Walter's World, Edition No. 25 (August 2026)

August is always bittersweet to me [Chris].

The tomatoes, corn, and peaches are in full swing but you can sense the days becoming shorter and the early mornings a bit cooler than expected. It’s not that I dislike fall, rather the opposite, but it’s a signal that sparks a want for things that bridge the gap in seasonality.

While I’ve been crushing tart, salty, and refreshing whites all summer I’m now wanting something with a bit more weight, a bit more comfort, but I don’t want to go all in on cru Bordeaux or unctuous Chateauneuf just yet. I want hibiscus, tart cherry, rooibos, rose hips, red licorice, grapefruit, blood orange, rosemary, pomegranate molasses, and black tea. What I really want is that hybrid of refreshing and comforting – like drinking Kool-Aid for adults.

The solution? Summer reds.
Some with a chill, some just cellar temp.
Some with bubbles, some not.

While at least one of this month’s selections falls into the “chillable red” category that we all love so much, these are all serious wines in their own right too.

Have fun with these final summer reds and we'll keep teeing up the delicious selections for you.

Appreciate you all!

Cheers,
Chris + the Walter's team

P.S. – See something you didn't get in your release but would like to try?
Shop August's selections—and browse past club releases, too—using the links below.
We'll happily get your favorites into your hands!

I | Foradori Lezèr
2025 | Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy | Teroldego

Tucked into the Dolomites of Northern Italy, a region about which we have waxed poetic before for its sheer immense beauty, Elisabetta Foradori makes some of the region's most exciting wines. She farms biodynamically and is now raising cows, among other animals, to further lean into looking at the land as its own complete ecosystem with all its living inhabitants. Rumor has it that she’s starting to make cheese too…
This particular wine was the result of problem solving. During the height of the 2017 vintage a heavy hail storm ravaged her vineyards leaving the majority of the fruit damaged beyond hope. In order to have something to sell for the year, she chose to harvest what little fruit was untouched. Both red and white clusters were chucked into the vat together and what came out was a dark rosé or light red, depending on the eyes of the beholder.
Upon release, the wine was surprisingly well received, so much so that she has since recreated it every year, luckily without the pressure of hail. The style has evolved to include aging in cement, neutral barrels, and amphora in order to build texture. This vintage is like drinking a strawberry rhubarb pie infused with the stony soils of the Dolomites. Chill this puppy down in your food fridge and experience it as it warms over time.

II | Concinnitas Camino
2025 | Willamette Valley, Oregon | Mencía + Godello

We’ve featured these wines in the club before with the Aligoté and Blanc de Blancs, and we’ve given much love to the Gamay in the shop as well! We just love pretty much everything they turn out. To refresh your memory or in case you’re new here, this winery is a collaboration between two couples with very different backgrounds.
The expected side is one of our favorite winemaker personalities – Bree Stock (who, by the way, is a Master of Wine and overall badass) and her husband Chad – who have been working in the Willamette for 15+ years but focusing on grapes other than Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They have their own labels that we’ve also featured a few times (Limited Addition and Constant Crush), with their Limited Addition ‘Orange Crush’ being a staff favorite.
The other team was looking to the next chapter of their life after living and working in D.C. in various aspects of politics and tech. Farm life seemed like a logical choice, both for their mental health and for the life experience for their kids.
This is an Iberian blend of Mencía, a red variety from northwest Spain that is stylistically a cross between Pinot Noir and Syrah, and the white Godello, from the same part of the peninsula. Godello has many similarities to Chablis for me, so naturally I love it. Minerally, taut acid, and ripe tree and citrus fruit bring lift to the more savory Mencia. These varieties are proving to be quite special in the PNW.

III | Los Chuchaquis Super Bueno!
2025 | Cienega Valley, California | Sangiovese

Jess and I were a bit wary when we first tasted Super Bueno, as the Los Chuchaquis wines have leaned a bit too natty for our tastes in the past, but wow were we pleasantly surprised. Strawberry hard candy (like the ones your Grandma kept in her den), red licorice, tarragon, and lip smacking acid. Yum!
The refreshing factor makes sense since Sangiovese is an acid-driven variety. It may seem odd to find it grown in the Cienega Valley, which is just east of Monterey, California, but actually this part of the state has a rich history of winemaking back to Gold Rush days. There is a lot of old vine material from a myriad of varieties that were planted by European immigrants during that era that have withstood the test of time, and Los Chuchaquis is working to preserve them by making fun and approachable wines.
This wine definitely falls under the porch-pounder category. Go for a float on Lake Washington and sip this under the sun in the final days of summer.
(Drink this one chilled!)

IV | Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
2025 | Abruzzo, Italy | Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Christiana and Antonio took over the family estate in Abruzzo from their father in 2008. She takes care of all the winemaking, and he works the vineyards about 20 miles from the Adriatic Sea. Abruzzo wasn’t known for fine wine until relatively recently, with two producers in particular creating buzz around the region and native varieties – Valentini and Emidio Pepe, who now both easily sell for three digits. They paved the way for the next generation of exciting winemakers celebrating this central Italy gem of an appellation.
In a past release, we featured Tiberio’s Trebbiano Abruzzese, a variety that was long confused with Trebbiano Toscano, but has proven to make superior wine in the eyes of many. The Tiberios are working with several old vine plots of the variety and what I love is that they make several iterations spanning all quality levels and price points so that anyone can experience this region. If you want to try any of those, we have them in the shop, but what we’ve selected for this month’s release is their Cerasuolo. Cera-who? Once you get it down it’s a fun word to say, which translates to “cherry color,” describing the hybrid hue of dark rosé to light red.
This traditional style of Abruzzo is made with Montepulciano, another confusing Italian word because it’s also a place in Tuscany in addition to being a native variety of this region. In Montepulciano – the place – they make red wines with Sangiovese, not Montepulciano – the grape. Makes sense, right? Ummmmm, all I can say is I love Italians but rarely understand their logic… unless I’m driving a Ferrari to a Barolo tasting.
I’d place this between the Super Bueno! and Lezèr in terms of seriousness, but you should absolutely not be serious while drinking it.

BUBBLE CLUB

I | Champagne Vouette & Sorbée Fidèle Brut Nature
NV | Côte des Bar, Champagne, France | Pinot Noir

I’ve been a fan of these wines for quite some time; in fact, it was one of the first Grower Champagnes I experienced as a young somm, and one of the first that was a super savoury experience. I feel that over the years, they have become less extreme - a good thing in my opinion - and now they have a nice balance of fruit and savoury, with a finish that is more refreshing than ever.
Winemaker Bertrand Gautherot inherited two plots from his father in the ‘80s, for which his estate is named. Vouette, which is right behind his house, is now planted entirely to Chardonnay (since 2014) because he felt like the soils were better suited to this variety rather than the Pinot Noir that was planted there. That Chardonnay will eventually go into his ‘Blanc d’Argile’ bottling, which we hope to have in the shop soon.
The other plot, Sorbée, is up the hill from Vouette but is only sourced for the family’s personal consumption. Luckily for us, he has since acquired four other plots that contribute to his core wine which is what we’ve included in the club this month. ‘Fidèle’ is 100% Pinot Noir fermented in neutral oak and aged on the lees for just 20 months. Upon disgorgement, there isn’t any sugar added and he relies on the generosity of Pinot Noir paired with the initial oak and a touch of reserve wine to build richness and complexity. It is one of the few non-dosage wines that I think is super balanced.
Bertrand has been farming biodynamically since the late ’90s, which is very unusual for Champagne due to its northerly location, which suffers from erratic and marginal weather conditions, making it a challenge to farm this way until recently (thank you, climate change).
I definitely recommend having food with this one. Anything rich & fatty is the ticket – fried chicken, braised meats, or umami-laden noodles.

II | Los Chuchaquis Super Bueno!
2025 | Cienega Valley, California | Sangiovese

Same for everyone in the club this month!