Almost 25 years ago, Riccardo Tiberio made his leap into winemaking after purchasing a rare plot of 60-year-old trebbiano abruzzese vines; an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Much of what sells as "trebbiano" in Abruzzo is trebbiano toscano, bombino bianco or other similar looking varieties and not the rare, indigenous Abruzzese varietal, which can produce wines of greater depth and complexity. Just a year later, he would plant vines of another neglected native grape: pecorino. Pecorino is a finicky grape that fell into obscurity due to its low yields, but made a comeback in the 1990's thanks to trailblazing winemakers who recognized its potential. The altitude and microclimate of Abruzzo is where Pecorino thrives, but you'll also find it in Umbria, Liguria, Tuscany and the Marche. After several successful harvests, Riccardo handed the reins over to his son Antonio (agronomist) and daughter Cristiana (chemist, oenologist) and they continue to produce exemplary Abruzzese wines, including this 2022 vintage of their Pecorino. Full bodied and mineral, with notes of green apple, lime and sage and a thirst quenching long finish, this is a good wine to pair with some kale sauce pasta and the other kind of pecorino grated on top. 

Kara Tara is a joint venture between José Condé of Stark-Condé and rising star winemaker Rüdger Van Wyk. Van Wyk named the project after a river that runs through the small town where he grew up. His approach is straight-forward: craft pinot noir and chardonnay that demonstrates the beauty of his home land. The grapes for this wine are hand-picked from vineyards in Elgin, the Overberg and Stellenbosch. The grapes from Elgin add a balancing component of fresh, zesty acidity. The Overberg vineyard has Tafelberg Sandstone, whose stony soils contribute a flinty minerality. The Stellenbosch vineyard is in close proximity to the ocean. Its cooling winds add a saline quality to the final wine. The grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes for transport to the winery. Half of the grapes were put into open-top fermenters and given hand punch-downs and the other half in closed tanks done with regular pump-overs. About 20% of the wine was whole-cluster fermented. After primary fermentation, the wine was basket-pressed and racked for malolactic fermentation and subsequent French oak barrel maturation (10% new). And voila! A lovely pinot noir to pair with just about anything.