November 2025 | Enthusiast Wine Club
by Caileen BrisonBodrog 2024 Fresh Tokaj
Admittedly, the Enthusiast wines this month are some of the most unexpected wines (for all of us) that I have featured, but I do hope they invigorate everyone’s palate. I hope you enjoy this Hungarian expression of (yellow) Muscat; it is a true and playful joy to drink over days.
Right off the pop, the wine is explosively aromatic, featuring notes like Juicy Fruit gum, passionfruit, tropical Skittles, and a wonderful lingering feeling of Squirt soda. (I realize that if you are a healthy person who has not tasted the aforementioned flavors this description makes no sense, but please just trust me.) After a couple of hours, the wine softens a little and creeps into peach ring and Pixie Stick territory. On day two, it weaves through notes of lime sorbet and green Life Saver. For a wine so jovial, it shows remarkable steadfastness. It’s not actually candy, and it’s not sweet, I promise; just drink it and have fun, because life is too short. Drink now – 2026, and serve in all-purpose stemware at refrigeration temperature.
Envinate 2024 Albahra Tinto
Born from a collaboration of four college friends, Envínate (which translates as "wine yourself") was initially created to express the terroir of the Canary Islands and Ribeira Sacra (a region in the broader Galicia area). Their focus is on farming without herbicides or pesticides to express unique parcels, and the results are remarkable. Despite the majority of their wines hailing from the former areas, they produce a small amount of wine from Castilla-La Mancha, notably this entry-level blend, “Albahra.”
Albahra is a blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and 30% Moravia Agria. It is invigorating in the glass, with a bouquet similar to Beaujolais Nouveau—think red cherry, marionberry, and fresh bramble—along with plush tannins and a soft finish of caramel/cardamom spice (yum!). Over time, the wine settles into itself nicely with notes of quince jelly and an overall sense of greater structural integration. On day two, the wine continues to grow and integrate, with some tertiary notes of flint and white pepper emerging from a depth of raspberry jam. Serve alongside lamb chops, pork tenderloin, miso-sautéed mushrooms, or a Polish hot dog. Drink now – 2028/30, and serve in all-purpose stemware at cellar temperature.
North American Press 2023 “The Mentor”
If you’ve read the newsletter, I have foreshadowed this wine through the lens of sustainability. The North American Press is a project by Matt Niess, formerly of famed Radio-Coteau in Sonoma, focusing on non-Vitis vinifera wine varietals. “The Mentor” is a blend of hybrid and indigenous wine varietals: St. Croix and Frontenac Noir. And yes—it really is a wine from Nevada.
Independent of your preconceived notions about non-Vitis vinifera wines, this is a great wine and a fantastic value. The wine is slightly wound up on the pop but quickly opens to an electric profile of purple candy, marionberry, and a deep bramble fruit core. Due to the nature of the vine, the resulting wine has wild acidity and is definitely a food-friendly wine. Over time in the glass, the wine becomes more cohesive and concentrated, resulting in a lively yet evolved glass of wine (even over days). The bombastic fruit quality on the nose would make this a dream for BBQ or sumac-flavored dishes—the more spice and fat, the better! Drink now – 2029/30, and serve in all-purpose stemware at cellar temperature.