Grape: Cabernet Franc Region: Chinon, France Farming: Organic For refined, classically-styled Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, look no further than Domaine Olga Raffault's Chinon. Established by Pierre and Olga Raffault in 1931, the domaine survived Pierre's sudden death in 1947 thanks to the work of estate employee Ernest Zeinninger, who introduced minimal intervention farming at a time when chemical use was widespread in the Loire. Taking over in 2000 without previous winemakin

Grapes: Gamay, Pinot Noir Region: Cheverny, France Farming: Sustainable To the south of Blois, a town perhaps best associated with its imposing château, lie the little-known twin appellations of Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny. neither are regularly spotted on the average wine merchant’s list, and I think it is fair to say that these wines are a niche interest, most likely to appeal most to the hardened Loire fanatic. Of the two regions, Cheverny is the larger, and it is also the

Grape: Pinot Noir Region: Pfalz, Germany Farming: Sustainable While Koehler-Ruprecht has existed since the 1700's, it was Bernd Phillipi's hard work over the last 30 years that solidified the winery's world class reputation. Bernd's biggest inspiration was his grandfather, and the wines reflect an attitude of winemaking more akin to the 1900's than the 2000's. The Pfalz is ground zero for dry German Riesling but it is also home to some of its more diverse soil types, grapes a

Grape: Ortrugo Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy Farming: Organic Santa Giustina is located in the heart of the Colli Piacentini in the far northwestern corner of Emilia-Romagna. A perfect backdrop to what the estate calls their 'village' (a few 1000 year old buildings, a church from 870, and their wine-making facilities) is a series of perfect hills before the distant Alps. A 100 hectare property at 300m above sea level is theirs, comprised of many different crops, forests, vin

Grape: Sangiovese Region: Tuscany, Italy Farming: Organic Perched on the highest hill in the rugged Northwest corner of Montalcino, Castello di Romitorio stands like a guardian over the Brunello DOCG zone. One of the most famous living artists, Sandro Chia, acquired the property in 1984. The purchase included the Castello Romitorio farm which was re-deditcated to the production of Montalcino DOCs. Today Sandro’s son Filippo Chia is the owner and winemaker of the estate. Sand

Grape: Zweigelt Region: Weinland, Austria Farming: Organic Christina grew up with her sister at a mixed family run farm of her parents and grandparents, cultivating different grains, corn, sugar beets, breeding pigs and growing some vines. Giving a helping hand almost everywhere on the farm, she fell in love with the wine production very early on. Christina loved being in the vineyards, helping in the cellar and telling their customers the stories behind the wines. So, it was

Grape: Picpoul Region: Languedoc, France Farming: Sustainable Picpoul de Pinet is the only white wine appellation in the Languedoc, and it’s on a roll right now. The wine is called Picpoul de Pinet, but the grape variety is actually Piquepoul blanc, and there are 1400 hectares of it grown on mostly limestone-based soils. Bruno uses only certified organic and/or sustainably farmed fruit and production practices to handcraft the finest environmentally sensitive wines. The wine’

Grape: Xinomavro Region: Amyndeon, Greece Farming: Sustainable Kir-Yianni was founded in 1997 by its namesake, Yiannis Boutaris, a towering figure in Greek wine (and, until recently, mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city). Based in Naoussa, its vineyards spread from Naoussa over to Amyndeon, on the western side of Mount Vermion in Greece’s far northwest. At the time Yiannis Boutaris struck out on his own, he was leaving his family’s Boutari Wine Group (founded

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon Region: Napa Valley, CA Farming: Organic No Love Lost Wines Co was founded by California born, first generation Cuban American, and Orlando, Florida raised Jay Nunez. Before wine, Jay worked in the music industry for more than 10 years including playing in a band in Florida. Long interested in the outdoors and farming he spent one harvest interning in Napa Valley. He was hooked both by the people he met in Napa Valley, the process of winemakin

Grape: Aglianico Region: Campania, Italy Farming: Sustainable Fattoria La Rivolta, a family-owned winery, traces its roots back to the early twentieth century when Giovanni and Teresa combined their strengths and acquired land in the Ciurica, Rivolta, and Roseto districts. Their efforts resulted in one of the largest and most productive farms in the province of Benevento. Situated in Torrecuso, in the province of Benevento, Fattoria La Rivolta's vineyards are nestled among th

Grape: Albariño Region: Rias Baixas, Spain Farming: Organic The Rías Baixas, in the heart of Galicia, represent one of the most unique jewels of the Spanish wine scene. This privileged region offers an exceptional environment for growing vines, where the Atlantic microclimate, the complex topography and the granitic soils combine harmoniously with the native varieties, giving rise to a unique and extremely rich wine ecosystem. The distinctive character of the wines of the Ría

Grape: Gruner Veltliner Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon Farming: Organic Erich Berg’s journey into winemaking is as rich and varied as the wines he creates. After a vibrant career in Chicago’s fine-dining scene, Erich moved to Oregon in 2004 with a singular goal: to master the art of winemaking. His first harvest at the esteemed Domaine Serene set the stage, where he honed his skills in a setting renowned for its high standards and rigorous expectations. However, a challen

Grape: Grignolino Region: Piedmont, Italy Farming: Organic Nestled within the original castle of Castagnole Monferrato, La Miraja was constructed as an armory in the 11th century, only to be retrofitted as a cellar in the 1400s. In this armory-turned- cellar, Eugenio Gatti, a seventh-generation viticulturist, turns out Barbera, Grignolino, Freisa, and his fabled Ruché. La Miraja (pronounced “me-rye-uh”) is tiny by any measure, comprising less than 4 hectares under vine. It is

Grapes: Zametna Crnina, Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir Region: Ptuj, Slovenia Farming: Organic Gönc winery is a family tradition going back to 1936, when Peter Gönc’s great grandfather built their first wine cellar and planted the vineyard around it in the small town of Dobrovnik in Slovenia. After World War II, his grandfather moved to the city Ptuj where he started working in the Ptujska Klet, or Ptuj wine cellar, as a cellar cleaner and worked his way up to head winemaker and C

Grape: Vermentino Region: Tuscany, Italy Farming: Organic The addition of the contemporary Casanova Estate to the La Spinetta family came about as the result of a challenge between Giorgio Rivetti and a Tuscan colleague. Giorgio, convinced of the indisputable value of indigenous grape varieties, often found himself criticizing his Tuscan winemaking counterparts, not being able to comprehend why producers were replacing beautiful, historic Sangiovese vineyards with young int

Grapes: Corvina, Rondinella Region: Veneto, Italy Farming: Organic Immersed in the winemaking traditions of the Valpantena and Valpolicella areas of Veneto, the Tezza family has been dedicated to working in wine for three generations. Grandparents Giovanni and Virginia launched the family vineyard operation in 1960, and their children, Paolo, Giuseppe, and Renzo carried the family into winemaking. From 1998 on, the Tezza winery has been owned and operated by cousins Flavio, V

Grape: Pinot Noir Region: Burgundy, France Farming: Organic After getting a masters in finance and working a few years in the business sector, Antoine Reniaume came back to Burgundy to work in the vineyards. His grandfather had been an agricultural engineer living in Bouzeron, on the border between the Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise. Antoine got his viticultural degree in Beaune and pursued an apprenticeship at Meo-Camuzet, in the Côte de Nuits. During his tenure at

Grapes: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat Region: Alsace, France Farming: Organic Amélie and Charles Sparr are Alsatian through and through; both come from winegrowing families. The Sparr family has been in the region since 1634, making Charles the 12th generation. Pierre Sparr, a famous and respected negociant, was Charles's great grandfather. The company was sold in 2007 to a local co-op and the vineyards the family owned were split up among the cousins and Charles's uncle. Cha

Grape: Favorita Region: Langhe, Italy Farming: Organic The Abbona winery is represented by the hard work of the first Marziano Abbona and his son Celso. Celso Abbona was among the first of his generation to believe in the potential of Dogliani and its territory. Together with his family, Celso planted the legendary vineyard Bricco Doriolo, located in Santa Lucia di Dogliani. Today, this vineyard not only embodies the historical memory of the company, but it represents one of

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese Region: Tuscany, Italy Farming: Sustainable Fabio Chiarelotto has been the guiding hand at the helm of Montepeloso since 1999. He holds a doctorate in history and is an ardent perfectionist. From the very beginning, he has pursued the same goal in both winery and vineyard: to develop the full potential of the terroir with unwavering determination, while disregarding the fleeting trends in the winegrowing industry and the markets. Pursuit