Hoi!

Quick announcement for those in Luxembourg (or striking distance): yes, registration for the 13 June Flight Club is still open but closing soon.

So, register here!

As I write to you, I am on the train back from Rotterdam, on the most detestable strip of rail ever to be laid (between Brussels and Luxembourg).

For anyone who loves train travel, or romanticizes it, this journey will disabuse you of that notion right quick in a hurry. If I didn’t have luggage, I would have biked back, it’s that slow and painful.

And that’s when it’s working.

Allegedly, they’re working on a high-speed connection.

After a week of being gone for the BYOB collab with NOTK, a little fam-jam (fun fact: I have Dutch heritage), and my last masterclass for my Masters (yay!), I am happy to return to my own space, even if for a blip before I pack up and hit the road again.

And now, a little recap of the BYOB.

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) is one of the three event formats I started this year as part of an effort to make events more regular and frequent for the community.

As anyone who has ever produced an event knows, it takes a lot of time and effort. In order to make monthly events happen, I had to get creative. Given the enthusiasm in the Third Place Wine community (Cru members), it made a lot of sense for BYOBs to be organized by a volunteer: they get to get involved by picking the theme and organizing, the community gets another event, and I get to participate, it’s a win-win-win.

The first one in January on Savoie and Haute Savoie wines was a great success and caught the eye of our new friends at NOTK, who also host several BYOBs. When they reached out to do a collaboration I had to say “ja!” 😊

We agreed on Spain as a theme, which I chose very selfishly because I don’t know very much about Spanish wines, my wine-normie boyfriend loves Spanish wine (and has the generosity of spirit to humor me and join some of my adventures), and given NOTK’s parameters (minimum market value of €150) I was ready to go from 0 to insufferable snob in Spanish wines in the course of an afternoon.

It worked.

I loved every wine we had. I struggled to find THE BEST wine, so I’ll list them all out below the Instagram reel recap and highlight my faves, which are almost all of them. It’s really not an insult to the ones that I didn’t star. It’s just, I had to draw the line somewhere.

Mastinell Heretat Club Reservat Reserva Extra Brut – provided by NOTK as an aperitif. Because obviously we are classy and start things properly even if we’re about to drink 15 more bottles of wine 💅🏻

⭐ 2021 Bodegas Frontonio “El Jardin de Las Iguales” – Macabeo in my experience, and likely yours, is neutral and uninteresting. Not this one, not by a long shot. Production is miniscule, so if you come across one, try it and thank me later.

⭐ 2016 Dominio del Águila “Albillo Vina Viejas” — 100 year-old pre-phylloxera vines. This vintage took almost two years to complete fermentation due to the cold cellar and is basically the reason why the Ribera del Duero DO even allows white wines now. You’ll love them if you appreciate Burgundy, not that it tastes like white Burgundy, but for its influence on their winemaking.

⭐ 2022 Bendito Destino “El Arenal” – NOTK’s bottle, and a fantastic one with a finish that went for ages. In the same conversation as Dominio del Águila’s Albillo. One to watch.

2013 Phinca La Revilla “Sexto Ano” – This one stood out among the rest as more savory, it reminded me almost of sherry in a good way! Layered and complex.

2015 Dominio del Aguila “Picaro” – claret from old vines. Fresh and fruity.

2012 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia “Rosado” – a famously complex rose  and while it’s very approachable now, you could still leave it alone for many years. This deserves a star but between this one and the 2010, I will give it to the 2010.

⭐ 2010 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia “Rosado”—this is the bottle that I brought. If you had blinded me, I would have guessed this one to be the younger one of the two. People say 2010 was an excellent vintage, and in tasting I would have to agree it was the superior one, but I would give it more time. I would love to try this again in another decade. Or two.

⭐ 2022 Comando G “La Brena” fresh and juicy. There’s a lot of hype behind these guys. And to be fair, this one stood out to me as completely different. If blinded I probably would have never guessed Spain. I prefer intense but not heavy wines, so I appreciate that it’s not big and powerful.

2014 Dominio del Alguila “Penas Aladas” Gran Reserva — a field blend from old vines (85 years). Elegant and precise.

1994 Vega Sicilia “Valbuena” 5 – I’m not usually a Rioja fan—I find them too intense and overwhelming—but this one changed my mind. This is such a lovely wine, and softened with time. When I first drank it, I could understand why this estate is so loved and appreciated. But then we tried the ’88…

⭐ 1988 Vega Sicilia “Valbuena” 5 – This wine can be officially added to the list of wines that make me an expensive date.

I have never had Vega Sicilia before (or any of the wines we had this day, for that matter) and this one got to be my first one (OK, second after the ’94), just like I had never had Cristal until I went for a private lunch at Roederer, drank only magnums, and concluded my favorite rosé Champagne is 1995 Cristal Rosé. In magnum.

This wine was just everything you’d want and went on FOREVER. Going back to the ’94 (which on its own is an outstanding wine) after this was such a letdown, ’88 was THAT good. I went from being “meh” on Rioja before to straight to 11.

2011 and ⭐ 2004 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 – we blinded these and once again the older vintage tasted way younger. Not only that but it straight up just tasted young, still very much fruity. I was shocked at the reveal. 2004 for the win! Sock that baby away for another ten years.

⭐ 2004 Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza “Remírez de Ganuza” Rioja Gran Reserva — 22 years later, it’s fully resolved but still youthful. A powerful wine, as you might expect, but elegant. Rich. Just how I like my men. Fantastic bottle.

⭐ 2006 Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza “María Remírez de Ganuza” Rioja Reserva — another special bottle. Made from the best barrels of the best Rioja Reserva of the decade, the proceeds of this cuvée all went to charity. What a way to end the line-up!

Update on Luna: just completed bottling! Lab analysis still pending, so I’m curious to know what exactly has happened over these past two years. How time has flown! It only took from since January 2024.

What does it taste like? Much better than when I last got to taste it a year ago! Two winters on the lees has helped take some of the edge off. I would describe it as wine, made from grapes. Not very fruity or intense, and definitely best served well-chilled. 😅 Just in time for summer!

In all seriousness, I am content to have reached bottling. The entire process has been an unforgettable experience, and would highly recommend it if you are as crazy as I am and have the chance to work some vines for yourself.

Now, it’s over to friend, artist, and Cru member, Eva, to finalize labels. I’ll share some pretty photos once it’s all presentable!

Weird Wild Wines (4 June): a Cru-member organized BYOB on random bottles, grapes, and regions. I’ll be bringing some Danish rhubarb sparkling wine (paging Moira Rose) and a white wine from the Netherlands. If you’re in town and want to come taste the difference good fruit can make in your wine, reply to this email!

Flight Club (13 June): Riesling from Around the World (as mentioned at the top).

Flûte Alors! (18 June): winemaker dinner with Champagne Guiborat. It’s not a Third Place event, but for those who don’t know, I love grower Champagnes and it’s no big secret that I’m a massive fan of FA! and what they’re doing to share some of the best growers here in Luxembourg. I’m happy to support them whenever I can. If you’re interested, reply to this email and I can share more details.

Third Place Wine is an after‑hours project squeezed in between work, study, and my very fragile sleep schedule.

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