Wednesday Wine Tip - 31.01.24

Kindeli Otoño by Alex Craighead Wines

A surprising comfort

Wine: Kindeli Otoño

Winemaker: Alex Craighead

Origin: Nelson, New Zealand

Grapes: 50% Gewurzträminer, 30% Pinot Gris, 20% Riesling

Method: 7-10 days of skin contact in amphora

This week's Wednesday Wine Tip is the skin-fermented Kindeli Otoño from Alex Craighead Wines in New Zealand. It was part of my list of best orange wines of 2023, and since it's recently been made available in the Norwegian Wine Monopoly, I thought it was a good chance to give it some attention this week.

It's a very fun and surprising wine, which also explains the following combinations I am recommending for it. It's a fall mix of some very aromatic grapes, that together create a wine with lots of action and life. It's packed with notes of herbs and spices, with a solid fruitiness that keeps it from being too funky. This is what I would define as a fun wine that is surprisingly pleasing.

Kindeli is the project of Alex Craighead and Josefina Venturino, who started experimenting with zero sulphur wines back in 2013. They released their first wines the year after, and in 2016 it stopped being just a hobby and became a business when they moved to Nelson and bought an existing organic winery and vineyard.

They currently make 8 different cuvees that include everything from petnat to field blends, orange wine, red blends, and white blends. Otoño, meaning autumn in Spanish, represents the fall feeling of this wine and its expression. We might not be in the autumn season currently, but this wine has no seasonal limitation in my opinion. It's the perfect blend of surprise and comfort, alive and calm, and works so well with this week's combinations.

Bismillah by Peter Cat Recording Co.

The first combination I want to recommend is Kindeli Otoño enjoyed together with the album Bismillah from Peter Cat Recording Co, a Dehli-based band that started up in 2009. I remember randomly getting a song from this album in one of my Spotify playlists and thinking that someone had released some old and forgotten songs. This album feels so old but in the best way. Suryakant's voice makes me feel like I'm in a jazz club feeling tipsy and happy.

The album is just like this wine, not quite what you expected, but also very familiar and comfortable. It's good vibes with a fun twist. I recommend playing through this album from start to finish while you enjoy Kindeli Otoño from a nice big wine glass.

Blue Eye Samurai

I got this show on Netflix recommended a lot of times before I decided to watch it. The convincing factor was seeing someone from the production team talk about how they wanted to make a real adult animated show that did things differently, and they did indeed. It does not matter if you like animated shows or not, this is a masterpiece that everyone should try. It's very well written, the animations are great and the voice actors make you forget that it's not real people you are watching.

Same with this week's wine, it's not what you think it is, and in the best way. This show makes you think, while also being very entertaining. You can enjoy Kindeli Otoño while watching this show, both capturing exactly enough of your attention to keep you going without being too much. Because this wine will open up more in contact with air, it will keep growing on you, just like each episode of this show.

Japanese Curry

In Norway, we have mostly been exposed to sushi when it comes to Japanese cuisine. It's a shame, considering how much more Japan has to offer besides just sushi. Ramen has made its entrance into the country, and Izakaya is fortunately becoming more popular as well. Still, there are not that many places to get Japanese Curry (Sato Japanese Dining in Oslo is one of the few I can think of).

Luckily you don't have to go out to enjoy this dish when you can just make it yourself at home! There are plenty of recipes out there on the grand internet, but if you are curious you can try this recipe.

I paired Kindeli Otoño with a Tempura shiitake and Japanese curry mix in one of my previous events, which worked wonders. You don't have to be as fancy about it, it will work just as well with a simple Japanese curry. There is something Japanese about this wine for me, even though it has no connection to Japan. It has a playful seriousness that feels strange in a very high-quality way.

Enjoy!