This is my orange wine, and it’s an ironically-named tribute to explorers and immigrants. Vitis vinifera is, of course, not native to this hemisphere, and in the long view of things, so few of us are. But as we put down roots we adapt to our new home, and ideally harmonize with it, rather than bend it to our will. I cofermented 85% Pinot gris and 15% Grüner veltliner with 10 days of skin contact in an open-topped fermentor. Following a gentle press in a basket press, the wine aged for 7 months in older, used French oak. The wine is totally dry and it completed malolactic conversion.
TASTING NOTES
“For Heaven’s Sake” is a juicy and mineral orange wine. It’s unfined, unfiltered, and the color of a tequila sunrise! Even as it’s plenty juicy on the palate – think nectarine, orange zest, and tart cherries – it’s also strongly suggestive of stones and petrichor, while the fine and persistent tannins provide structure. The minerality on the finish evokes alpine creek water dosed with quinine; it’s very refreshing.
