Wine Club: Anniversary Edition!

Can you believe we’re about to hit two full years of our Wine Club! Of all the programs we now run at Grand Cata - from our Classes on Demand to our #DailyCata - the Wine Club has a special place in our hearts. Maybe not all of you know this, but the idea for the Wine Club predates Grand Cata the store by several years. We built the store, in part, because we couldn’t find an existing retail store that understood our vision. We knew it would work, but we didn’t dream it would work this well.

As a thank you to all our Wine Club members, we’ve picked two very special wines that epitomize the basic pillars of the project.

First, they are exceptional, and of exceptional value.

Second, and our most favorite, we had to literally leave the country to go find these wines. We like to think of our Wine Club as a way for you to travel through the wines we pick to the amazing places they come from. Some of you have actually come to us for suggestions on where to visit because of wines you’ve had in Wine Club. It’s this piece, this element of place, that underpins so much of what we do at Grand Cata. So with the 2nd Anniversary release party just around the corner, we present to you two wines that Pedro and Julio found on two separate trips they both made in the last three months.

Julio’s Trip: Rio Grande do Sul, Pinto Bandeira, Brasil, Brazil; "the Champagne of South America"

Julio came back from his trip to Brazil nearly shaking with excitement and anticipation over sharing this wine. He also came back convinced that within the next two or three years, the Pinto Bandeira DO in Brazil will be known throughout as the “Champagne of South America.”

Why does he believe this? In a word: terroir. "The Champagne Method of making sparkling wine may be widely adopted in South America, but very few places have the combination of soil type, weather, and temperature necessary to allow for the perfect type of ripeness while still keeping acidity in the grapes" Julio explains. 

Julio’s Wine: Familia Geisse, “Cave Amadeu” Chardonnay-Pinot Noir based blend (12) month of aging, non vintage 

It’s time for a blind tasting.

Seriously, grab a bottle of respectable Champagne and blind taste it against this wine. It has it all: the ripping acidity, the yeasty sourdough and brioche notes, green apple (with a nice touch of gala apple as well), perfect bubbles, engrossing energy...just try it!

Pedro’s Trip: Ribera del Duero, Spain

While Julio decided to explore the unknown, Pedro took a deep dive into one of the best wine regions known the world over. Ribera del Duero is a special place to grow grapes, fostering a clone of tempranillo they call “tinto fino.” Most of the vines in the region were planted two generations before anyone who works at Grand Cata was even born! This means their roots have found their way into multiple layers of soil types and nutrient sources. The resulting wines have depth of character few places can match.

Pedro's Wine: Protos Tinto Fino Rosado, 2017

Despite visiting a well known place, Pedro threw a wicked curveball with this one. He came back with a rosé! Though from a producer we love and work with often (Protos), this wine was not available in the US. Pedro pulled a few strings and showed enough passion for the wine that he was able to get just enough here for the Wine Club. 

Pedro was impressed with what he saw and tasted there. "As a historic, well known wine region, Ribera del Duero was created just recently in 1982 as a regulated Denomination of Origin (D.O.) and just now they are fully understanding the complexity of the terroir, different expressions of tinto fino due to the altitude and amazing all natural old vine field blends that focus on the quality of fruit and not the oak treatment." 

The rosé is perfect. Ridiculously easy to drink, though not one dimensional, it’s proof that a good rose is the best pairing for all but the heaviest of dishes. Not too fruity, completely dry, and full of minerals, you can also find yourself two bottles deep fairly easily. Drink it with friends, for you own good!

We can’t stress enough how important your support of Grand Cata has been. Perhaps nothing demonstrates this more so than the success of the Wine Club. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and here’s to two more years of new wine discoveries!