greece, having farmed organically, used only native yeasts, and added little (or, now, zero) sulfur to their wines since the 1990s. This, their Xinomavro Old Roots, comes from plots of the oldest Xinomavro in their holdings near Goumenissa, in Macedonia. These vines were planted in the 30s-50s, just after Phylloxera arrived in Greece. Xinomavro has been compared to Nebbiolo, and this holds true here, with notes of tar, rose, and earth on the nose, and a structured, full-bodied palate with plenty of drying tannins. The old-vines add complexity,  and this is very long on the palate with plenty of minerality, dark fruit, and herbal character. A great and very intense wine right now, this will benefit from either long-term aging or some air! Ben Fletcher

Domaine Tatsis 2018 Macedonia Limnio

The Tatsis brothers have been making natural wines (farming organically and biodynamically, fermenting exclusively with native yeasts, and employing no additives) since the 1990s, positioning them as among the very first natural winemakers Greece. They are based in Macedonia, near Goumenissa, and focus on the local varieties of Limnio, Xinomavro, and Roditis. Limnio is a grape with a long history in Greece that spread from the Aegean Islands to the mainland. Tatsis' Limnio is light-medium bodied, characterful, and refreshing with notes of  cherry, ripe strawberry, and Mediterranean herbs on the nose, and a mineral and herbal palate with lots of red fruit character. Cari and I compared it to Loire Gamay or a lighter Cabernet Franc. A great spring wine. Ben Fletcher

Gotsa 2016 Georgie, Kartli Chinuri

Gotsa NV Asureti 'Second Fruit' Cider

A deliciously dry, still cider from Asureti, Georgia! A blend of six different apple varieties are fermented with some of the skins and aged in kvevri (traditional Georgian amphorae) that is lined with beeswax. Reminiscent of a Basque style cider, it has notes of wild flower, some earthiness, and a salty finish. Very refreshing! Michelle DeWyngaert

Kamara Estate NV Retsina Wine (Greece)

Retsina is the ancient style of resinated white wine native to Greece. Wines have been flavored with the sap or resin of the Aleppo Pine for at least 2000 years, and the unique profile is (when well done) very friendly to the spiced seafood and other Mediterranean fare that forms the core of the Greek diet. I like to drink retsina with cured fish, with olives, or with Asian food.  This retsina is the most impressive I've tasted, and very reasonable in price: the grapes (from young vines belonging to Kamara Estate near Thessaloniki) are vinified in stainless steel tanks with small bits of Aleppo Pine resin added to the must. The profile is clearly resinated (think of the aromas of pine sap and bark, rather than aggressive menthol notes) but the fresh character of bright Assyrtiko and Roditis grapes certainly comes through (typically, modern retsina is made with neutral, fleshier Savatiano - the use of Assyrtiko and Roditis makes this brighter, fresher, and more interesting to my palate). Retsina sometimes gets dismissed but I hope you'll try this as either a fun apéritif or a great pairing for well-flavored seafood, garlicky dips, or charcuterie. Ben Fletcher

Papras Winery 2019 PGI Tyrnavos (Greece) Oreads Black Muscat

Oreads, named for the nymphs of the mountains, is the rosé wine of the nymph-named trio from Papras Bio Wines, made from Black Muscat of Tyrnavos, which has been planted in Tyrnavos (near Mt. Olympus) for more than one hundred years. Like the Pleiades and Naiads, the organically farmed grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts, macerated on their skins for ten days, then bottled without fining or filtering and with only a small addition of sulfur (10mg). This year's Oreads is slightly darker in color than last year's, and shows beautiful pink flower, dried rose, and orange blossom aromatics. The palate is dry, crisp, and salty with lots of floral and citrus character: pansies, lilacs, the juice of blood oranges, salted pink grapefruit, and lemon zest. A great expression of this unique aromatic grape, and an instant reminder of spring time. Ben Fletcher

Papras Winery 2019 PGI Tyrnavos (Greece) Pleiades Roditis Orange

The Pleiades are the nymphs of the stars, and this bottling is made from the rosy-hued Roditis grape. Of the three nymph-wines from Papras this is the spiciest and perhaps the most clearly an "orange wine". It is made in the same method as the Oreads and the Naiads: the grapes are pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts, macerate on their skins for ten days and finally bottled without fining or filtering and with only a small (10mg) addition of SO2. Pleiades is aromatically spicy, with melon, white pepper, yellow flower, and ripe orange on the nose. The palate is dry and surprisingly structured, with elegant tannins and plenty of citrus-driven acidity that complement flavors of quince, pineapple, Bergamot, and green tea. This is my favorite version of Pleiades that I've tasted. Ben Fletcher

Sclavos 2017 Kefalonia Sunodos

Sclavos is a long-time organic winery on the island of Cephalonia in the Ionian sea, off the West coast of Greece. Sunodos or Synodos is a blend of mostly Mavrodaphne, a dark, full bodied red grape, with a bit of  the white  grape Vostilidi for lift. The grapes are hand harvested, pressed, then cofermented and rested in old oak barrels before bottling without fining or filtering and with only a tiny amount of sulfur added. The wine is dark and full-bodied, with a striking core of chalky, limestone minerality surrounded by herbal notes, sea salt, and black cherry. This is great now, but could certainly age well! Ben Fletcher