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Showing posts with the label funky wine

Cuvée Thaddeus Bordeaux Rouge (France) Review | La Cave Noire

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Cuvée Thaddeus Bordeaux Rouge (France) Review | La Cave Noire Every once in a while, you open a bottle that makes you double check the price. This was one of those. Cuvée Thaddeus Bordeaux Rouge is an organic, naturally fermented Bordeaux that just quietly overdelivers. No gimmicks. Just really good wine. In the glass it leans into those deeper fruit notes. Black plum, blackberry, a little dark cherry. It has that cozy, rounded Bordeaux feel where the fruit is generous, but the wine never gets heavy or over the top. What I liked most is how easy it is to drink. It has enough structure to feel like a proper red, but it stays relaxed and smooth the whole time. We ended up drinking it with sourdough pizza, focaccia dipped in olive oil and vinegar, and a bowl of red sauce pasta. Honestly it felt perfect for that kind of meal. Simple food, good wine, nothing complicated. This is exactly the type of bottle I love finding. Something that tastes like it should cost more than it does, and that ...
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DAVID-BEAUPERE Beaujolais-Villages 2023 (France) Review | La Cave Noire

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DAVID-BEAUPERE Beaujolais -Villages 2023 (France) Review | La Cave Noire Some bottles just hit differently. This one? Absolutely. We opened it, took a sip, and knew we were coming back for more. No hesitation. No overthinking. Just pure, joyful Gamay. If you love Beaujolais the way we do, this ticks all the boxes. The 2023 Beaujolais Villages from David Beaupère sits in that perfect mid-price range where quality meets ease. Light, juicy, effortless. It has that fruit-forward punch you want from Gamay, but layered with a little funk, a hint of earthiness, and a soft leathery note that keeps it grounded. It’s playful, yet serious enough to make you pause and savour it.  On the nose, it’s a little show offy in the best way strawberry, raspberry, cherry, then a subtle balsamic thread weaving through, and a whisper of herbs that keeps it lively. It smells alive. It drinks even better. We love wines that feel like a moment. This one feels like walking into a warm, sunlit kitchen in ...
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Location: Brighton, Brighton and Hove, UK
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JOÃO PATO – Duckman ‘Duck Ray’ Review | La Cave Noire

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JOÃO PATO – Duckman ‘Duck Ray’ Review | La Cave Noire We’ve been waiting to open this one for a while. With its striking label and that wild shifting colour, this pet-nat from Portugal knows how to make an entrance. Cloudy, funky, and full of energy, Duck Ray starts out a deep amber before the natural haze begins to swirl and the glass fills with a soft, glowing orange. The man behind the bottle is João Pato, better known as Duckman, the son of iconic Portuguese winemaker Maria Pato. He carries her spirit of experimentation, crafting wines that blur the line between serious and playful. His bottles feel like they were made for moments, not occasions, natural, a little unpredictable, and always fun to pour. The nose hits that perfect middle ground, a little funk, but never too far. On the palate, the natural fizz wakes everything up. Apricot, peach, and a little sour edge keep it bright and alive. It’s not your everyday bottle, but that’s the point. Sitting at a mid to higher price ...
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Location: Brighton, Brighton and Hove, UK
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It’s Friday, Brighton & Hove Let’s Live a Little

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It’s Friday. Finally. The week’s been heavy, busy, full-on for me, for you, for just about everyone in Brighton & Hove. But here’s the good news: it’s done. The weekend is here, and that’s something worth raising a glass to. This is the moment to slow down and actually breathe. To call a friend you haven’t seen all week, to sit at the table with people you love, or to just wander the city and feel the energy buzzing again. We work hard, we rush around, but Fridays remind us why we do it all, for connection, for laughter, for those little flashes of joy that carry us through. And what better way to kick things off than with a few bottles of natural wine? Each one is different, alive, full of character. Sometimes it’s wild, sometimes it’s subtle, but it’s always a surprise. Natural wine isn’t about perfection; it’s about letting things be real, just like friendships, just like family. Pair it with bold flavours, pass the food around the table, take chances on combinations you’ve n...
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Location: Brighton and Hove, UK
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What We Drink When the Weather Turns

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Weather, Wine, and the Brighton Habit Brighton and Hove’s weather has a sense of humour. Sun in the morning, sideways rain by lunch, and if you’re lucky, a sunset before the wind starts howling. You can’t really plan bottle days in advance here. You drink with the weather you’ve got. When it suddenly gets cold, we grab a chilled red. Not heavy, just juicy and bright, with dark fruit and a little spice. It wakes you up in the cold air, and somehow it feels right in a jumper and a beanie, standing by the railings watching the sea get rougher. When the sun breaks through, even for half an hour, it’s pet-nat time. Fizzy, refreshing, a little wild. It makes it feel like summer, even if you’re still wearing a jumper. Crack one open, hand it across the table, and you get that cheap, perfect kind of joy that sticks to your memory. When it rains and doesn’t stop, that’s when a textured white comes out. Something with grip you can sip slow while the storm does its thing outside. It...
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Chilled Reds for Windy Days on the Seafront

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Chilled Reds for Brighton & Hove Anyone who’s ever opened a bottle on the Hove seafront in September knows the struggle. One minute the sun is out, the next a gust of salt air has you zipped up and shivering before you’ve poured a glass. The trick isn’t to fight the weather. It’s to find wines that actually taste better when the sky turns grey. That’s why we keep coming back to chilled reds. Juicy, bright, and easy. Wines that don’t mind a bit of wind in your hair. Here are three bottles we’d happily take down to the beach. Delinquente Roxanne the Razor (Riverland, Australia) We’ve got a soft spot for Delinquente. The labels are wild and the wines always feel alive. Roxanne the Razor is Nero d’Avola that tastes like cherries and plums with a bit of spice and cola. It’s juicy, smooth and has almost no grip, which means you can drink it cold without it turning harsh. Perfect for a late summer night or a chilly walk along the seafront. Partida Creus VN Tinto (Penedès, Spa...
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Location: Hove Lawns, Kingsway, Brighton and Hove, Hove BN3 2PE, UK
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Our Story: The Beginning of La Cave Noire

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Our Story: La Cave Noire When you find a great bottle of natural wine, something happens. It is alive, unpredictable, and a little bit wild. That energy is what drew us in. La Cave Noire is more than a bar in Brighton & Hove. It is a space for discovery. We are building a home for natural wine that spans from our physical bar and bottle shop to a national subscription service. Our goal is to make wine approachable through human connection rather than algorithms. Meet Reza With a background in design, Reza believes spaces should tell stories. For him, wine is about the environment it creates. It is the feeling of gathering around a table, the energy of conversation, and the small details that make a night unforgettable. He brings an eye for atmosphere that turns a simple drink into a lasting memory. Meet Tio Tio’s journey began in hospitality. She learned that the best moments come from genuine connection. Natural wine is an extension of that philosophy. It is honest, unfiltered, ...
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Location: Hove, Brighton and Hove BN3, UK
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