Here are two of my favorite producers showcased this week:

La Grange Tiphaine

Adorable couple Coralie & Damien Delecheneau make still and sparkling wines in Touraine and Montlouis,  in the heart of the Loire Valley. I liked all of their wines, but my favorites were the sparkling white and rosé, both of which had me dreaming of summer. Not just the weather, mind you, but my post-pregnancy life when I will actually be able to drink immodest quantities of insanely refreshing wines such as these. The white, Le Nouveau Nez, is made from Chenin Blanc. It’s softly fizzy, with some subtle citrus notes, and would be great to drink all on its own. (As in, without food — not by oneself.  This is a highly sociable wine.)

If you have a keen eye and a little French, you’ll also note the cute play on words here:

“Nouveau Nez” means “new nose” but is also a homonym for “Nouveau Né” — that is, “newborn.” And that purple splotch on the label’s upper right hand corner is actually the profile of Coralie & Damien’s first baby. Coralie and I had a nice little chat about babies. (Note: being very visibly pregnant is a great conversation starter at a wine tasting.)

I also enjoyed their sparkling rosé, Rosa Rosé Rosam. One’s interest in this wine, I’d argue, would be directly proportional to one’s love of strawberries, as this is the vinuous equivalent of that fruit. Not in a sickly sweet, fruit wine way — just that this wine has the same appealing sweet/tart balance and subtle, slightly flowery scent as a great strawberry. Astor Wines has some of last year’s offering in stock, but as this wine is all about freshness, I’d recommend waiting for the next version, set to arrive soon. A little patience required — the wine has yet to be disgorged (that is, taken off its lees), hence the cloudiness:

I also loved the wines from Els Jelipins, a microscopically small producer working in the hills of Catalonia. Gloria Garriga (below — again, adorable) and her husband Oriol Illa may be running a tiny operation, but they have big ambitions.

Their reds are made from the ultra-obscure (and entirely new to me) Sumoll grape, have brilliant purity of fruit, and are somehow intense and subtle at the same time. The 2005 had sold out the day of the tasting, but look for the 2006 to hit the U.S. sometime in the next few months. For all those wine peeps who like to deride American taste in wine, take note: when I asked her if they sold a lot of their wines locally, she shook her head vigorously. Spainiards, she said, preferred to stick to the tried and true varieties and regions. “You Americans,” she said, “are much more open.” Cheers to that.

The proprietor and I chatted for a few minutes about his selection. After he recovered from his shock when I told him that there were stores like his in the U.S. that focused on environmentally responsible wines (yes, France, we’re not complete savages), he steered me to this 2006 Domaine le Briseau “La Dérobée,” ($28) an organic red from the Loire Valley. Made primarily from the rare Pineau d’Aunis grape, the wine is packed with peppery, herbal, olive and earthy notes that were incredibly refreshing after a few days of Thanksgiving-induced indulgence. He said it would be a great match for fish, and he was right on: we served it with cod in a tomato, sherry, and bacon sauce, and the wine’s robust acidity levels cut through the smoky fishiness perfectly. Pairing red with fish has become a mini-obsession for me since I wrote this post, and this was my most successful match to date.

The wine was also a great match for our dinner guests. She’s a huge fan of Sancerre, a Loire white with zingy acidity, minerality and reasonable alcohol levels — characteristics of Loire wines in general, and the La Dérobée in particular. And he’s not wild about aggressive tannins, a good thing as this wine’s tannins were moderate, at most.

In all, it was worth schlepping this bottle back in our suitcase — although you won’t have to. Turns out one of my favorite importers, Louis/Dressner, represents Domaine le Briseau in the U.S. They also import a Pineau d’Aunis from Thierry Puzelat that’s worth a try, and sure to impress any wine hipsters you know, as Puzelat has quite the cult following in the U.S. These wines would benefit from 15 minutes in the fridge before serving to tame their peppery bite and underscore the refreshment factor.

• Do Ferreiro Albarino 2006 (Rias Baixas, Spain): Hands down, one of my favorite Albarinos on the planet. Organic. $26.95
• Kuentz-Bas Alsace Blanc 2006 (Alsace, France): Gorgeous traditional-style blend of 4 white grapes. Biodynamic. $16.95
• La Raia Gavi 2008 (Piedmonte, Italy): A rich and complex white from the Cortese grape from Piedmont. Biodynamic. $18.95
• Clos du Tue-Boeuf “Frileuse” Cheverny Blanc 2007 (Touraine, France): An unusual, unfiltered blend of Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay from the Loire Valley. Idosyncratic and delicious. Organic. $13.95
• Fritsch “Windspiel” Riesling 2008 (Niederosterreich, Austria): Super-dry and very crisp Riesling from Austria–a perfect summertime quaff. Organic. $14.95

I’m excited for the Albarino, a wonderful wine that I rarely drink — the price is usually steep, and Paul and I don’t eat a ton of shellfish, often the happiest pairing for the grape. Also psyched for the Cheverny, which is pretty offbeat. I’ve also asked them to throw in an off-dry German Riesling so I can get people thinking about dry vs. sweet wine. More on all of this later when I post our tasting notes.