Offer date: New Moon, August 12
Orders due: August 19
Pickup: Full Moon, August 27

The Sturgeon Moon: Wines shaped by water

The August full moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon, a name that reaches back to the Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes, for whom late summer was prime season for catching the enormous lake sturgeon that once filled these waters. It’s a wonderfully appropriate moon for August: a celebration of lakes, rivers, abundance, and the powerful relationship between land and water.

So this month’s Full Moon Wine Club follows the water. Every bottle we’ve selected has a water influence or water story behind it. Some come from vineyards cooled by enormous lakes or nearby seas; others grow along legendary rivers that moderate temperatures, create morning fog, reflect sunlight, or have carried wine to the wider world for centuries. From ocean breezes to river valleys to lakeside vineyards, water has quietly helped shape many of the world’s greatest wine regions. Under the Sturgeon Moon, we’re going to taste what happens where the water meets the vine.

Diamantakis Vidiano — Crete, Greece

If you’ve never had Vidiano, welcome to one of the grapes I think deserves far more attention. This ancient Cretan variety nearly disappeared before being revived by a new generation of island winemakers, and Diamantakis makes a beautiful example: pear, quince, citrus, fresh almond, terrific acidity, and a slightly silky texture that gives it more substance than your average summer white. The Diamantakis vineyards climb the foothills of Mt. Psiloritis, reaching elevations of roughly 240–700 meters, with north-facing exposures toward the Cretan Sea. And there’s our Sturgeon Moon connection: those cooling sea breezes provide relief from the intense Cretan summer and help the grapes retain freshness. Sunshine, mountains and the Mediterranean all in one glass. Try it with grilled fish, shrimp, lemony chicken, feta, or anything involving olive oil and fresh herbs.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling — Finger Lakes, New York

You simply cannot talk about American Riesling without talking about Dr. Konstantin Frank. And you can’t talk about Finger Lakes wine without talking about the lakes themselves. Those long, deep bodies of water are giant thermal batteries, moderating the otherwise brutal upstate New York climate and making serious viticulture possible. This is classic Finger Lakes Riesling: electric, mouthwatering and wonderfully clean, with lemon and lime, green pear and apple, a little floral lift, and that lovely stony quality that makes you immediately reach for another sip. The current 2024 release has been particularly well received. This is the Sturgeon Moon theme in its purest form: without the water, there probably isn’t a wine. Pop it with walleye, trout, sushi, Thai food, or simply a warm August evening.

Clos Henri Pinot Noir — Marlborough, New Zealand

Here’s a fun curveball. Clos Henri is essentially Sancerre in New Zealand. The estate was founded by the Bourgeois family, longtime Sancerre winegrowers who went halfway around the world looking for another place where their beloved Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir could thrive. They found it in Marlborough. The estate sits on fascinating glacially formed soils, including ancient stones and windblown clays, and the resulting Pinot is bright, energetic and elegant rather than big and jammy. Expect vibrant red fruit, spice, earth and plenty of freshness. Our water story here goes back thousands of years: glaciation helped create the landscape and soils beneath these vines, while Marlborough’s cool maritime climate provides the broader setting. Chill this slightly and try it with grilled salmon, tuna, mushrooms, pork tenderloin—or a burger off the grill.

Quinta do Vallado Porto Branco — Douro Valley, Portugal

Okay, we’re going to have some fun with this one. Don’t pour it into a tiny Port glass after dinner. We’re making cocktails. Quinta do Vallado is one of the historic estates of Portugal’s Douro Valley, and their White Port is based primarily on Moscatel Galego Branco. It’s floral and citrusy with candied orange character, but here’s the magic trick: pour it over plenty of ice, add Top Note Tonic, garnish with citrus and suddenly you’ve got a Porto Tónico—one of the great warm-weather drinks that Americans really ought to discover. And few wines could fit our Sturgeon Moon theme better. The Douro River carved this spectacular valley, shaped its precipitous vineyard landscape, and served for centuries as the highway that carried Port downstream toward Porto and the rest of the world. This isn’t merely a wine grown near water; the river is inseparable from the entire history of the wine.

Jason’s Porto Tónico: Big wine glass. Lots of ice. White Port. Top Note Tonic. Citrus wedge or peel. Don’t overthink it. Sit outside and enjoy August.

Bonus Bubbly and Bonus Red

49M Crémant de Loire Rosé — Loire Valley, France

We had to get some bubbles into our Sturgeon Moon collection, and where better to go than one of the world’s great wine rivers? Crémant de Loire is made using the same fundamental method as Champagne—secondary fermentation happens inside the bottle—but with the grapes and personality of the Loire Valley. This rosé gives us bubbles, bright red fruit, citrusy freshness and that wonderfully refreshing Loire snap. But the real star of our theme is the Loire River itself, France’s longest river and the thread connecting an extraordinary string of vineyards from central France almost all the way to the Atlantic. For centuries it wasn’t merely scenery—it was transportation, commerce and the lifeline of the wine trade. Chill this down, pop it on the patio, and serve it with goat cheese, charcuterie, fried chicken, smoked salmon or just about anything salty. Bubbles and water: August is looking pretty good.

Bedrock Evangelho Vineyard Heritage Wine — Contra Costa County, California

This might be the sleeper story of the entire Sturgeon Moon collection. Evangelho Vineyard is an astonishing survivor, with own-rooted vines dating back to the 1890s, planted in incredibly deep sand near the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The Heritage Wine is predominantly Zinfandel, joined by Mourvèdre and Carignan, and Bedrock treats these ancient vines with exactly the respect they deserve. Expect gorgeous brambly red and dark fruit, spice, herbs, wonderful freshness and a distinctive savory, almost salty edge. And that’s where our water story gets really interesting. Bedrock itself describes the wine as showing a characteristic salted-plum and seaweed-like quality influenced by the nearby Delta. The vines grow in deep, windblown sand while cool Delta breezes provide relief from Contra Costa’s California sunshine.

This isn’t the California Zinfandel stereotype of gigantic fruit and gigantic alcohol. Evangelho can be surprisingly elegant, fresh and soulful—a wine that tastes somehow connected to its strange little patch of old California. Fire up the grill: ribs, burgers, sausages, barbecue chicken or a big plate of meatballs would all be pretty spectacular.

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