Wine recs under $50 from an award-winning critic
with Alice Feiring (The Feiring Line)
Sometime after the pandemic fog lifted and our living rooms stopped doubling as personal speakeasies, drinking made its triumphant return to the social sphere. But the wine in our glasses? That had changed irreversibly. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be sipping on something cloudier, funkier, fruitier — a little unfiltered, a little unpredictable. Aka natural wine. The colors were bolder, the flavors wilder, and the opinions? Fermented in controversy. Traditionalists clutched their Bordeaux; novices debated how wine could exist beyond the binary framework of red and white.
Fast forward to today, and in a place like NYC, natural wine isn’t just a trend — it’s the main pour. Did you know that long before “glou-glou” became a contemporary onomatopoeia and orange wine the default house pour, Alice Feiring had been championing the raw, unadulterated grape? And by 2011, this award-winning critic and writer released Naked Wine; Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally, a manifesto on why wine should be made with as little intervention (chemical or technological) as possible. Just fermented grapes, she beseeched — as nature intended, without all the additives and fancy technology. Less is more!
We know the world of wine can be intimidating. And with all the recent data on the health risks of alcohol consumption, maybe you’ve lost interest altogether. Fair enough. But if life has taught us anything, it's that the middle ground (if you can channel it) can be a pretty magical place. People tend to swing between extremes: full-blown teetotaler or devoted oenophile. But if you’re looking to savor an occasional glass with friends, maybe even pick up a few tasting notes from a wine expert with a contrarian streak, consider Alice your ultimate guide. In today’s edition, she pours out 5 of her favorite wine purchases. If you’re going to go the full 9 (vine)yards to swirl, sniff, and sip, you might as well take notes from the witty, sassy, and the knowledgeable. Selleb Spotlights are normally for paid subs, but this one is on the house so you can get a taste. Without further ado, Selleb welcomes the OG trailblazer in the grape field: Alice Feiring.
Filipa Pato, 3B Rose Extra Brut: “One of the best deals on delicious bubbly out there. This is such a yummy pink buzz. From mostly Baga and twenty-nine percent Bical the current release has edge, a touch of raspberry, thirst quenching and satisfying. It’s terrific with Mexican food as well. Takes some spice.”
Champagne Hervé Rafflin, La Meunier: “Made from 100% Meunier grape, the wine sees no oak but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have depth because it does. I love champagne, it is just that other dimension, that special chalk of the soil. And here it’s the citrus side of the wine. And will not disappoint. Organic champagne is another world of liveliness. Drink with some salty parmesan or gougères or sipped on its own with great conversation. House favorite.”
Iago, Chinuri, Grape Chinuri, 2022: “Iago is one of the pioneers of modern day natural wine in the country of Georgia. He only works with one grape: chinuri. Sometimes he makes it without skin but my favorite is with—like this. Vinified in buried clay vessels deep in the earth and with six months of skin contact. This beauty of a reminds me of a wine version of green and jasmine tea. There’s a little scratch of texture. Visually it’s a little hazy—evidence of it not being filtered. But mostly it is down the hatch beautiful and juicy. No sulfur added.”
Roberto Henriquez, Pais Franco, 2021: “A glorious wine made by a super swell guy. Roberto makes this wine from Païs vines that are about 200 years old about a 7-hour drive south of Santiago. Pais is a beautiful grape that holds acidity even in the heat and for some reason was reviled for a time in Chile. But what the hell? What idiotic nonsense was that. The grape is one I adore. This version very delicate in weight but profound in feeling. The wine is technically a pipeño—historically ‘peasant’ Chilean wines, raised up in old wood called rauli (beechwood). There’s lots of life, a little cherry drop with some herbal elements-- rosemary and wind and brick. All in the lightest of texture. No Sulfur added.”
Crazy Lud Red, Maurer, 2022: “I’m obsessed with this red from Serbia, perhaps the best I’ve had from the area. There’s some usual Cabernet Sauvignon but the other red and white grapes -should be unfamiliar; Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Muscat, and Prokupac. It’s a medium weight wine with this rosy-wax lip candy thing, just a hint of tar and plenty of zippy acidity. Fantastic with everything from potato pancakes to tomato-based pastas and killer with cheeses. No sulfur added.”
Steal the spotlight,
Selleb Sisters xoxo
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