Oriol, Laia, and Jaume call their cellar “Dumenge” after the Catalan word for
Sunday. The project is a labour of love for all three of them—so much so, that
they work on it on Sundays. Here, their passion shines in one of the brightest
and cleanest pet’ nat’s we’ve had in a while. Fresh and floral apple juice at the
front of the palate, strong bubble presence on the way through, plus a little bit
of grape tannin on the finish (this wine is made from the thicker-skinned “light
red” xarel·lo, a natural mutation of its green, less-muscled cousin). It’s a wine
for any time of day and any day of the week, but if you drink it on Sunday,
pour one out for the winemakers! They may well be hard at work.

The guys behind Amor per la Terra have done it again, with a peachy, pithy,
light-on-its-feet orange wine that we would down by the litre, if only it were
unlimited. Alas, it isn’t—and it shouldn’t be, because the whole point of this
Catalan négociant project is to encourage grape growers to use their fruits for
(natural) winemaking, instead of over-producing through high yields and
intensive agriculture, to sell at a pittance to big industry players from wine
factories who could care less about the quality of the grape (much less the
person growing it). This is natural wine, after all, which—for all its flaws as an
imperfect industry itself—at least looks to restore some sense of love for the
earth. So, it may be finite, but we’re sure you agree, it’s better that way.

One of two exclusive bottlings in this month’s selection from powerhouse
Italian natural winemakers Lammidia, natives of the Abruzzo region on the
Adriatic coast. This one is a full disco anthem of a white wine: a powerful,
brass bang of apricot up front, a happy, truly catchy throughline, and a steady
beat that persists on and on and on. Add a little bit of funk, and you have a
wine that will get you dancing. Pure fun and unbridled joy. Plus, this wine will
get better with age, just like disco music (contrary to popular belief, in some
circles). Don’t be afraid to store it and bust it out in a few years’ time, at just

the right moment, at just the right party, with just the right music. Disco never
dies.

The simple pleasures of life should not be underrated. We wouldn’t go so far
as to say they are powerful or transformative. Still, we do believe it’s fair to
say that a good bottle of wine, opened at the right moment, and—most
importantly—shared with the right people, is a simple act that can encourage
connection and spark a not insignificant amount of joy. That’s the meaning of
Engrescada in Catalan, and this juicy, easy-going, sure-footed, chillable red
will do just that. Plus, Raimones is a project mounted by parent grape growers
from Penedès that was handed off directly to their children, who are just
starting their own winemaking journey. There’s a message of hope in there,
too. To a better future full of gresca and simple pleasures.

One of two exclusive bottlings in this month’s selection from powerhouse
Italian natural winemakers Lammidia, natives of the Abruzzo region on the
Adriatic coast. This one is a psychedelic post-punk pet’ nat’: a driving, electric
guitar acidity, plus a headful of floral and tropical aromatics like a melody on
reverb. The aesthetics are hazy, and the wardrobe is trippy. Through the
magic of artistry and artisanship, the whole piece comes together in a
fascinating harmony. But still, it is borne from the punk-rock era of natural
wine, so watch for explosion on opening and have glasses on hand to catch
the overflow. It’d be a shame to miss part of the song.

We are not afraid to admit it: we, at T.N.W.C., are fans of Gewürztraminer. To
combat its decidedly uncool and somewhat undeserved reputation for only
making annoyingly sweet wines that taste like perfume, we present to you
Farid Yahimi’s GW Inspiration. Yeah, okay, there are lychee notes, there’s a
hint of rosewater, but then there’s also curry spice and roasted carrots. All that
is wrapped up in a truly voluptuous body, even by orange wine standards.
(And we’re not just saying that because of the label!) Farid is a bit of a wizard,
making some of the world’s only trans-European wines (look it up!), and
although this one is purely Alsatian in origin, it does seem to have a nomadic
soul.