Latest dispatches

2024 Brookdale Mason Road Syrah South Africa | Unfiltered Wine Club (September 2026)

THE STORY: Most South African Syrah leads with muscle. Brookdale's Mason Road does the opposite: a red-fruited, savory, perfumed expression that owes more to the cooler side of the Rhône than to sun-baked Cape Shiraz. It's the everyday bottle from one of Paarl's most improbable success stories, a neglected farm the Rudd family revived in 2015 and replanted to Mediterranean varieties, farmed regeneratively amid restored fynbos. The 2024 was crafted by Kiara Scott Farmer, named  South Africa's Winemaker of the Year, and it carries every bit of her precision. THE DETAILS 🍷 2024 Brookdale Mason Road Syrah South Africa 📍 South Africa 🍇 Syrah 🍽️ Pairs with: cured meat and red meat 📅 Drink now–2032 👃 Tasting note: Deep ruby with flashes of violet, this strikes a compelling balance between vibrancy and savory complexity. Aromas of redcurrant, black cherry, and ripe plum mingle with lavender, cracked black pepper, olive tapenade, and a hint of smoked meat. The palate is energetic yet fin

Jose Zuccardi of Zuccardi wines speaking about the humble beginnings of the winery

2017 Bodegas Casa Primicia Viña Diezmo RV Rioja Reserva | Unfiltered Wine Club (September 2026)

THE STORY This is savory, structured, traditional Rioja, with the concentration that came from a lean, highly regarded 2017 vintage. The fruit grows in the high, cool foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria, at the edge of the appellation. It takes its name from the diezmo—the tithe the church once collected in grapes in medieval Laguardia, pressed into wine inside what's now considered the oldest original winery in Spain. THE DETAILS 🍷 2017 Bodegas Casa Primicia Viña Diezmo RV Rioja Reserva 📍 Rioja Alavesa, Spain 🍇 Tempranillo (100%) ⭐ 93pts (Wine Enthusiast) 🌡️ Serve at 60°F 📅 Drink now through 2030 🍽️ Pairs with: cured meat and red meat 👃 Tasting note: Deep garnet at the core with brick-red reflections at the rim. Aromas of black cherry, plum compote, blackberry, cedar, cigar box, dried thyme, and baking spice, developing into black truffle, cocoa, olive tapenade, and leather. Concentrated dark fruit balanced with vibrant acidity and finely knit tannins, finishing with vanilla,

The complete US wine map explained in 3 minutes

Wine is now produced in all 50 states. From Pacific fog and rain shadow deserts to glacial lakes, discover the complete American wine map. What questions does this video answer? How do diverse microclimates across the US produce entirely different styles of wine? What makes California responsible for roughly 80% of all American wine production? How do Oregon, Washington, and Idaho redefine West Coast viticulture? Why do New York's Finger Lakes, Virginia, Texas, and New Mexico succeed with European grapes? How does an American Viticultural Area (AVA) provide winemakers with unmatched creative freedom? About This Video: Across the United States, there is no single American grape, cellar, or style—there is an expansive map of geological experiments. Wine is now made in all 50 states, spanning from cold lake country to arid high deserts. California remains the anchor, producing roughly four out of every five bottles of American wine. Yet the Golden State is far from uniform. Napa V

2024 Maison Chanzy Pinot Noir Les Fortunes Bourgogne Rouge | Unfiltered Wine Club (September 2026)

THE STORY Real red Burgundy—the kind every other Pinot Noir on earth gets measured against—almost never turns up at an approachable address. Maison Chanzy is the exception: 100% Pinot Noir from old vines in the Côte Chalonnaise, just south of the fabled Côte d'Or, farmed and bottled by a house that leaves the fruit to do the talking. The cool, classic 2024 vintage gave it bright red fruit and a light, lifted step—Burgundy the way Burgundy lovers remember it. THE DETAILS 🍷 2024 Maison Chanzy Pinot Noir Les Fortunes, Bourgogne Rouge 📍 Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France 🍇 Pinot Noir (100%) 🌡️ Serve at 58°F 📅 Drink now through 2030 🍽️ Pairs with: vegetables, soft cheese, white meat 👃 Tasting note: Luminous ruby in the glass, with aromas of wild strawberry, Bing cherry, and red currant alongside rose petal and crushed herbs. On the palate, juicy red fruit balances against black tea, baking spice, and damp limestone, framed by fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. 👉 Join The Unf