April 2026 Wine Club
South American Wines Worth Sharing
April feels like that first exhale after holding your breath through winter. It may not feel like spring is really here in Vermont, the snow is still doing its thing out there, but something has notably shifted. The light is staying a little longer, the mud is… well, everywhere, and we are starting to shake that hibernation feeling. While by this point we’d like to escape to somewhere warmer, this month I’ll let the wine do the traveling. All three bottles come from Viña Laurent, a small estate in Chile's Valle de Itata run by Lorena and Damien. This Chilean-French couple makes minimal intervention wines with native yeasts, neutral vessels, and a deep respect for what ancient volcanic soils are already doing on their own. These are special wines worth sharing.
Speaking of sharing — we just launched our “Share The Bottle” referral program! If someone comes to mind while you're reading this, invite them in. They mention your name when they sign up, and once they've been a member for three months, you both get $20 in shop credit. No codes, no fuss, just more wine for everyone.
1) VIÑA LAURENT "CULPABLE" PINOT NOIR, VALLE DE ITATA, CHILE
WINE: RED // GRAPES: PINOT NOIR // CLUB: VIN DE SOIF & CORK DORK
About the Producer: Damien and Lorena met when she was working at Chateau L'Escart in Bordeaux, his world. She brought Chile; he brought France. They brought all of it back to her homeland and planted their first vines in 2008. What came next was a winery that fuses Old World soul with New World rigor. The Itata Valley is ancient, volcanic, unhurried, and turned out to be the perfect place to land.
About the Wine: From vines planted in 2002 on ancient volcanic and alluvial soils, this Pinot is harvested by hand, fermented with native yeasts, macerated 12 days, and aged 8 months in neutral barrels. Ruby red with aromas of strawberry, sour cherry, damp earth, and wildflowers, it's fresh and delicate on the palate with a mineral finish that lingers. Think less Burgundy grandeur, more barefoot-on-volcanic-soil joy.
2) VIÑA LAURENT "VANIDOSO" CHARDONNAY, VALLE DE ITATA, CHILE
WINE: WHITE // GRAPES: CHARDONNAY // CLUB: VIN DE SOIF & CORK DORK
About the Wine: "Vanidoso" translates to vain… and sure, this wine is a little proud of itself, but it's earned it. The cool Mediterranean climate and mineral-heavy volcanic soils push this Chardonnay toward something leaner and more electric than you might expect, with stone fruit, citrus zest, and a saline edge that keeps things honest. Drink it with seafood, a soft cheese board, or on its own while you tell yourself you deserve it. (You do.)
“Our work allows us to meet unique people every day, people who are interested in our work and appreciate it. This is what fills us with the most pride.”
3) VIÑA LAURENT "ARROGANTE" SAUVIGNON BLANC, VALLE DE ITATA, CHILE
WINE: WHITE // GRAPES: SAUVIGNON BLANC // CLUB: CORk Dork ONLY
About the Wine: Reserved for my Cork Dorks, and befitting of the name , "Arrogante" doesn't apologize for taking up space, and neither does this Sauvignon Blanc. (Production details to be added.) Volcanic soils lend a sharp mineral tension while cool nights preserve aromatics that are bright and almost piercing, grapefruit pith, green herb, flint. It's the one you end up having the most interesting conversation with, so give it the attention it's asking for.
Not a Cork Dork yet? Upgrade your membership for ~$20/month and this bottle is yours going forward.
