I first met Emily, I think, when she was the sous chef opening Racines in New York, though I don’t think we really became friends until she moved back to Montreal and became the wine director for restaurant Candide?
Maybe none of this really matters, because the narrative of consequence here is Emily’s subsequent move to Europe in 2018, her falling in love with another ex-chef, a German named Christoph Müller, their marrying, their moving to Franconia (to a tiny village about two hours east of Frankfurt), their tending a very large vegetable garden and a few hectares of vineyards which include the iconic grape of the region, Silvaner, but also some Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Domina, Regent, Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) and a small cadre of PIWI varieties.
This is what is important and this story, these wines, are what I now want to introduce you to.
The context here is a bit complicated. These are not traditional Franconian wines, yet neither are they wildly natural wines nor forgettable glou-glou wines.
For us, they seem to carve out their own unique niche: This is where we land with the “bistro” aesthetic. These are wines meant for food and they seem, in a way, assembled, composed for food, for the table, as if chefs were making the wines. Which of course is exactly what’s happening.
All of the wines are light and bone dry; they all have a savory-herbal undercurrent and lively acidities that make them feel so comfortable on nearly any dinner table. These are buoyant wines with an unpretentious drinkability to them, though they can be deceptively complex.
All in all we are talking two whites, a rosé, and a red. All of them are compact, punchy, and delicious. More information on all the bottlings below. If you need help tracking down some Bistro refreshment near you, email us at orders@vomboden.com.
2022 “Pasta Buzz Blend” ~$32
The “Pasta Buzz Blend” is Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau with dashes of everything and the kitchen sink; it is perfumed and floral, salted and herbal, feather-weight yet with a rustic structure to, begging you to drink one more glass. I love this wine for its simplicity and its uniqueness; it’s friendly like a Pinot Grigio but it has personality and some edge and sharpness. Delicious.
2022 “Beach Goth Rosé”~$32
The “Beach Goth Rosé” is an easy wine (that’s the beach part) with a cerebral, serious streak (the goth part?). A blend of Domina and some PIWI varieties, the wine honestly stays in its lane for me, being something of a waxier-yet-still-fresh rosé.
2022 “Crocodile” Silvaner ~$36
Silvaner, for us, is one of the most serious grapes on planet earth and this is perhaps their most “Franconian” wine. It is Silvaner, a deep wine, structured and dense – decant it and it absolutely blossoms, aromatic and clear and stony.
2022 “Du Bist Du” Schwarzriesling ~$45
The “Du Bist Du” is pure Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier), herbal and stony, compact and sorta perfect. This is one of those very seamless wines that feels absolutely pure, a marriage of the Loire, dark soil sensibility with the petite quality of a cool-climate red.