From: Utiel-Requena, Spain
Varietal: Mostly Macabeo with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes: Bartlett pear, citrus, starfruit and sea spray notes abound, some of this will assuredly remind you of the popular Big Salt wine.
You'll need more than 1 bottle, it's just that good! Great for the patio, boat, or to bring over to your best buds place; plus did we mention that it's a liter of wine??
Pairing: As a general rule, Macabeo will match pleasantly with fruit salsa, to be more exact mango salsa. Also with risotto, appetizing soups, vegetable dishes. It tastes impeccable when combined well with less acidic, more flavorful dishes with herbs. You can't go wrong with a polenta al forno with spinach, ricotta and fontina!
Kiki & Juan is a collaboration celebrating the friendship between Kerin "Kiki" Auth Bembry (of Spain) and winemaker John "Juan Casa" House (of Oregon's OVUM Wines) that began on a Spanish bus ride.
With Kiki's connections to grape growers throughout Iberia and John's low-intervention background, they make wines from the historic Spanish region on Utiel Requena (located just west of Valencia). Their wines are certified organic, unfined, and vegan with no additions other than minimal sulfur.
The project started in 2019, though in light of the pandemic, John has acted as consulting oenologist via phone and even sent over a concrete egg and sourced amphora from abroad to use in the production.