I have to comment on this very wacky French label.  For me it conjurs up images of a wacky French pantomime on the streets of Paris.  Then I have to wonder why the cross-eyes and what’s up with the silhouette of the Mickey Mouse?  I guess it did it’s job and got my attention.

I certainly did not buy it for the label.  Rather what’s inside.

First, off it’s Demeter Certified.  Meaning the grapes are grown biodynamically, hyper-organically, spiritually even.   The soil is alive with organisms that help grape vines stay healthy naturally (without fertilizers) and give a taste of the specific “terroir” or sense of place to the wine.  For more information on a very fascinating method of grape growing, log onto http://demeter-usa.org.

Second, this wine is from Gaillac.  Where?  To be more specific, Gaillac is in Southwest France.  It’s wine-growing history dates back to Roman times.

As for the exact grape varieties, they weren’t listed.  But I can report that the most common grape varieties in Gaillac are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Fer, and Duras.  Fer is fairly obscure and described by Master Of Wine Jancis Robinson as being “interesting perfumed” with “rhubarb” aromas.  Whereas Duras is a robust red with peppery notes.  I would imagine this Causse Maines is a blend of some of these.

I loved this wine for it’s dusty plum, tart berry, liquorice and earthy flavors along with its long finish and well-integrated medium amounts of alcohol.

I found it at Gowanus Wine Merchants (a new, carefully curated store in the exploding new ‘hood in Brooklyn), 493 Thirst Avenue (at 11th Street).  Or www.gowanuswines.com.

Meinklang is an Austrian Frizzante Pinot Noir with a weird name.  The name aside, this wine is a delicious, biodynamic wine made from Pinot Noir from the Burgenland area of Austria.  The cow on the label pays homage to the bovine’s central role in creating a healthy, living soil key to biodynamic grape ‘farming’.

This wine has flavors of tart strawberries and raspberries with some earthiness.  The acid and bubbles do something playful on the tongue.  And, the alcohol by volume is only 10.5% – so you and a friend can polish off this bottle and still feel good in the morning.  The twine around the neck is a nice visual complement to the cork which is not covered by foil.  

Announcing tons Stark Thirst Chardonnay grapes!  The newest additions to our Stark Wine family are round green and sweet (for now, anyway).  Our Chardonnay was picked on September 9.  We purchased our Stark Thirst Chardonnay grapes again this year from Croft Vineyards.  The Chardonnay grows on a 3-acre single vineyard that hovers around 450 in elevation and has shallow shale soil.  With Christian and I – is fifth generation grape grower, Dan Rotlisberger.

Father’s Day is June 17 this year!

I don’t know about you but my dad is a tough guy to buy for.  My dad and I both share the love of running and wine (not at the same time, luckily).

Over the years, I’ve given him more running gear than I can remember and some great bottles of wine which he seems to save and drink with me (an unexpected perk to that gift).

This year consider giving your dad a gift in honor of him to help bring clean, safe water to those without.

http://www.wateraidamerica.org/donate/sh2op_for_life/default.aspx

Or for your wine-drinking dads, a bottle or 2 of Stark Thirst can also be a fun choice since 10% of profits go to helping the water crisis, too.  Chelsea Wine Vault (our exclusive retailer) delivers to 35 states.

www.chelseawinevault.com

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Since I officially pulled the trigger on purchasing 5 tons of Sonoma Chardonnay grapes in September 2011, time has tick-tocked slowly and extremely fast (at the same time).  It seemed like the wine would never hit the shelves.  (You guessed it, patience is not my biggest virtue.)

Well, the day has come!  Stark Thirst is on the shelves at Chelsea Wine Vault.  In fact, Stark Thirst is exclusively sold at Chelsea Wine Vault.  I’m honored, thrilled and as giddy as a first-time parent!

75 9th Avenue (@ 16th Street) inside The Chelsea Market.

My wine project, Stark Thirst, proudly partners with WaterAid. WaterAid brings clean drinking water to some of the world’s poorest communities in Africa and SE Asia. niceshirt.org is donating $8 dollars of the sale to WaterAid. I am buying a Water-t because I like the cause and the design. If three more people buy one, we can give one person water for life (it just takes $25 to do this!). Cheers!

Stark Thirst’s bottling day seemed like it would never come! Since, this is my first-ever wine project, there has been plenty to learn, worry about and do since the grape purchase in September.

I liken it to researching, planning and anticipating a long-awaited vacation. The event literally seems like it will never come! And then it does and, surprisingly, it zooms by at light speed.

The first bottle of Stark Thirst!

And, the first pallet! Bottled, boxed and ready for shipment – all in warp-speed of 3 hours!