MCF Rare Wine
Wein Goutte is Good Wine
I mean, not literally...but I thought the title sounded good...
...and, even though 'good wine' isn't the literal translation of 'Wein Goutte', it is a factual statement, as the brilliantly playful, wacky and adorably 'out there' wines of Wein Goutte are, indeed, good wine.
Everybody got that?
So, maybe five or six years ago, I was sitting at the Chef's Counter seat at Racine's with my friend Ray, where we were enjoying course after course along with a bunch of great wines that we BYO'd. As we made our way from and Comté de Champagne, to an old bottle of Chevillon, to perfectly mature Clos de Mouches Rouge and, finally, to a mind-blowing bottle of Montevertine Il Sodaccio 1994, we were sharing them with the cooks and staff, and other diners we knew as we went.
Finally, as dinner service wound down, the Chef in charge of the kitchen (called Emily Campeau) had a chance to take a breath from the chaos of a packed house service, and enjoy some wine with us. All of the wines had gotten into that perfect, halfway-through-the-bottle state, where they were fully open and firing on all cylinders.
As we chatted with her, she was telling us about how she'd be leaving Racine's soon to become the wine director at a restaurant in Montreal, which she did (and is still doing).
However, while working a harvest in Austria some years later, she met a nice German guy named Christoph, another ex-Chef, they fell in love, started a wine project (called Wein Goutte), producing tiny amounts of quirky, engaging and delicious wines and, well, the rest of the story tells itself, I suppose.
Of course, I didn't know any of this until the first time I tasted these wines a couple of years ago. Cari, our rep from Wein Goutte's importer Vom Boden, told me the whole story while pouring us these wines, and I, having remembered my night at Racine's all those years ago, said, 'Hey, I know her! Well, not really, but kind of...'
Anyway, the wine world can be small like that sometimes. The point of all of this, though, is that this lady I once shared wine with, while enjoying her brilliant food, now makes wines with her German husband and, we here at MCF (and most especially Raphael) are totally in love with them.
From their whimsical names, to their amazing labels, to their singular, eccentric flavors, these wines are just too much fun for words, a way too much fun not to share with people.
Natty? For sure.
Funky? No.
They're just downright joyful and delicious.
I don't love relying on anecdotes to sell wine, because, often times, the story is better than the actual contents of the bottle.
Not here, though.
The story is fantastic.
The wines are...even fantastic-er...
WEIN GOUTTE
Snapping Crocodile Sylvaner 2022 - This is Emily and Christoph’s take on what is perhaps the defining grape of Franconia: the noble and soaring Silvaner. Here we have a textured, soil-driven wine, that's broad on the palate, but also mineral and aromatic. While it's a bit of an introvert at the moment, a few hours of air, or even a decanting, will have the wine spreading its wings, allowing all that impressive character to fly at full speed. Very impressive stuff...
Pasta Buzz White 2022 - The Pasta Buzz is a super versatile wine that blurs the line between white and orange. It's very fresh, but without too much acidity, easy drinking but still intriguing, and fantastic with food. It's a unique blend of Müller-Thurgau 30%, Muscaris 15% and Bacchus 15% (all of which were direct pressed), combined with whole bunch Pinot Blanc 15% and Silvaner 10%, which sat on the skins for a couple of days. Finally, there's 15% of Johanniter, which fully fermented on the skins, giving the wine tannic structure that stands up to anything from pork belly to spicy noodles, or, as the name suggests, a big heap of pasta.
Beach Goth Rosé 2022 - Wein Goutte's Beach Goth Rosé is a fabulous blend of Regent, Domina, Pinot Gris, plus a field blend of others. Made in a deeper style, the resulting wine is both bright and lively, but also richly complex and mineral. This is the kind of rose that we could easily sell as a light red, and you can easily drink it as one. Either way you do it, this is awesome stuff!
Du Bist Du 2022 - Wein Gutte's Du Bist Du might be my favorite of the whole lineup. It's 100% Schwarzriesling (known to most folks as Pinot Meunier), and it's kinda the perfect Springtime (but really anytime) red. It's super light, super fragrant, sprightly and zippy, with ultra delicate red fruits and a piney, herbaceous nuance that wraps up with that signature Meunier tangy-ness. You be you...ya know?
You may order by calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
Looking for a wine you loved from a past newsletter or a favorite you can't find anywhere? Email Raphael at raphael@mcf-rarewine.com, and we'll do our best to find it for you!
