Farmer's Daughter and Something to Drink

On November 20th April McGreger, a startlingly talented producer of foods from local ingredients will come to our (open) wine store to share her food. We will charge you money, but it will be worth it. April will be featuring locally made chutneys, cheeses and a range of easy holiday food and wine matching ideas. Brilliant southern flavors are a hallmark of Farmer's Daughter, her locally based company.

I'm obsessed with one winery right now. Need an obsession to share?

Maybe they just resonate with my palate, but I am totally floored by Derain. Mind-blowingly awesome. They are totally satisfying. Am I crazy? Buy a bottle and you and risk sharing my mania. These are some of the most enjoyable "affordable" Burgundies you’ll find. They are amazingly alive on the palate,showing a full spectrum of aromas, a characteristic I only seem to find in naturally farmed and unadulterated wines. Derain's wines will make you hungry, and also hungry for more Derain wines.

Catherine and Dominique Derain run a certified organic and biodynamic winery in St. Aubin, a village in Burgundy's famous Cote de Beaune. The couple met at Beaune's oenology school, which is one of the top institutions of its kind in Europe. After school they purchased 5.5 hectares of vines in St. Aubin and immediately began cultivating their land according to biodynamic principle.

To this Burgundy fan the wines of St. Aubin generally seem a better value (and often simply better) than comparable wares from other famous communes along the Beaune hillside. All the fruit is hand-picked at this address. The Derains de-stem 90% of their red grapes before fermentation, which occurs in wooden vats. After fermentation the wine is aged in old oak casks for 12-18 months. The couple never use SO2 during the winemaking process, adding only a small amount at bottling for stabilization.