50 JULY 2020
BOTTLESERVICEthe other hand, my friend Alice Feiring, who has written more
about natural wines than anyone I know, doesn’t mind mod-
erately bretty wines. As she says, “If it smells like one sheep
coming near you in the field, no problem. If it’s like a flock of
sheep in a small cabin warmed by a wood stove, big problem.”
Fight about it? We joke about our differences instead. Look at
it this way: In cheese, one person liking Époisses and another
preferring Gruyère wouldn’t even be a debate.
Besides, as Haley Fortier, the 2019 F&W Sommelier of the Year
who owns Haley.Henry in Boston, says, “People tend to have
this conception in their heads that if a wine’s natural, it will
taste really dirty and funky and ‘natty.’ But there are lots of
really clean natural wines, too. In a way, the situation is very
similar to Riesling. So many people assume that all Riesling is
really sweet. But if someone wants a white that’s totally dry and
crisp, Riesling’s often the first place I go.”
Miles White and Femi Oyediran, also 2019 F&W Sommeliers
of the Year, co-own Graft Wine Shop in Charleston. They also
serve conventional and natural wines side by side. White says,
“Look, you can have funky new-age stuff next to traditional
stuff, and they don’t butt heads at all.” Oyediran adds, “At the
end of the day, it’s either good or it’s not. I don’t care if it’s natty
or if it’s conventional; if I taste it, and it’s fresh and delicious,
you’re in.” Brent Kroll, at Washington, D.C.’s Maxwell Park,
puts it succinctly: “Why not just have wines for everyone?”
But what is a wine bar, and is that what most of these places
are? Chearno says, “When we opened The Four Horsemen, we
used the term ‘wine bar’ a lot, but calling ourselves a wine bar
was really underselling our kitchen team wildly.” Now The Four
Horsemen offers a full dinner menu, with dishes like vealNV JUVƒ & CAMPS BRUT
ROSƒ CAVA ($17)
Juvé & Camps, founded in 1796,
is a go-to name for Cava, the
sparkling wine of Spain. This
rosé version is made from Pinot
Noir, not one of the traditional
grapes of the Penedès region
but delicious nonetheless.2019 LUCY ROSƒ OF PINOT
NOIR ($19)
Lucy is a side project for the
Pisoni family, one of California’s
top Pinot Noir growers. It’s full
of red fruit and citrus peel notes,
and a portion of the proceeds
from every sale goes to breast
cancer research.2019 CLOS DU TUE-BOEUF
ROSƒ ($20)
Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat
were there at the start of the
natural wine movement in the
early 1990s. Their rosé, made
with organic grapes, is refresh-
ingly herbal and savory.2019 ARNOT-ROBERTS
CALIFORNIA ROSƒ ($25)
Touriga Nacional grapes, native
to Portugal, are the heart of this
ambitious California rosé. Its
bright cherry fruit offers spice
and floral nuances.2018 AGNéS ET RENƒ MOSSE
MOUSSAMOUSSETTES
PƒTILLANT NATUREL ($30)
“We poured this rosé pét-nat
when we opened, and people
loved it,” Trent Stewart, of
Golden Age Wine in Birming-
ham, Alabama, says. Cloudy
and gently fizzy, its flavors
recall tart strawberries.NV CHAMPAGNE DELAMOTTE
BRUT ($60)
Delamotte is made by the same
team as Salon, one of the most
sought-after (and pricey) Cham-
pagnes on the planet. It has a
refined balance and layers of
tree fruit and brioche.Marcona almonds
with crushed pink
peppercorns and
sea salt are the ideal
foil for sparkling
and rosé wines.SPARKLING AND ROSÉCONVENTIONAL?
NATURAL?
YES TO BOTH.
These picks from my
dream wine list, many
drawn from the lists at
my favorite wine bars,
include bottles from all
over the spectrum.