convergence zone.
release 23. September 2023
convergence zone.
release 23, September 2023.
convergence zone represents the blending and uniting of ideas. In our case, it's also the combination of two companies that have merged to become one, sharing resources, ideas and people. Crunchy Red Fruit has merged with Seattle Wine Co to create Fruit Wine Co. We're a wine shop, a wine club and an event space, but more than anything we represent the idea that wine is fruit at its core. Our hope is to show you how these concepts come together and influence the way we drink, dine and enjoy one another's company. Come see us at our new shop in Bellevue, WA!
Victoria Ordoñez Voladeros PX 2020
Grapes: 100% Pedro Ximenez
ABV: 12.5%
Region: Sierras de Málaga, Spain
Winemaker: Victoria Ordoñez
Viniculture: old, dry-farmed vines in the high-altitude Sierras de Málaga
Winemaking: fermentation with wild yeasts. 10 months aging in neutral oak barrels.
Jackson’s Notes: This wine is the product of more than two years of preparation. I went to Spain on an importer’s trip in 2021, with a hope of finding some unique products to focus on for the wine club. Far and away, the one product I wanted to bring back for subscribers was this wine, Victoria Ordoñez’s Voladeros PX. I tasted with Victoria and heard her and her family’s story. While the rest of her family has made their fortune on the classic sweet wines of Málaga, Victoria’s path took her on another track.
She was always pulled towards vines that lived on the fringe of what was possible. While helping her family harvest their vineyards, she noticed that there were many Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel vineyards in the high Sierras de Málaga area that had gone unnoticed and under-utilized. This wine comes from a vineyard of Pedro Ximenez vines that for the better part of a century were blended and made into sweet wines. Once upon a time, those wines were dry! After trying some old, beautiful examples of dry PX “mountain wine,” Victoria endeavored to break off from her family’s tradition of sweet winemaking and create something dry, textured and bracing from the Pedro Ximenez grapes she found in those high mountains.
This Voladeros comes from a plot of low-slung bush vines planted around 1000m in elevation. These vines were planted from the late 1800s until the 1960s, so none of them are younger than 60 years of age. The low-slung vines and the extreme situation of this viticulture forces these vineyards to produce less fruit, but more interesting fruit.
Voladeros begins with stone and salt. This vineyard is in a national park, where at the top of each ridge you can see the Mediterranean ocean. Peach, ripe green apple, pear and acacia flower lead off, and on the palate you can taste a profoundly intense dryness and weight. Only 4100 bottles of this wine were produced, meaning Crunchy Red Fruit subscribers are enjoying a big chunk of this wine’s total production.
Food Pairing: Espeto di Málaga (Fire-Grilled Sardine Skewer) from SpainFoodSherpas
Description: local, classic, epic.
Music: “Hard Travelin'” by Watchhouse
Music Pairing: I had to travel a long way and make some big changes happen to have this wine eventually show up on our doorstep. I’ll just leave it at that.
Adroît Nero d’Avola
Grapes: 100% Nero d’Avola
ABV: 13.5%
Region: Lodi, CA
Winemaker: Chris Miller
Viniculture: Organically-farmed small vineyard of Nero d’Avola in Mokelume river
Winemaking: fermented on whole clusters, aged in neutral oak, unfined and unfiltered
Wine Quote: “a huge presence of toasted spices and woodsy notes”
Jackson’s Notes:
Chris Miller, a Master Sommelier and winemaker from California, has been a serious muse for Crunchy Red Fruit since its inception. His Adroît label produces interesting experimental wines from vineyards all around central and northern California, and it was his Adroît Pèt-Nat that made me want to start this company in the first place.
So I’ve checked back in fairly often on Chris’ wines, and I’ve found that across the board, they’re fantastic. From the Seabold label’s excellent Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays to the kooky stuff made under the Adroît moniker, his talent and intention comes through at every turn.
This is Lodi Nero d’Avola. Not a category I thought I’d ever be going deep on. But here’s the thing. It’s freaking delicious. We had a tasting at our house of several prospective club wines with our friends, some of whom are club members, and everyone was floored by this one above all else. I was too. It delivered big time.
This wine is grown in the Mokelumnes river area of Lodi, California. We think of Lodi as ground zero for cheap bulk wine, and there’s times that it is. But this is an example of a talented winemaker finding an excellent old-vine fruit source and turning it into something magical.
This Lodi Nero d’Avola brings big fruit. Plum, spicy blueberries, and blackberry compote. On the palate there’s a huge presence of toasted spices and woodsy notes, all held together by that strong body and weight. It certainly tastes like a wine grown in central California, but on the palate that rush of ripe fruit is pleasantly undermined by crisp acidity and tanginess. Pair with grilled meat and zucchini salads.
Food Pairing: Grilled Flank Steak With Zucchini, Tzatziki and Herb Vinaigrette
Description: This big, fruity wine needs a powerful dish cooked over open fire
Music: “Desert Song” by Bexley
Description: we of course gotta show some love to our customers who also play music :) especially when it’s good
Ansel Cabernet Sauvignon
“the wildness and intensity of the desert sun”
Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV: 13.8%
Region: Wahluke Slope, WA
Winemaker: Graham Markel
Viniculture: organically farmed, chemical-free viticulture in Washington State- a very promising start!
Winemaking: These Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are destemmed and macerated for 12 days. Aging is done in neutral barrels to preserve fruit and freshness.
Jackson’s Notes:
Ansel is a project started by Graham Market at Buona Notte wines. He works organically with a big breadth of Italian wine varieties across the Columbia Gorge and Columbia Valley. But Ansel is a project made for classic international varieties, and I’m particularly excited to share this Cabernet Sauvignon with you. Graham’s goal from the start has been to make Washington wine with less input and zero chemicals.
Wahluke Slope is the source of some of Washington State’s greatest wines, like Quilceda Creek Cabernet. Fruit from Wahluke is always dense, rich and spicy. When these wines are made with natural yeasts and a pared back winemaking style, the wildness and intensity of the desert sun shows through.
This Ansel Cabernet Sauvignon is fresh and spicy and dense, like any good Cabernet should be. It brings tangy fruit and lifted spiciness to the forefront, with a wonderful undercurrent of fresh chopped herbs. It’s a great counterpoint to some of Washington’s most massive wines, which also happen to come from the same Wahluke Slope vineyards that this wine comes from.
Food Pairing: Bâteau Butter-Basted Steak
Description: it’s hard to find a more indulgent beef and wine experience than Renée Erickson & Taylor Thornhill’s excellent steak at Bâteau.
Music: “Will I See You Again” by Three Sacred Souls
Description: Cabernet is not usually a chill, soul-inflected type of wine, but this one very much feels that way–less aggressive, more self-contented.
Espera Palheto 2021
“dandelion and bitter root vermouth”
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Arinto de Bucelas, Fernao Pires, Vital
ABV: 12%
Region: Alcobaça, Lisbon, Portugal
Winemaker: Rodrigo Martins
Viniculture: this is a field blend of organically-farmed grapes a short distance away from the city of Lisbon. Everything is grown and then fermented together in the ancient style.
Winemaking: Both red (Touriga) and white (Arinto/Fernao Pires) grapes ferment together in the same tank, and age together. This creates a wonderful medium-pale style of red wine.
Jackson’s Notes:
For a long time on the Iberian Peninsula, red and rosé weren’t entirely separate concepts from one another. It was typical to find rosés made in a richer, darker style, and light reds that weren’t far off in body and color. The advent of the Provençal-style, short-maceration rosé over the last 15-20 years meant that a lot of more traditional styles in Spain and Portugal went out of fashion while the rest of the wine world tried to make things that were bright pink and lean on flavor.
In Portugal, Palheto is an old-school style of wine that blends red and white grapes together. The color comes out looking like something between a light red and a rosé, but it’s not either. It’s doing its own thing.
This Palheto comes from Rodrigo Martins’ vineyard in Alcobaça, a small wine region outside of Lisbon. It’s a lovely color–orange, red, fuschia and violet all at the same time. On the nose, dried flowers compete with fresh fruit for attention. Turned earth and dandelion and bitter root vermouth finish with a lingering cranberry tang.
Food Pairing: Frango Asado (Piri Piri Chicken)
Description: this quasi-rosé/red wine begs for a spicy robust dish
Music: “Mr Experience” by Donny Benét
Description: This rosy-hued transition lens color of a wine takes me to a very tropical, festive place. Donny Benét would definitely drink this wine.
Quaresimo la Collina Lambrusco
“a big gulp of frothy, fresh goodness”
Grapes: Lambrusco Salamino, Maestri, Grasparossa, Malbo Gentile
ABV: 11%
Region: Emilia-Romagna
Winemaker: Enea Burani
Viniculture: Organic farming, regenerative mixed agriculture with vegetables, vines and animals all grown in tandem.
Winemaking: Clean, tank-fermented sparkling Lambrusco is siphoned into individual bottles when the bubbles are still tangy and fresh.
Jackson’s Notes:
Sometimes a wine is so gosh-darned delicious that you have no choice but to include it in a release and share it with everyone.
This is from Emilia-Romagna, a region that’s best known for its food, far before its wine. Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico, and Prosciutto di Parma all come from Emilia-Romagna. But the fun thing about a great food region is that their wines tend to be excellent for pairing purposes. That is most definitely the case with this Lambrusco, a sparkling, dry, fruity, delicious wine that gives tons of pleasure and levity.
In the Lambrusco region, all the grapes are called Lambrusco. So Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Maestri, etc. make up the blend here. Many Lambrusco wineries make a cheaper, overcropped bulk product, but La Collina is an example of a small cooperative winery that has chosen to do things in a meaningful, intentional way.
This Quaresimo Lambrusco rides that perfect line between dry and off-dry. It certainly isn’t sweet, but it’s definitely not bone dry. Fruity, abundant and lush, it invites you in immediately for a big gulp of frothy, fresh goodness. Pair with charcuterie, cheese, and pizza.
Food Pairing: Piadina with Stracchino and Chicory
Description: A classic regional dish. Fresh and delightful.
Music: “Vampires” by The Midnight
Description: like the wine, this song is fresh, pretty, and light with a serious/brooding edge.
Vinicola Atacalco Cárabe de Itata Sémillon 2020
“ it doesn’t really taste like anything else”
Grapes: 90% Sémillon, 10% Moscatel
ABV: 13%
Region: Itata, Sur. Chile
Winemaker: Ricardo Baettig
Viniculture: Organically and sustainably farmed old vines in the Itata valley.
Winemaking: The Sémillon and Moscatel are co-fermented with their stems, and aged on the skins for 4 weeks.
Jackson’s Notes: Only 145 cases of this wine were made, which tells you something about its uniqueness and scarcity. It’s unlike any other white wine I’ve ever had.
Vinicola Atacalco is a micro-project in southern Chile, making incredibly interesting wines from old vineyards spread across the country. Winemaker Ricardo Baettig isn’t afraid to experiment either, doing things like aging Pinot Gris in amphora casks on its skins and fermenting white wine with entire clusters intact.
This wine is Sémillon, at 90% of the blend. Sémillon is a bit of a chameleon of a grape. It takes on oak or other aging vessels well, and tends to display lots of character from its winemaking techniques. Sémillon is often made with botrytis in France, where it takes on incredibly honeyed and rich notes. Early picking in Australia’s Hunter Valley gives Sémillon a green apple skin quality that takes years to calm down before it’s fully ready.
Whole-cluster Sémillon from Chile is a relatively unknown quantity, but this wine is quite the statement. Stemmy, fruity, bright and vegetal all at once, it doesn’t really taste like anything else.
Angelica root, wormwood, fennel pollen and golden pear skin come bursting forth out of the glass, and this wine finishes with all the pleasant vegetal bitterness and fruity persistence that it can muster. Keep it open for a long time and watch it evolve with air and temperature change, because it really does.
Food Pairing: Pilar Hernandez’s Pollo al Jugo
Description: this wine is so complex, it needs a tasty but simple dish to let it shine
Music: ”Josephine” by Chris Rea
Description: It’s late and as I write this I’m in a deep, mournful pit of SadDad/Yacht Rock vibes and I am somehow okay wallowing in these waves of schmaltzy synth piano and gated snare drums, and that’s all I have to say about that.