INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 VINO DAL BOSCO MALVASIA BIANCA $26.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Pretty much since the inception of the Virginia wine industry, Gabriele Rausse has been an important name as a viticulturist, winemaker, and general source of wisdom. Even this far along in his career, you can also add the term 'innovator' with the wines from the Vino Dal Bosco project. The wines here follow a lot of the 'natural wine' movement while still displaying traditional flavors and character, creating unique wines (especially in Virginia) without being oddballs. These projects see a lot of effort and love in their production, the only drawback being they tend to be done in fairly small volumes, so they can come and go fairly quickly. This Malvasia technically falls into the 'orange' or 'amber wine' category, in that it sees nearly two weeks on its skins during fermentation, but the pale skins don't create any color change, nor does the 4 months aging in small amphora under no sulfites. It does create a much drier and lower alcohol character to the wine that usually found with Malvasia, and makes for a truly fascinating glass. Lovely perfume of Spring flowers and pulpy white fruits as soon as it's opened, but you also get the note of grapeskin which tempers the fragrance and keeps it from registering too much sweetness. There's nice body from the time on the skins and amphora aging, and nice acidity giving freshness to the fruit on the palate giving the flavors distinctly crisper character that the aromas may have let on. The finish is lean and clean, almost minty in coolness especially when there is a nice chill on it, and this goes down so easily it won't have time to warm up. A great warm weather sipper for those that want something a little different, and awesome to pair with lightly spiced seafood like a fish taco or fresh ceviche.

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