Radikon

"The future of wine is in this direction. We need something more from white wine." Saša Radikon

Tucked away in the far-eastern corner of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region lies a small winery called Radikon. You might have heard of them.

Despite its small size and minimal production, Radikon wines have had a major impact in the wine world, through their championing of orange wines and lo-fi, natural winemaking. Their path was set when founder Stanilaus (Stanko) Radikon began his stewardship of the 12 hectares of vines near the Slovenian border. He began to make wine from the local indigenous variety, Ribolla Gialla, but Stanko felt that the pale, fairly unexciting wines being produced throughout the region were not truly indicative of the grape and its potential for flavour. So in 1995 he began to change his methodology. He started with a fairly conservative 7 days of maceration on skins to boost the colour and flavour -something that the DOC didn't agree with. Radikon have been proudly outside of the DOC, and happily declassified since 2001.

Sadly, Stanko passed away in 2016, but his son Saša, stepped in to fill the void. Saša had been working side by side with his father for the 15 years before Stanko's death, so the change over was seamless, and the wines have never looked better. The Radikon philosophy is beautifully simple: "If you have good grapes, you can make good wine. If you have bad grapes, you can only have bad wine," says Saša. "We try to move the sensation you have when you eat the grape to the wine. And the skin keeps the energy from the sun and the information from the vintage. If it was good, if it was bad, if it was rainy, if it was sunny – the skins keep the information and I think it is very important to use that information."

Needless to say, the wines are thrilling and vibrant, complex, layered, filled with energy and vitality, and packed with texture and flavour. If you've never tried one, perhaps now is the time to get your Radik... on. (Sorry!)

Search the range here.

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The Lockdown List

A dozen different wines we think add an extra layer of comfort during these troubling times. Instead of making a pack and locking you in again... Perhaps some freedom is best.

In challenging times we don't want challenging wines! We want safety and satisfaction, perhaps a foreign gem or maybe a special slice of home.

We got together as a team and put together a list of 12 wines that are the kind of treat we think make the best of a bad situation... We will get through this together - hopefully with a selection of wines that help us look back on this time with some good memories and not just stress, boredom and pressers from Gladys.

Lock in the treats here.

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Produttori del Barbaresco

Formed in 1958, Produttori del Barbaresco is a cooperative of 54 growers, spanning 250 acres under vine. Their sites cover nine crus within Barbaresco, and in the best years the wines are all released as individual bottlings, showcasing the diversity of the region. Each year they also produce a Barbaresco DOCG - a blend of their sites - and a Langhe Nebbiolo.

The cooperative is led by Aldo Vacca, one of the most respected winemakers in the region. His father was part of the original cooperative formed in 1894, called Cantine Sociali.

Produttori first began individual bottlings of their various sites in 1967, starting with 5 different crus. Around the same time their neighbours, Gaja and Bruno Giacosa began to release single vineyard bottlings as well, putting single site Barbaresco squarely on the map.

Since its formation, Produttori del Barbaresco has been regarded as one of the top producers in Barbaresco with the exceptional 2016 vintage firmly solidifying their place in the upper echelons of this wonderful region. A worthy addition for any cellar.

Explore the Produttori here.