June MW Subscription Is Here

Hey Everyone,

It’s Marty.

It's almost officially summer so everything is going to start moving a little faster.

The vines are growing, The Shed is open, people are stopping by again, and suddenly there’s a lot more life around the place.

That’s one of the reasons we’re excited to start sharing a new Instagram series called Marty Meets.

The idea is pretty simple: I’ll be sitting down with people in our community like growers, makers, friends, collaborators, and the people who help make this little corner of Niagara what it is.

Some of the conversations are about farming. Some are about wine. Some are about growing up here. Some are just a little awkward and funny, which is probably unavoidable when you put a camera in front of people who are used to being in vineyards, cellars, kitchens, or behind the scenes.

The first one features Mark Lepp, a local grower, childhood friend, and one of the people behind LOF, which brings us nicely to this month’s box.

Before we get into the wines, thank you again for being part of the subscription.

Your June box is ready for pickup at The Shed. You can stop by during regular hours, 7 days a week from 12 PM to 5 PM.

Now, let’s get into it.

🐚 2023 Aligoté: Flinty Goodness

For us, the idea with Aligoté has been to make something that leans toward a Chablis-style expression. Not because we’re trying to copy Burgundy, but because we like that idea of a white wine with tension, salinity, freshness, and enough texture to make it work beautifully with food.

This 2023 Aligoté is also starting to settle into itself.

When it was younger, we saw more green apple and custard. Now that it has had a couple of years in bottle, those notes are shifting into something more savoury and mineral.

There’s still acidity, but now you’re getting more flint, salt, and that little hint of gun smoke that makes the wine much more interesting at the table.

The 2023 growing season gave us a heavier crop, so the acidity is naturally high. That makes this a very useful food wine.

Seafood is the obvious choice. Oysters, shrimp, scallops, mussels, white fish, crab cakes.

But I’d also go in the direction of cream sauces. Pasta with cream and lemon. Seafood chowder. Chicken with a white wine sauce. Anything rich enough to want a wine with acidity cutting through it.

This is not necessarily the loudest wine in the box.

But with the right food, it may be the one that surprises you most.

🍒 2024 Gamay: Cherries, Strawberries & Chillable Red Energy

What you’ll notice first is the primary fruit.

Cherries. Strawberries. Fresh red fruit. Not heavy. Not overworked.

We kept the oak very minimal here. The wine spent time in neutral oak, which gives it a chance to breathe before bottling without covering up the freshness of the fruit.

That was the whole point with this bottle.

Gamay doesn’t need to be forced into something huge. When the fruit is good, I’d rather let it be what it is: fresh, juicy and easy to enjoy.

One thing I really recommend: try it slightly chilled.

Not ice cold, but give it 20 or 30 minutes in the fridge before opening. It brings out the fruit, sharpens the freshness, and makes it a great red for warmer weather.

If you’re pairing it with food, think grilled chicken, sausages, burgers, charcuterie, mushrooms, or anything with a little smoke from the barbecue.

This is a summer red. Treat it like one.

🥂 LOF Sparkling Rosé: The Last of It

At its core, it’s about friendship, farming, teamwork, honesty, hard work, and a shared love for Niagara fruit. It’s a small-batch project built around the idea that wine should tell a story about the people and place behind it.

There’s a special focus on Cabernet Franc, which is one of the grapes Niagara does best. The fruit is handpicked, the wines are made in small batches, and the goal is always to let the land show through clearly.

LOF also connects wine with local art. The labels feature work by artist Julie Amlin, whose bold, vibrant style brings another layer of personality to the bottles.

This sparkling rosé is the last of its kind.

It is completely sold out, and we saved the final bottles for you!

That feels right to me. A bottle like this belongs with the people who have been supporting us directly.

Open it cold, don’t overthink it, and drink it somewhere relaxed.

This is a good bottle for a long weekend, a backyard table, or one of those early summer evenings where you weren’t planning to open sparkling wine, but you’re very glad you did.

Recap: Why These Wines?

This month’s box is about community, freshness, and wines that feel right for the start of summer.

The 2023 Aligoté shows a quieter, more mineral side of MW Cellars which is something salty, flinty, and built for the table.

The 2024 Gamay is all about bright fruit, minimal oak, and the kind of red you can put in the fridge before dinner.

The LOF Sparkling Rosé brings the friendship and local collaboration side of Niagara into the glass, and it also happens to be the last of the wine.

If I were opening these, I’d probably start with the LOF Sparkling Rosé while cooking, put the Gamay in the fridge for barbecue, and save the Aligoté for seafood or something creamy.

Also, a reminder: Marty and Rachel are running The Shed on July 1st and we’d love to see you. Stop by, say hello, taste what’s open, and come check in on what’s happening around here.

Thanks again for being part of the subscription.

As always, I’d love to hear what you think.

Reply to this email or tag us on your socials! I always enjoy seeing where these bottles end up.

Cheers,

Marty

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for day-to-day updates, harvest photos, and more! We have some fun stuff coming your way!