July 2026 | Enthusiast Wine Club

Josmeyer 2025 Peau Rouge Sylvaner

This may be my favorite white wine of 2026 thus far; woooowowowow! I asked to taste through the new Josmeyer wines specifically for their Pinot Blanc, and their Sylvaner just smashed it. The Josmeyer wines have been crafted for five generations in Alsace, and the estate has been practicing biodynamics since 2000. The Peau Rouge is a blend of 50% Sylvaner and 50% Sylvaner Rouge, a variant of Sylvaner with lightly colored skins. Peau Rouge is made from the Rotenberg parcel in the Grand Cru Hengst, grown on iron-rich soils.

On the pop, the wine is immediately captivating with aromatics of cumin spice, honeydew, Asian pear, nasturtium, fresh honey, and marzipan; there is truly an explosion of aromatics in the glass. As the wine opens, it brightens with notes of Lipton tea, fresh lemonade, guava, Green Jolly Rancher, and perfumed honeycomb. The palate is viscous with a perfectly balanced acidity, making the overall glass a satin-like experience. Over a few days, the wine starts to express pineapple upside-down cake, shortbread, and apricot thumbprint cookies, showing remarkable longevity.

For food pairings, you can go fairly bold here without concern; think shrimp scampi, yellow, red, or green curry, or fish tacos. The wine is crazy versatile! Drink now through 2028 (I think it could age for longer, but I love the energy the wine has right now and would hate to miss this peak) and serve in all-purpose stemware just above refrigeration temperature.

Zerbina 2024 Romagna Albana Secco

Winemaker Cristina is placed firmly on the Romagna side of Emilia-Romagna, a region known for some of life’s greatest culinary treasures: Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, Lambrusco, and Albana (the flagship white varietal of the region). While few dry Albana wines make it to the States (we have a skin-contact one in stock that is gorgeous if you want to compare), this varietal is widely planted in Romagna, where it is also used to make a local sweet wine.

This Albana is dry (secco) and pours a light straw color in the glass, offering a nose of golden apple, lily, jasmine, kumquat, and green apple. The palate has a satin-like texture and is fantastic right from the opening! The wine has a luxurious energy with a captivating nose and is a true gem to drink. As it continues to open, the fruit notes shift slightly toward sweet guava, pink apple, and white grapefruit while the minerality continues to build. The wine holds remarkable consistency into day two and remains largely unchanged.

For food pairings, you have a good amount of versatility; you could serve this alongside roast chicken, a cheese platter (avoid anything with a ton of vinegar), or fish broiled in a white cream sauce. Drink now through 2028 and serve in all-purpose stemware at refrigeration temperature.

Alpha Estate 2023 Hedgehog Vineyard Xinomavro

Xinomavro is the most widely planted red varietal in Greece, and it can take so many unique forms! Consequently, it is an excellent varietal for expressing microclimates and terroir. The Hedgehog Vineyard from Alpha Estate comes from the Amyndeon plateau in Northwestern Macedonia within the Hedgehog sub-region. The single vineyard faces a lake and sits at an elevation of 620–710 meters. The fruit is entirely destemmed and spends 12 months in French oak. The resulting wine feels elegant and is nostalgic of Nebbiolo, truly a trip of a wine.

On the pop, the wine delivers notes of wet suede, riverbed rocks, brandied cherry, fresh sage, white plums, and raspberry fruit leather with integrated acidity and moderate tannins. It is truly a remarkable bottle! As the wine opens in the glass, fresh, perfumed notes of cocoa, dried lavender, and black tea emerge, leading into a black pepper and graphite finish. That profile holds strong throughout the first day and well into day two; even the structural components of the wine barely budge. This wine drinks beautifully into day three and shows incredible promise for cellaring should you wish to hold onto it.

For food pairings, you can go bold here; think spice-forward meats like barbecue, anything smothered in romesco sauce, or grilled sausages. Drink now through 2037 and serve in large-bowl stemware at cellar temperature.