Muse Club x Barberry Garden #1
A fairy tale tasting in the Rusanivka part
By Boris Buliga
Those stupid jokes about Kyiv's left and right banks - honestly, I get it. If you live on the right bank, driving to the left in the evening feels properly depressing. That traffic alone could break anyone's spirit.
But somehow, when someone says "wine tasting outdoors on the Left Bank," my brain just... stops caring? Suddenly, I'm not even thinking about which bridge to take. Rusanivka with actual trees and grass (the real kind, growing from dirt), with a view of the right bank's pretty hills... wait, no, that's just Hidropark blocking everything. But still, it's nice!
Anyway, we're trying something different thanks to Muse Club. My colleague from my regular job (the one that has nothing to do with wine) suggested we do this thing - drink wine in nature. Simple enough. I bring wine and talk about it (and drink it, obviously - that's the important bit), she handles... everything else. Daria somehow found us a spot that feels like the middle of nowhere and turned it into a magical setting. It's impossible to reflect that in words. A scene from fairy tail.
From my side? Nothing fancy - just straightforward bottles that work well outdoors. Last days of summer and all that. These aren't wines that need special glasses or the right temperature or me overthinking them. Just decent stuff for drinking on grass.
| Wine | WAVG | SD | Price | QPR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Testalonga | #4 | 4.10 | 0.16 | 2 | 1,250 ₴ | 1.14 |
 Vignaverde2024 Marco De Bartoli | #5 | 4.00 | 0.10 | 1,038 ₴ | 1.02 | |
 Ottavio2023 Cascina Tavijn | #6 | 3.96 | 0.68 | – | 860 ₴ | 1.02 |
 Filagnotti2022 Cascina Degli Ulivi | 🥈 | 4.12 | 0.09 | 3 | 1,490 ₴ | 1.07 |
 Tinto El Hierro2018 Bimbache Vinicola | 🥇 | 4.24 | 0.27 | 4 | 1,402 ₴ | 1.43 |
 Domaine Breton | 🥉 | 4.10 | 0.12 | – | 1,350 ₴ | 1.37 |
Testalonga El Bandito I am the Ninja 2024
This remains one of those pet-nats that gets it. Actually clean - none of that 'rotten' lottery you get with half the category. Approachable without being shallow, with real structure and volume, not just fizzy fruit juice. The lees add depth without funk. Fresh, alive, and it actually persists. Mineral backbone keeps it honest. Pure, uncomplicated pleasure done right.
Marco De Bartoli Vignaverde 2024
Blind this and you might think Chablis - not the grand cru stuff, but decent village+ level. This is why Sicily deserves more than the Planeta conversation. Neat minerality with just a touch of oxidation keeping things interesting. Shells and citrus mixed with yellow stone fruits. Obviously young (I mean, it's bloody 2024), but the acidity's bang on and it actually develops in the glass. Shows what Grillo can do when someone gives a damn. Sicily doing its beautiful thing.
Cascina Tavijn Ottavio 2023
Love this. Not for everyone, but I knew what I was after and got exactly that. Textbook Grignolino paradox: looks light, then tears your mouth apart with tannin. Fruit-forward but not simple, loaded with spice, that volatile acidity adding lift. Nadia's rustic signature all over it - that beautiful rough-around-the-edges thing she does. I love to give this wine to breathe a lot, but I also enjoy its evolution in the glass. Almost crowned it wine of the night, but something else just edged it. Still brilliant.
Cascina Degli Ulivi Filagnotti 2022
Oh, this is beautiful. Cortese doing things you'd never expect - forget everything you know about boring Gavi. Needs some air time, but even halfway there it wraps you in buckwheat honey, bruised apples, sweet spice, apple jam with cinnamon. Dried herbs and nuts too. Delicious concentration, cracking acidity, VA behaving itself. Tannins are biting. Stylish, persistent, bloody delicious.
Bimbache Vinicola Tinto El Hierro 2018
Absolutely in love with this. Yes, it's got that divisive Canary Island thing - people either worship or despise it - but I'll drain every drop. Seven years on, it's gone somewhat Pinot-esque: flowers, ripe red fruit, touch of barnyard and raw meat, hibiscus, jammy edges. Fresh-ground wild black pepper with juniper hints. Then it just floats on the palate - delicate yet mineral, complex, quiet grip, this thread of bitterness adding depth. Seamless, concentrated, bloody brilliant. Worth every argument it starts.
Domaine Breton La Dilettante Méthode Traditionnelle NV
Not much to add to my previous notes - still brilliant. Green apple and quince meet white flowers and honey, all riding on chalky minerality. And yes, that mushroom soup thing keeps happening. Fresh and steely on the palate, bubbles shimmer rather than sparkle. Baked apple, sea breeze, properly persistent. Soft texture but mineral at its core, finishing with that beautiful bitter edge I love. Great execution.