Wine Tasting – Italian Favorites with Importer Owen Kotler

We are excited to announce our next tasting, the perfect event to wind down summer! On Tuesday, September 5 at 6 p.m., we will be joined by Owen Kotler, the owner of Owen Kotler Selections who will taste us through some of his favorite selections from Italy. He will feature a few lesser-known varietals and styles with a focus on light and refreshing wines to toast to the end of the season.

Owen Kotler Selections focuses on small producers and natural winemakers from around the world. Their portfolio is the reflection of their passion for wine. As they put it, “after years of drinking wine, we found that the wines we loved most were made in a true reflection of their place.” Owen is a classically trained musician, who discovered the world of wine while touring in Europe. He currently divides his time between Seattle and New York with significant time spent in pursuit of new producers all over the world.

TASTING LINEUP:

2022 La Staffa ‘Mai Sentito!’ Verdicchio (Marche)
Sparkling Verdicchio! Ripe golden delicious apples, candied ginger, white peach, and lemon. Zesty and refreshing. Verdicchio means ‘little green one’ in Italian.

2022 Montenidoli Canaiolo Rosato (Tuscany)
Violets, wild herbs, sour cherries, and juicy acidity make this the perfect year-round rosé. Exceptionally food friendly. Canaiolo used to be the primary grape used in Chianti.

2021 Zöhlhof, ‘Dionysus’ Gewurtztraminer (Trentino Alto-Adige)
Highly aromatic with notes of melon, tropical fruit, and honey, yet finishes bone dry in the mouth.

2021 Giorgio Nicolini Vitovska (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
Dry, fresh and lively, with bright lemon and mandarin citrus notes. Textural mouthfeel with a savory finish. Unusual and extraordinary. Only 5,000 bottles are made each year. Vitovska is a rare and ancient grape variety found in northern Italy.

2020 Giorgio Nicolini Piccola Nera (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
Small production of a rare varietal. Very light-bodied red that’s right on the edge of feeling like a rose’. Juicy wild berries, wildflowers, and black pepper, with balanced acidity and delicate tannins.