Supped at my stepson and future daughter-in-law’s recently. There were too many good wines on the table to taste with mozarella di bufala and hanger steak: Alice de Moor’s Tirage de Printemps A Ligoter (Aligoté at its best and available by the glass at Ten Bells), Axel Prufer Le Temps des Cerises (a très naturel Grenache from Languedoc, that’ll knock you off your chair - and appeal to all who lust after Dard et Ribo’s Printemps), Christian Venier le Clos de Carteries ’08 (a Cab Sauv. and Gamay blend (all gritty mineral, nicely tannic and a kiss of wild strawberries).

For aperitif, Hervé Villemand “Bulles” from Cheverny was a cutie and sits in the category of quirky bubbly (where I place Mosse’s Moussamousettes, Brun’s FRV, Bonard’s sparkling Poulsard and Andrea Calek’s Blonde Pétillant). Bulles is a gamay, pineau d’aunis and pinot noir mix – a Dressner import with a hot pink label that’s equal parts punk and chic.

Le Temps des Cerises has been a bit of a natural wine whore of late (google it and see what I mean) but it was my first taste. I was hard pressed to guess its Languedoc origins. Guilhaume Gerard, formerly of Terroir in San Francisico, once described the Dashe Cellars Zinfandel as a “see through” wine during an interview I had with him for an assignment, meaning it wasn’t over extracted, dark, inky or hot, as is so typical of Cali Zins. Le Temps des Cerises reminded me of his idiosyncratic expression. In my glass I swirled a see-thru red wine, which was funky, herbaceous and spritzy too. I love, love, love it, even if almost everyone else does too.