Orange Wine

Winemaker Description 

Materia Prima Orange is a pale amber, slightly cloudy orange wine produced entirely from biodynamically grown Xarel-lo and Sauvignon Blanc. It's simple to drink but full of incredible skill.

On the nose, it has citrus peel, tropical fruit, and compote, and on the palate, it has a fine structure with pleasant density and tannins. The finish is long and complex, making this a must-try for anyone who enjoys Orange Wines.

Pair with: Chorizo Tortilla, Marinated Anchovies, Peas and Cod Salad. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

This refreshing, yet rich and textured Chenin Blanc, hails from one of South Africa’s premier wineries, and the first to be founded by woman. Fermented on skins for 5 days, the finished wine opens with hints of honeybush tea, with dried lemon, white peach, and chamomile on the nose. The palate is generous, with just the right amount of tannic structure. Notes of citrus, yellow pear, honeysuckle, and stone fruit blend with top notes of sea spray. A gorgeous partner for bloomy rind goat cheeses, vegetable gratin, and poultry. 

This amber-colored wine is a bit cloudy. Guava, quince and jasmine aromas prepare the palate for Valencia orange, lime juice and yellow-currant flavors that remain energetic on the tongue from first sip to lingering finish.

Perfect to accompany grilled seabass or smoked fish.

Winemaker Description 

A full bodied orange that sees a full month of underground fermentation in a Qvevri. Deep golden in the glass, it gives whiffs of honey blossom. On the palate it's full, dry and nutty with notes of apricots. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, allowing for a little sedimentation in the bottle. 

Pheasant's Tears is a joint venture between John Wurdeman and Gela Patalishvili. Since 2007, they take care of their grapes with very low intervention, using wild yeasts during vinification to best showcase the Kakheti terroir. The name 'Pheasant's Tears' comes from an old Georgian tale claiming that only the best wine could make a pheasant cry. 

Winemaker Description

This wine from the Rkatsiteli grape variety was vinified and aged in amphorae with a 6-month maceration of the skins (what is now called an "orange wine", and that the Georgians call an "amber wine"). There are dried fruits, honey, with an unusually powerful structure, but not aggressive. He asks for spicy dishes or mature cheeses (parmesan, old Comté)

Gela Patalishvili is the 8th generation of winemakers, in the Kakheti region, in the south of the Caucasus. John Wurdeman is an American painter living in Georgia since 1998.

Georgia is located between Armenia and Turkey to the south, Azerbaijan to the east, Russia to the north and the Black Sea to the west.

Gela and John want to preserve this heritage. Today, they cultivate around ten grape varieties without pesticides or herbicides, and vinify all in "qvevri", a traditional (buried) amphora for wine making and aging. Both reds and whites are produced by maceration for 3 weeks to 6 months. With these wines, we have no known taste references, they transport us elsewhere!

Winemaker Description

This wine is made in accordance with Georgia’s ancient winemaking traditions. Organic farming and fermented in a set of Qvevri’s (aka Kvevri’s) designed for fermentation and another set of Qvevri’s designed for aging. Bottled with minimal to no sulfur and no filtering or fining. Result is clean, concentrated and balanced. 6 months on skins. Dry, deep amber, nose of honey, fruit, nuts. Bold depth and slight minerality.

Winemaker Description

Partida Pedrer macerates in the winery with part of the whole berry and part of crushed grapes for 8-10 days. There it begins a spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts that ends and ends up aging in cement jars. Finally the wine is bottled without any type of additive.
 
Partida del Pedrer is quite a challenge. A natural red wine that shows the purity of expression, without additives of any kind. Pure Priorat.

Deeply tropical and inherently aromatic, the wine holds all the niceties of skin maceration without losing freshness. Tension is brought about by ripeness and lift on the palate without losing the fundamental operative of being delicious. The swiss army knife of skin contact wines.

The Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer were de-stemmed and fermented on the skins for 15 days, then pressed and finished both primary and secondary fermentation in neutral French oak. The Riesling came in five weeks later with a kiss of noble rot, and it went direct to press, and was fermented in stainless steel before being moved to neutral oak for secondary fermentation. Both lots were aged sur lie and only racked once for blending/bottling. 100% native yeast and the only addition was S02. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description 

An innovative and exciting orange wine produced by Kolfok, a winery dedicated to pushing the boundaries of winemaking. This unique orange wine showcases the distinctive character of the grapes and the winery's commitment to experimentation and creativity.

A blend of Gruner Veltliner, Welschriesling, and Chardonnay. A pale, aromatic skin contact wine. Bone dry, smooth and mineral, with notes of apple, grapefruit, yeast, melon, and white flowers.

Stefan Wellanschitz, the winemaker at Kolfolk, likes the physical qualities of skin-fermented wines, or "orange" wines on the palate, but he wanted a way to make one that was also elegant, not just tannic and out-there. Enter intracellular fermentation: intact, uncrushed grapes rested in a large fermentation vessel where native yeasts slowly started the fermentation process inside of the berries, leading to a gentler extraction from the skins.

After some weeks, the grapes were pressed off to finish fermentation in 1100 and 1500L (i.e. really big) used oak barrels. A unique winemaking approach that results in a tropical-but-elegant white wine, full of structure, pale in color, with notes like a fistful of flowers. 

Winemaker Description

Natural Wine. Translucent and turbid light red colour. Raspberry nose mixed with juicy fruit notes. The palate is supple and crisp. Chill & Drink! One liter bottle. 

Memo Summary Notes

The Mad Med "Le Rouge" 2024 is a quintessential "glou-glou" (easy-drinking) natural wine from Provence. It is the second label of Domaine de la Mongestine, a producer highly regarded for their low-intervention, organic practices.

Winemaker Description 

Light amber, golden hue, with a pronounced varietal aroma and taste. Characterized by aromas of ripe quince, jams and dried fruits. The wine is harmonious, balanced with tannins and acidity.

The Marnaveli Kisi-Khikhvi Amber Wine 2023 is a traditional Georgian "orange" or skin-contact wine produced in the Kakheti region. This wine is crafted using the ancient Qvevri method—fermenting and aging the grapes in large, beeswax-lined clay vessels buried underground.

Has a long ending. Ideal for dried apricots and figs. Churchkhela, cheese and honey, as well as seafood and white meat. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021 

Vinous 91 Points | A deep golden-yellow color, the 2021 Santa Chiara is zesty with a burst of fermented ginger, cedar shavings, exotic florals and dried apricots. Soothingly round and soft-textured, this opens with a lovely inner sweetness contrasted by a liquid floral concentration that coats the palate. Green apples resonate throughout. It finishes long and lightly tannic, leaving a primary concentration and hints of chamomile. The 2021 spent twenty-eight days fermenting on the skins, which is about five days more than the average vintage, resulting in its wild bouquet.

Winemaker Description 

El Rall Artigas Alella Red, biodynamic wine, 50% Merlot, 20% Garnatxa Negra (Grenache Noir), 20% Syrah, and 10% Sumol from 4 vineyards planted on granitic sand. 

Oriol’s ancient vineyards of native vines are largely based on granite rock, known locally as Sauló, at between 100 and 350 metres elevation.  This results in wines often rich in minerality, conjuring aromas that will take you all the way to the Mediterranean. 

The grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tank with 3 days on the skins, then transferred to a mix of stainless steel tanks and used barrels to rest for approximately 18 months before blending and bottling with no sulphites. 

El Rall Artigas is natural, hot climate red wine which is bursting with flavour and although 100% pure, there is no real funkiness, just soft fruits and tension from the granite soils. 

Producer Description 

Dusty tangerine in color, it opens with delectable aromas of yellow apple and vanilla wafers. On the palate it evokes orange creamsicle - while remaining completely dry! - with layers of sweet apple, spice, and a clean, refreshing finish. Certified organic.

Vermentino Lovely gold color, nice dry fruit notes with soft tannins, and enough acidity to keep it refreshing. Our first canned Orange Wine! Natural vinification without addition of sulfur: indigenous yeasts, no enzymes, nothing added except grappes. Maceration in infusion for 4 weeks of destemmed Vermentino. 100% MLF. Unfiltered. Vinification and aging in stainless steel tank

Winemaker Notes

Our 2019 Research Bianco is a skin-fermented white wine blend in which the proportions and varieties change with each vintage. A good friend supplied the grapes from a "research" vineyard on the East End. All the grapes were grown together (a field blend), hand-picked, de-stemmed, crushed by foot and punched down by hand.