2019 Gentle Folk Vin de Sofa as Natalie Portman

I had the absolute pleasure of dining at NYCs Red Hook Tavern where their GM/Beverage director, Rebecca Flynn, took amazing care of us. I told her I liked lower tannin reds like Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Gamay, and boy did this wine shine.

This wine, called “Vin de Sofa,” is a natural wine blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from Australia. First – what is “natural” wine? If a wine is called natural, it’s farmed organically or sustainably, hand-picked, and has no added yeast or other additives. This is difficult to do! It’s also often unfiltered and has a funkier taste from the wild yeast. However, there is no one definition of natural so there’s a lot of leeway and little regulation.

This wine is not funky though. It’s delightful – it’s thoughtful, crisp, powerful, light, and has some depth. This wine is educated. That’s why this wine as celebs is Natalie Portman. It’s got range, has a beautiful finish, pairs with just about anything, and has some complexity. This high acid content is balanced by high fruitiness without being jammy or feeling sweet.

This wine would be great on its own or with chicken or turkey. We had this while eating the roasted chicken dish and the burger and it was fantastic with both! (PS Red Hook Tavern is famous for the burger and it really is that good.)