The Wines of Right Now
Thanks so much for buying our limited-edition Punch wine box! The four bottles in this pack feature a few standout producers from The Wines of Right Now. Keep reading for more information on each winemaker in the lineup. And after that, if you loved the wines in this box and want to keep the party going, sign up for a monthly Eater Wine Club subscription and take 15% off your first month with the code FRIENDS15.
About the Producers
- Finca Parera | Penedès, Catalunya: In Penedès, Finca Parera comprises 10 hectares of biodiverse land where Rubèn Parera and his family biodynamically farm sumoll, xarel-lo, and garnacha blanca alongside vegetables, olives, and cherries. What stands out about Finca Parera is a concentrated focus on biodiversity, land stewardship, and a conversation that revolves around the soil rather than the cellar.
- Matías Riccitelli | Vistalba, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza: There is perhaps no wine more maligned by current vogue than Argentine malbec, and deservedly so, considering the quantity of industrial plonk that emerges from the country. But in the hands of Matías Riccitelli, malbec is remade to represent Argentina as it might have been—before its Californication. Occupying 20 hectares at the base of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, many of Riccitelli’s vines are nearly a century old. He also makes bastardo and torrentés from Patagonia.
- Divella | Franciacorta, Lombardia: Winemaker Alessandra Divella offers a glimpse of what Franciacorta (a region that has been dominated by wines that have struggled to carve an identity) can be sans rules. So instead of subscribing to the DOC, the self-taught Divella (who began making wine in 2012), created her own designation, “Gussago.” It's named for the hillside village distinct for its Jurassic limestone and clay soils, where she farms 3 hectares of chardonnay and pinot noir.
- Ashanta | Sonoma, California: Ashanta, a nascent label from Chenoa Ashton-Lewis and Will Basanta, has birthed only two vintages, and yet it has already forged a profound presence. It's part of a cohort of small-scale producers straying from established convention by experimenting with co-fermentation and off-the-beaten-path sourcing. The duo met while working in Sweden and returned to Ashton-Lewis’ family’s land in Sonoma where they tried their luck with producing a single barrel of wine. Eventually they began working with the pioneering natural winemaker Tony Coturri in Sonoma to create their first vintage.