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About this Episode

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at June, the first natural wine bar and restaurant in Brooklyn with an intimate and international ambience. Grant introduces a bad-ass splurge wine, a fun, sparkling red, and a wine from the Canary Islands that is a must-try for the adventurous oenophile.

Wines reviewed include:

2019 Kabaj “Hydra” pet-nat
2018 Alheit “Cartology”
2020 Babass Dervieux “Groll n’ Roll”

Transcript: June

June Wine Bar

June Wine Bar is a quaint and cozy wine bar with a fun and focused menu to match a great selection of libations, wines by the glass, and an impressive wine list. Join us as we talk about what we think is exciting to us.

I really enjoy wine bars like this that serve as a casual and relaxed way to get friends together and order all sorts of shareable plates to accompany a wide array of wines to evoke one’s appetite which I think is the true spice of life. As you know, Robert, I love a good cocktail so let me start by recommending the “Not tired, just pissed” featuring Yola Mezcal, Contratto bitter, green Chartreuse and lime which is right up my ally but the “Some velvet morning” which features Smith & Cross rum, lime, and velvet Falernum. These are sure ways to ease you into your evening.

By the glass, I’d go for the 2019 Kabaj “Hydra” pet-nat which is a sparkling orange wine made from Malvasia in Slovenia which is fun way to get a little weird but the 2020 Domaine Rietsch “Tout Blanc” which is a blend of riesling and auxerrois from Alsace is another super fresh and food-friendly white.

For red btg I’d go for the 2020 Domaine Les Grande Vignes which is a cabernet franc / grolleau from the Loire which is a fantastic and fun red to change things up.

Let’s get into their bottle list though! For bubbles, I like the Jacques Lassaigne “Les Vignes de Montgueux” extra brut bdb from Champagne which is a great wine at a great price on their list but a fun sparkling red to try would be the Terrevive “No Autoclave” Lambrusco from 2020 which are always fun wines to expand pair with a variety of dishes.

Moving to whites, I like the 2017 Bernhard Ott Stein 1 from the Kamptal since grüner veltliner is so food versatile and just plain awesome!

Another fun favorite of mine is the 2018 Alheit “Cartology” which is a blend of Chenin and Semillon coming from old bush vines in the Western Cape. “Cartology” is a really round and textual white that ages really nicely as well.

On to reds, the 2020 Babass Dervieux “Groll n’ Roll” is a fun Grolleau from the Loire is a fun value that’s a fun food wine but the 2018 Frank Cornelissen “Munjebel Terre Siciliane CS” is a badass Nerello Mascalese that is a great splurge wine. Also, the 2020 Envinate “Migan” from the Canary Islands made from the old Listan Negro is a really interesting lighter red from a really cool Island off of Spain.