(2) bottles of wine from Geraldine's Natural Wines

Saraja "Tarra Noa" Vermentino di Gallura DOCG 2024 Sardinia is the birthplace of the Vermentino grape, and if you’ve tried Vermentinos from other regions, the quality and elegance of this wine will surprise you. A bright, textural Vermentino from this excellent new estate in the Gallura region, the variety's Sardinian heartland. Bright citrus aromas with delicate floral hints, lightly savoury characters and notes of myrtle and grass. The palate has fresh acidity, deep intensity with sea water and lemon notes, and a touch of stone fruit. Mineral and fine with a ripe, rounded, tangy finish. The Vermentino grapes are sourced from the Gallura region, where the vines are cultivated on Guyot trellises at around 350m altitude, and with a south-easterly exposure. The soil is a combination of loam and sand, with additional clay and quartz rocks. At the start of September the grapes are hand-harvested into small crates. They are destemmed and softly pressed at low temperatures, then fermentation takes place in stainless steel over a period of 15 days. The wine spends six months on lees, and a further two months in bottle before release. Saraja "Inkibi" Cannonau di Sardegna DOC 2023 A fine, perfumed style of Cannonau (Grenache) from northwest Sardinia. An intriguing wine, with loads of savoury character. Redcurrant and cranberry aromas combine with brown spice and warm, earthy notes. Bright and fleshy on the palate, with juicy red berry and forest fruits balanced by gentle tannins, fresh acidity and a bitter cherry twist. The finish has gravelly tannins. 100% Cannonau grapes are sourced from a single relatively low-lying vineyard in Romangia, an area where the island's most widely planted red grape thrives. Soils are shallow and range from clay to sand. Grapes are typically hand-harvested at the start of September, and are then destemmed and macerated for 14 days with regular pumping over. Fermentation is in stainless steel at 22-28ºC, and malolactic fermentation takes place too. The wine spends two months on fine lees with batonnage, then a further four months in stainless steel, before being released after natural filtration and two months in bottle.