featured origin

ITALY

To be in Italy is to be swathed in architecture, artwork, history, and an endless satiation of food and wine. Truly overwhelming, utterly exhausting, Italy is a sensory overload; a fight to stay afloat in an ocean of culture that surrounds you. But if you find yourself drowning in the waves of cultural intake, just reach out your hand, because in it someone will place a glass of wine; a life ring.

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Italy’s prominence in the wine world is unmatched. The world’s largest wine producer is not only home to some of the most talked about wines in the world, but is home to over 400 unique indigenous grape varietals. In comparison, France, the world’s second largest wine producer, offers 50. The Italian wines we offer run the scope from the more well known styles of Chianti and Brunello, to some of these lesser known indigenous varietals like Marzemino and Gropello.

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All of our Italian selections are small production and showcase the Italy that we have grown to love. From world famous to off the beaten path, each wine we offer is unique, steeped in history, and evocative of the land and culture it came from.

I SODI

featured winery

"I hope that the memory of visiting I Sodi for the first time and meeting Andrea Cassini, his father Franco, and his father’s twin brother Danillo never fades from my memory.

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A blustery day, we quickly retreated inside where a fire that had been started well before dawn was down to a bed of hot embers. Above the embers half of a Cinghiale (wild boar) turned slowly on a large spit, golden and crisp, oozing a drip or two of rendered fat onto the coals. The first chianti was opened, then one or two older vintages, then a riserva or two, each wine somehow more amazing than the last. As the final bottle was poured, a 1999 Riserva covered in dust, we sat silently together savoring the wine and our thoughts. Non ci sono parole, there are no words, nothing more could be said.

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Now, as the twin brother's get into their late 80’s I still look forward to the chance to visit and share more stories and bottles with the Cassini’s.  Danillo says that at the end of the day if his hands are dirty, then it was a good day.  The Cassinis are Chianti...classic, sturdy and getting better every year. They and their wines are indistinguishable."

- Importer of I Sodi wines, Paul Turina.

featured origin

SPAIN

Spain is the third largest producer of wine in the world, with the largest amount of land area dedicated to vineyards. Still, Spanish wines tend to fly under the radar. From great value wines to collectible wines, from delicate whites to big, bold reds, Spain offers a bit of everything.

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It would be a mistake to pigeonhole Spain into one category of wine, or one description of culture. Spain isn’t just one thing; there are so many different regional cultures, so many different microclimates and so many different styles of wine you do not want to miss. From drinking Alvarinho on a sailboat in the coastal Northwest, to having suckling pig with Verdejo in Rueda and slow cooked lamb with Tempranillo in Rioja, Spain is beautiful in its diversity of culture and style.

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Through wines made by small producers in unique climates, and the stories we have to share about them, we aim to connect people to the many diverse cultures Spanish wines are born from.

MIGUEL ARROYO IZQUIERDO

featured winery

“I was first introduced to Miguel Arroyo through the Andreas sisters, Ruth and Ana who own and operate Alegra, another Verdejo producer in Rueda. Other than the help he gets from Ruth and Ana in both domestic and international sales, Miguel is truly a one man show, and the wines he makes, unique standouts among Verdejo, are truly worth his efforts.

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A lot of Rueda producers make commercial wines, blended with Viura and Sauvignon Blanc, and often made using laboratory yeasts. Tasting Miguel’s wines is a completely different experience. Miguel’s wines are made with 100% Verdejo, his vines are a century old, his soil is ideal for Verdejo vines, and he has designed his vineyards in such a way that an entire vineyard can be harvested in a single day - at the exact peak moment of harvest. All of this care and concentration creates wines that are precise, interesting, and evocative of the person and the land they came from.”

- Importer of Miguel's wines, Ben Martin