04/27/2026
Tim here. Yes, that is a small pile of sticks. Specifically, these are branches from a native Appalachian Allspice shrub, cut by from his family’s property at These were tied together with twine and we are using this “paddle” to stir a special batch of vermouth that is in development, and we are resting smaller branches on top of the juice.
One of the many things I miss about working in the restaurant/retail world is having the opportunity to meet with importers, distributors and occasionally with winegrowers from different parts of the globe. One of the more fascinating appointments Zach and I had over 4yrs ago was with Aris Soultanos, founder of , a very special collection of small, family run organic Greek wineries who are devoted to growing the many indigenous grapes of the country. Aris welcomed us as if we were family he hasn’t seen in some time and it was wonderful gathering that involved learning about and tasting an array of lovely wines from his book and a chef friend of his prepared an amazing meal.
One of the wines that especially stood out from this tasting was from Doric, this tiny winery in the mountainous region of Phocis, northwest from Athens. The winegrower, Giorgos Balatsouras, saved the native Kosmas grape from extinction and makes a very unique red wine from it. In historic fashion, fermentation takes place in open top fermenters and the wine is capped with loose branches of fir and thyme, which paints a subtle foresty accent to the darker ripe berry fruit in the wine. Inspired by Aris and Giorgos, we have adapted a similar practice but with using our region’s own Appalachian Allspice, aka Spicebush. More on this vermouth in the near future❤️