The Quenard family have been farming and making wine in the Savoie for almost a century. Andre Quenard was the first to bottle under the family name in 1960, with his son Michel joining the business a decade later. Their names still adorn the label today, though it's Michel's sons Guillaume & Romain who currently run the operation. Their Chignin blanc is made from the high-altitude loving jacquere grape; planted in rocky, limestone soil on steep slopes with vines that are 30-60 years old. And it's crisp, oh so crisp. Mineral driven and bursting with white peach, citrus blossom and alpine herbs, this is a versatile wine that's just as home on the ski slopes as it is on the beach. It goes well with pretty much whatever you're serving but it's also a nice sunset aperitif if you don't want to wait for dinner.

Melaney Schmidt and Malia Myers make energetic wines that reflect place, people, and purpose. They proudly represent Oregon's outsiders, offering a beacon of inclusivity and unique perspectives to the land and their wines. Their original mission at Landmass was to produce world class sparkling wine, which they do in spades, though their still wine program is equally important and intentional. Landmass's most esoteric wine is this gruner, which comes from Underwood Mountain on the Washington side of the Gorge. This version of Austria's prized variety offers intensely fruity aromatics with subtle florality, and at 11.8% abv, it's about as "drinky" as it gets. It will keep your attention throughout any meal, from salad to Szechuan.

Julien Braud hails from the small village of Monnières in the Sèvre et Maine appellation. Today Julien Braud owns just over seven hectares, with only around five hectares going into his production. Julien Braud began his winemaking career at his family’s estate, where heworked through the 2011 vintage. In 2012, he ventured out on his own when he took over three hectares from his parents. His vision was to work in a way that highlighted the individual terroirs of the region and the heights to which melon could be taken. At the young age of 29 years old, Julien is one of only a handful of the next generation of winemakers in the region. He works entirely organically and is recently fully certified and incorporates aspects of biodynamics to his approach. Julien Braud uses horses in his vineyards to minimize soil compaction, hand harvests, uses only natural yeasts for fermentation after a gentle press, and ages the wines on their lees in glass-lined, underground cement vats.

Situated in the isolated village of Fontjoncouse, Gaëlle and Florian Richter of Domaine des Deux Clés produce soulful, distinctive wines from 14 hectares of high-elevation, biodynamically farmed old vines in the Hautes-Corbières. The couple met at Maison Champy in Burgundy in 2009 and spent years working in Napa Valley and Châteauneuf-du-Pape before purchasing their own estate in 2015. Their micro-climate, significantly cooler than the surrounding Languedoc, allows for a finesse-driven style reminiscent of Burgundy, with whites fermented in French oak and reds emphasizing elegance through whole-cluster fermentation and minimal extraction. This white shows the potential for grenache blanc and macabeu to produce powerful, complex wines of impeccable balance and effortless drinkability. We had this open in the refrigerator for a few days, and it kept getting better! It held its own with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese as well as it did with napa cabbage and noodles with peanut sauce.