Welcome to Discovery Wines in NYC!

"Barrel fermented & aged 24 months sur lattes.

100% Pinot Noir from mostly limestone

Bottled early 2020, disgorged April 2022.

Secondary fermentation was started from the domain’s wine must.

No dosage, unfiltered, no added sulfur." -Camille Riviere Selections

In Pantescan dialect, "Terra Forte" refers to soils that do not contain pumice, but rather very fine red sand, a breakdown of basalt and obsidian. This type of terroir is quite rare on Pantelleria. Only 1000 bottles are produced annually. 

Terra Forte is a blend of two contradas of very old vines. Bonsulton was planted in 1930 and also produces Tanca Nica's passito in the best vintages. Scirafi was planted in 1948.

Nicoletta hand paints "Terra Forte" on each bottle.

Each of the two parcels is vinified individually. The grapes are harvested in the end of August and completely destemmed. The juice ferments on the skins for about ten days and ages in steel, fiberglass and chestnut barrels. S02 is added only during bottling (about 20 mg/L) which takes place in spring on a waning moon.

At a whopping 1000 bottles, the second largest production is a cuvée called "Terra Forte". Produced from two tancas of very old vines, here the Zibibbo grows on "terra forte" soils composed of sandy clay from degraded basalt and obsidian. The result is a much more powerful, structured expression of Zibibbo that, while keeping the grapes' trademark aromatic qualities, is more serious and age-worthy. 

-Louis/Dressner Selections

A collaborative wine made with Zsolt’s friend Peter Šroner. ‘Richard’ is made from Chardonnay that is biodynamically farmed on clay-loam and loess soil in a neighboring village. The wine is directly pressed and aged in a mix of old and new barrels. This is a truly impressive wine, with crisp acidity and elegance from precise barrel aging - the wine drinks like a natural medium-bodied Maconnais Chardonnay.

This Loureiro is something special! It spends three months fermenting with whole bunches of red grapes and macerates for three months before being pressed and bottled young. In the resulting wine, a funky, savory nose gives way to a fresh rose filled with notes of strawberries and cherries and, at 10.5% ABV, its low alcohol makes it even more crushable!

-Discovery

Made from a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier with a touch of skin-contact maceration, this wine delivers notes of citrus and green apple. It is beautifully refreshing with a fun complexity from the skin-contact!

-Discovery

In 2005 Stéphane identified 40 vines of a rare chardonnay rose in one of his parcels (an aromatic chardonnay with pink skins) and decided to plant a selection massale across different parcels; .85ha in total.

They are planted in his very best vineyards: Curon & Les Graviers (Bajocien limestone), La Mailloche (marl from Lias) & Les Bruyères (marl from Trias).

This cuvée highlights the specificity of chardonnay rose on the diverse soils of the Jura. The first vintage released was 2015.

The Arbois region is about 60% clay (gives acidity while highlighting bitterness) & 40% limestone (gives a salty/mineral profile) The wine exhibits beautiful acidity from the influence of the local clay soils, and a rich & distinct aromatic and floral quality.

-Camille Riviere Selections

One of our personal favorites! The second press of Franz’s Pinot Blanc blended with Chardonnay that is pressed with the skins of the Pinot Blanc. It’s a medium to full-bodied white with tons of stone fruit, a salty breeze, and a citrus forward finish. It reminds us of Andreas Tscheppe’s Salamander Chardonnay.

Bruno principally produces three red wines: "La Luna", "La Pascole" and "L'Anodine". All three are made with co-planted Grenache Noir/Gris/Blanc with a splash of Carignan. "La Luna" comes from parcels where the grass grows free; some are Bruno's, others are purchased fruit from friends working organically. "La Pascole" is a single vineyard partially plowed by hand. Finally, "L'Anodine" represents the oldest vines in areas that are impossible to work mechanically, and where the soil work has to be done 100% by hand (except for a tiny plot where a horse has room to till and plow). The latter is only released in magnum. 

-Louis/Dressner Selections

The 2023 vintage is a blend of 75% Cinsault and 25% Grenache. Though it was a difficult vintage for Martin, with mildew pressure and heavy rains, it was also quite successful with good yields and a high quality of fruit. ‘La Preyna’ is a perfect indication of this quality - a real return to form. The wine is bright and fresh, with tart raspberry notes and a beautiful garnet hue. This drinks best with a light chill, and would make for a welcome addition to those summer BBQ parties.

This is a perfumed red blend of Syrah, Grenache and Gamay. The wine exhibits a deep concentration of fruit and a lengthy finish of chalky acidity from the vineyard’s limestone and clay soils.

Winemaker’s note: “The name says it all: up to 60 year old vines that make the stuff Christian’s dreams are made of. In detail the composition varies each year, at it’s core though the idea of the best-of principle always remains the same: Densely planted Grüner Veltliner rooting on pure, hard limestone – a demanding soil type that Christian and his friends carefully work by horse. Vintage 2022 spreads its wings over a very old Sauvignon Blanc garden: straight forward fruit, precise mineral and delicate like a juicy, freshly picked peach. A classic.” 

Age of Vines: Up to 60 years

Grapes: Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc

Vineyard: Limestone

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. It spends 1 year aging in 500 to 1500-liter barrels and is bottled without fining or filtering and no addition of sulfur.

Personality: Like biting into a juicy, freshly-picked peach on a seaside picnic. Precise mineral, delicate and bright stonefruit. 

-Jenny and Francois Selections

István on this wine: “The name comes from Greek ‘autokhthon’ which means aboriginal or native. That is why we made this blend exclusively from native varieties of the Carpathian Basin, most of them from our precious ’Templomdombi’ plot.”

Varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelű, Rószakö

Vineyard: Furmint, Hárslevelű and Kéknyelű come from Templomdombi (planted 2015), Rózsakő from Másfél (planted 2014). Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil and clay. All estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified)

Making of: hand harvest, each grape at optimum maturity. 95% of the grapes underwent gentle whole-cluster direct press in a pneumatic press, fermentation and ageing in stoneware vessels for 14 months. 5% whole-cluster fermentation with some juice with daily remontages, for 10 days. For Hárslevelű, 60% was aged in 1500L Slavonian oak and 8% in a small barrel, the rest in different types and sizes of stoneware vessels. The blend was bottled in August of the following year without filtration, fining or added sulfites.

Personality: citrus, pear, salt. Easy-drinking yet entertaining and complex white with distinct freshness.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

The vines, aged 30 to 80 years, are from a steep, cool-sited vineyard on the slopes above Aze with well drained, limestone rich soils. High-trained, farmed sustainably, and the westerly aspect and soil contribute to the wines freshness and tension.

Grapes are crushed and left for several hours on skin contact before a long pressing. Chilled overnight and racked to large format barrels for a native fermentation with plentiful grape solids for texture. Left undisturbed for 12 months and then racked to steel tanks on their lies for another six months to brighten. Bottled unfined with a very light filtration.

-Andrew and Emma Nielsen

This wine is not your typical Macon! It’s medium-light bodied and complex but balanced. Tart notes of apple, pear, and lemon cut through fresh minerality, and a faintly rich finish rounds it all out.

-Discovery

Avanti Popolo! is made from a varied blend of grapes - 50% Grenache with Syrah, Alicante, Merlot, Cabernet - that grow in part throughout additional hectares of vineyards that Axel acquired in 2020. With just the tiniest hint of effervescence, this wine is peppery, juicy, and dark-fruited making it the perfect late summer red!

-Discovery

The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon vineyards used to produce this wine sit on rocky hills in North Yuba where the soil is mixed with volcanic rock. Using equal parts of each grape, the resulting wine is refreshingly mineral and herbaceous while retaining slight notes of apricot and lemon.

-Discovery

"Saravá is an afro-brazilian word used as a mantra to invoke the force that moves nature, but is also remains a greeting similar to "Hail!" - Like a wish of good luck.

We want SARAVÁ wine to show what nature is giving to its grapes. We have chosen this word also to bring our history to the wine. I´ve worked in a lot of different places and met my wife in Brazil while I was a winemaker there. We moved around together and before coming to Portugal and starting Saravá we lived for three years in Mozambique."

Destemmed and fermented in open tanks before pressing and then 3 months on stainless steel.

-Louis/Dressner Selections

Single parcel of Grenache Blanc tilled by horse and by caterpillar. Only 600 bottles are produced each vintage.

-Louis/Dressner Selections

Avanti Popolo! is made from a varied blend of grapes - 50% Grenache with Syrah, Alicante, Merlot, Cabernet - that grow in part throughout additional hectares of vineyards that Axel acquired in 2020. With just the tiniest hint of effervescence, this wine is peppery, juicy, and dark-fruited making it the perfect late summer red!

-Discovery

This 2014 back-vintage Gewurztraminer was lost in the warehouse for almost nine years! Deep, lush, and spiced - it's dry by Gewurztraminer standards while delivering balanced richness.

-Discovery

Age of Vines: 6 years

Soil: Clay Loam

Varieties: Blauer Portugieser

Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed. The juice is fermented in open casks for about 15 days, punched down by hand. The wine is aged in 220-liter barrels for about 3 months. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered under crown cap, with zero addition of sulfur.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

István on this wine: “Our entry-level, fruity, easy-going Pinot Noir from the bottom part of the vineyard called Rókalyuki. The soil here is mainly clay, sand, and sandstone, with much less basalt than in the upper parts of the vineyard. Over hundreds of years, the basalt dust from erosion made its way to the bottom part of the plot, enriching it with some volcanic spicy touch.”

Vineyard: Rókalyuki. Clay, sand, sandstone with some eroded basalt lying on limestone-chalk subsoil. Planted in 1999. Estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified). 

Making of: hand harvest. The destemmed berries fermented in 1000L open tanks, with remontages and a gentle pigeage twice a day. Fermentation on the skin for 10 days. Aging in Burgundy-size small barrels (49% 5th-load, 32% 1st-load), 12% stoneware vessels, 7% stainless steel until next June. Bottled without fining or filtration, zero sulfur added.

Personality: easy-drinking yet still sophisticated Pinot Noir – a lovely lighter-style red for any moment.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

With its powerful ruby hue, Bencze delivers a Pinot Noir complete with a fruity, spicy palate and a slightly elevated tannin level. The nose includes all of the classic Pinot Noir notes - cherry, raspberry, black pepper, and mint. It is a delicious red to enjoy slightly chilled this summer!

-Discovery

A single vineyard blend of Macabeu, Muscat Petit Grains, and Muscat d'Alexandria that Tom acquired in 2013. The wine spends two weeks macerating on the skins, lending Tom’s signature rocky texture and minerality to this floral orange wine with notes of dried apricot and garrigue.

Our idea for Le Grappin is to work with underappreciated plots of vines across Burgundy, that tell interesting stories.

From small parcels of Chardonnay vines on the cool slopes high above the village of Savigny-les-Beaune. Hand-harvested, pressed slowly, to enhance elegance, the juice was settled overnight before being racked along with fine lies to oak barrels for a native fermentation. Unfined, lightly filtered, after an elevage of 12 months.

-Andrew and Emma Nielsen

Muscat d'Alexandria with three months of skin maceration and aging in stainless steel tanks. A beautiful, textural, and aromatic orange wine with notes of dried apricot, yellow flowers, and stoney minerality.

A delicious, crunchy blend of Grenache and Cinsault that drinks perfectly with a light chill. Chock full of tart berry fruit with a savory olive brine edge.

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. It spends about a year aging in 500 and 1200-liter barrels and is bottled without fining or filtering and no addition of sulfur.

-Jenny and Francois selections

Birdscape is made with what Christian calls “Pink Maceration,” a very light extraction with just a small amount of contact with the skins, to result in a very dark rosé, or perhaps a very light red wine. Label art by Erró.

Age of Vines: 40 years

Grapes: Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir, and some white varieties

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. Christian made just one 3000 liter barrel of this wine. It is bottled without sulfur. 

-Jenny and Francois Selections

The first vintage to combine not one, but two Veltliner vineyards, in order to express the complex limestone of an old vineyard with the schist soil of another. “The temptation to bottle such wines separately was huge, but combined the two seem to expand their aromatic dimension many times over, adding layers and length on the palate. The calculation clearly goes 1+1=3,” says Christian. 

Age of Vines: 40 years

Grapes: Grüner Veltliner

Vineyard: Two Veltliner vineyards

Making of: Grapes are hand-harvested and crushed by foot. The juices ferment separately in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. Some barrels remain in contact with the skins for a short amount of time. They spend 1 year aging in barrel and are combined before being bottled without fining, filtering, or any addition of sulfur.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

Christian Tschida’s rosé is a bright, acid-driven Cabernet Franc blend from some of his highest elevation vineyards in Austria’s Burgenland. The wine ferments and ages in large oak barrels before being bottled unfined, unfiltered and without added sulfur. This is a gastronomic rose that showcases tart, lip-smacking berry fruit with nuanced herbal tones.

Christian picks the grapes over 5 different harvest days in order to show off “the whole aromatic spectrum” of his highest, coolest vineyards. 

Grapes: Blaufrankisch

Vineyard: Limestone soil

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. It spends 1 year aging in 500 to 1500-liter barrels and is bottled without fining or filtering and no addition of sulfur.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

Winemaker’s note: “The name says it all: up to 60 year old vines that make the stuff Christian’s dreams are made of. In detail the composition varies each year, at it’s core though the idea of the best-of principle always remains the same: Densely planted Grüner Veltliner rooting on pure, hard limestone – a demanding soil type that Christian and his friends carefully work by horse. Vintage 2022 spreads its wings over a very old Sauvignon Blanc garden: straight forward fruit, precise mineral and delicate like a juicy, freshly picked peach. A classic.” 

Age of Vines: Up to 60 years

Grapes: Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc

Vineyard: Limestone

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. It spends 1 year aging in 500 to 1500-liter barrels and is bottled without fining or filtering and no addition of sulfur.

Personality: Like biting into a juicy, freshly-picked peach on a seaside picnic. Precise mineral, delicate and bright stonefruit. 

-Jenny and Francois Selections

This is the estate red wine made from a blend predominantly of Carignan, with a bit of Grenache and a touch of field-blended white varieties. One of Tom’s more serious reds, though the wine still drinks on the lighter side. A short four day whole-cluster maceration achieves delicate extraction, making for an ethereal red with bright acidity and tea-like tannins.

Groll n’ Roll is a light, rustic, easy-drinking red wine made from Grolleau Noir. The wine is full of umami and spritzy dark brambly fruit, which is pleasantly balanced with low abv and fresh acidity.

Christian Tschida’s rosé is a bright, acid-driven Cabernet Franc blend from some of his highest elevation vineyards in Austria’s Burgenland. The wine ferments and ages in large oak barrels before being bottled unfined, unfiltered and without added sulfur. This is a gastronomic rose that showcases tart, lip-smacking berry fruit with nuanced herbal tones.

Christian picks the grapes over 5 different harvest days in order to show off “the whole aromatic spectrum” of his highest, coolest vineyards. 

Grapes: Blaufrankisch

Vineyard: Limestone soil

Making of: Grapes are hand harvested and crushed by foot. The juice ferments in large barrels with indigenous yeast and no racking. It spends 1 year aging in 500 to 1500-liter barrels and is bottled without fining or filtering and no addition of sulfur.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

Macerated 3 months in above ground amphoras. Unfiltered and no added sulfites. May contain naturally occurring sulfites.

2022 was a warm vintage. Poulsard has thin skins and most of grapes did not make it to harvest, RIP.

Only the parcels planted on north/north east facing slopes on clay from Lias were able to withstand the heat.

The average age of the vines is 60 years old. Everything is hand harvested, hand destemmed with a vougre. The poulsard macerated for for 3 months in 420L clay pot, then pressed and aged for 6 months in large foudres. The large foudres were topped up in order for the lees to settle prior to bottling.

-Camille Riviere Selections

István on this wine: “The name comes from Greek ‘autokhthon’ which means aboriginal or native. That is why we made this blend exclusively from native varieties of the Carpathian Basin, most of them from our precious ’Templomdombi’ plot.”

Varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelű, Rószakö

Vineyard: Furmint, Hárslevelű and Kéknyelű come from Templomdombi (planted 2015), Rózsakő from Másfél (planted 2014). Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil and clay. All estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified)

Making of: hand harvest, each grape at optimum maturity. 95% of the grapes underwent gentle whole-cluster direct press in a pneumatic press, fermentation and ageing in stoneware vessels for 14 months. 5% whole-cluster fermentation with some juice with daily remontages, for 10 days. For Hárslevelű, 60% was aged in 1500L Slavonian oak and 8% in a small barrel, the rest in different types and sizes of stoneware vessels. The blend was bottled in August of the following year without filtration, fining or added sulfites.

Personality: citrus, pear, salt. Easy-drinking yet entertaining and complex white with distinct freshness.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

István on this wine: “2019 marked our very first vintage of Furmint, from our special plot called ‘Templomdombi’. We planted 3 different clones that complement each other: the backbone of the vineyard is the T85 with high and fine acidity; we have a smaller amount of older Furmint that has small clusters, and there are some T92 clones in our plot, too.”

Varieties: Furmint

Vineyard: Templomdombi. Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil, and clay. Planted in 2015, estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified). Yield: 1 kg/vine

Winemaking: The grapes were harvested at three various times at their optimum maturity and then carefully pressed as whole bunches, then fermented and aged in different amphoras for 13 months. The most “exciting” and powerful of them were used for this varietal Furmint (the remaining ones are used for the Autochthon cuvée). Bottled without fining, filtration, and without added sulfur (total SO2 below 10ppm). Aged one year in bottle before the release.

Personality: generous, vibrant and mineral.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

István on this wine: “The name comes from Greek ‘autokhthon’ which means aboriginal or native. That is why we made this blend exclusively from native varieties of the Carpathian Basin, most of them from our precious ’Templomdombi’ plot.”

Varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelű, Rószakö

Vineyard: Furmint, Hárslevelű and Kéknyelű come from Templomdombi (planted 2015), Rózsakő from Másfél (planted 2014). Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil and clay. All estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified)

Making of: hand harvest, each grape at optimum maturity. 95% of the grapes underwent gentle whole-cluster direct press in a pneumatic press, fermentation and ageing in stoneware vessels for 14 months. 5% whole-cluster fermentation with some juice with daily remontages, for 10 days. For Hárslevelű, 60% was aged in 1500L Slavonian oak and 8% in a small barrel, the rest in different types and sizes of stoneware vessels. The blend was bottled in August of the following year without filtration, fining or added sulfites.

Personality: citrus, pear, salt. Easy-drinking yet entertaining and complex white with distinct freshness.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

István on this wine: “A blend of Rieslings picked only in our special plot called ‘Templomdombi’, using grapes from our young plantation and the vessels that weren’t used for the Aries wine. The cuvée has to represent our terroir, our philosophy perfectly, while being easygoing at the same time.”

Vineyard: Templomdombi. Dense basalt with some tuff, sandstone, brown forest soil and clay. Planted in 2015. Estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified). Yield 1kg per vine

Making of: hand harvest, gentle whole-cluster direct press in a pneumatic press, fermentation and aging in stoneware vessels for 14 months. Bottled at the end of October, without filtration, fining or added sulfites.

Personality: lovely take on this noble grape, with typical varietal notes and a dash of volcanic tang. Vivid, with beautiful acidity and freshness.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

Bencze delivers another punch of acid with his 2021 dry Riesling! The wine is fermented with a touch of skin contact and, with notes of apricot and salinity, it’s uniquely tasty enough to win over the most extreme Riesling disbelievers.

-Discovery

István on this wine: “Our entry-level, fruity, easy-going Pinot Noir from the bottom part of the vineyard called Rókalyuki. The soil here is mainly clay, sand, and sandstone, with much less basalt than in the upper parts of the vineyard. Over hundreds of years, the basalt dust from erosion made its way to the bottom part of the plot, enriching it with some volcanic spicy touch.”

Vineyard: Rókalyuki. Clay, sand, sandstone with some eroded basalt lying on limestone-chalk subsoil. Planted in 1999. Estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified). 

Making of: hand harvest. The destemmed berries fermented in 1000L open tanks, with remontages and a gentle pigeage twice a day. Fermentation on the skin for 10 days. Aging in Burgundy-size small barrels (49% 5th-load, 32% 1st-load), 12% stoneware vessels, 7% stainless steel until next June. Bottled without fining or filtration, zero sulfur added.

Personality: easy-drinking yet still sophisticated Pinot Noir – a lovely lighter-style red for any moment.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

With its powerful ruby hue, Bencze delivers a Pinot Noir complete with a fruity, spicy palate and a slightly elevated tannin level. The nose includes all of the classic Pinot Noir notes - cherry, raspberry, black pepper, and mint. It is a delicious red to enjoy slightly chilled this summer!

-Discovery

Age of Vines: planted in 2014, Demeter certified and biodynamically cultivated from the beginning

Yields: 1kg/vine

Soil: basalt, clay and sandstone

Vinification Method: Hand-harvested whole clusters are pressed to 330 liter terracotta amphoras and 300-400 liter used oak barrels. After resting in amphora and barrel for about 11 months, the wine is bottled without fining or filtration and zero sulfur is added.

-Jenny and Francois Selections

Bencze’s personal favorite grape; these vines were planted when he first began making wine back in 2011 and have always been organically and biodynamically grown. His Chenin Blanc is as punchy and refreshing as a glass of homemade lemonade with ginger & pear and an acid driven finish.

-Discovery

István on this wine: “Our entry-level, fruity, easy-going Pinot Noir from the bottom part of the vineyard called Rókalyuki. The soil here is mainly clay, sand, and sandstone, with much less basalt than in the upper parts of the vineyard. Over hundreds of years, the basalt dust from erosion made its way to the bottom part of the plot, enriching it with some volcanic spicy touch.”

Vineyard: Rókalyuki. Clay, sand, sandstone with some eroded basalt lying on limestone-chalk subsoil. Planted in 1999. Estate-owned and biodynamically farmed by István himself (Demeter-certified). 

Making of: hand harvest. The destemmed berries fermented in 1000L open tanks, with remontages and a gentle pigeage twice a day. Fermentation on the skin for 10 days. Aging in Burgundy-size small barrels (49% 5th-load, 32% 1st-load), 12% stoneware vessels, 7% stainless steel until next June. Bottled without fining or filtration, zero sulfur added.

Personality: easy-drinking yet still sophisticated Pinot Noir – a lovely lighter-style red for any moment.

-Jenny and Francois Selections