Wine 1004

Venetian Style Architecture Featured at Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves in Napa Valley, CA

If you drive down Highway 29 in Napa Valley it is hard to miss the imposing stone and iron gates of Del Dotto Estate Winery, with the massive pottery amphorae flanking each side. But if you decide to turn in, there is an even more breathtaking structure at the end of the driveway – a Venetian-style palace that has been built into the hillside, complete with wine caves.

“When we researched our family history and discovered that it is Venetian and dates back to 1150, we decided to design a winery that honors our heritage,” stated Dave Del Dotto, co-owner and founder, during my recent visit to the estate.

Dave, a retired real estate and infomercial tycoon, and his wife, Yolanda, invited stone masons from Italy to construct the 16,000 square foot palace, complete with a marble exterior, fountains, statues, olive trees, and vineyards. Inside visitors are awestruck by the domed ceiling with massive chandeliers made with Murano glass, soaring arches, marble pillars, stone mosaics, and exquisite Venetian art. And echoing through the sound system is thrilling opera music.

“My Dad loves opera music, as you may guess,” said Desirée Del Dotto, Chief Operations Officer and Marketing Director for the winery, as well as the three other wineries the family owns (Piazza Del Dotto Winery & Caves, Villa del Lago, and the original Del Dotto Historic Winery on Silverado Trail).

After several years of construction, Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves opened its doors in 2007, and quickly became a showcase winery in Napa Valley, as well as a favorite place for the Kardashians to visit.

“We have welcomed and filmed with the Kardashians here on three different occasions, and it was an honor that Kylie Jenner selected us as her first winery to visit when she turned 21,” reported Desirée.

Italian Art, Mosaics, & Murano Chandeliers Featured at Del Dotto Estate Winery

Perhaps part of the reason that celebrities and thousands of other visitors are attracted to Del Dotto Estate Winery is the unique wine tasting experience they offer.

“We believe in allowing guests to taste not only the different grape varietals and appellations of Napa Valley, but also to experience the impact of different types of oak aging on wine,” explained Desirée as she and Dave escorted me into the ‘sacred caves.’

Oak wine barrels lined both sides of the very long cave, with intricately tiled floors and walls, and more massive chandeliers. Desirée used a wine thief to deftly extract red wine from a barrel, and poured it gracefully into our waiting wine glasses.

“This is cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley’s St. Helena AVA and is aged in French oak,” she explained. “Next we will try the same wine in American oak.” The difference is quite astounding, with the French oak providing delicate notes of honey and allspice, while the American oak enhanced the wine with broader swaths of crème brule, mocha and vanilla.

“We ask visitors which they prefer, and encourage them to ask questions, rather than lecturing to them about the wine,” explained Dave.

Desirée said that many visitors ask her what her favorite wine is and she responds that her opinion doesn’t matter. “Wine is like art, and you like what you like. It doesn’t matter what I or someone else like.”

Not to be outdone, Dave chimed in. “Wine is like liquid art. It is like going to the Louvre, and if you were able to take down a painting or a statue and drink it – that would be the art.”

Altogether the Del Dotto’s make approximately 30 different variations and vintages of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon in very small lots, with visitors allowed to taste directly from 5 to 8 barrels, as well as assorted bottled wine. Guests then select the barrels they prefer and the Del Dotto’s will bottle and ship the wine to them.

“Our biggest challenge is that we sell out of our wines very quickly with this tasting method,” admitted Desirée.

Desiree Del Dotto, COO of Del Dotto Winery, Pouring Wine from Barrel for Visitors

Over the years the Del Dotto’s have managed to receive many high-scores from wine critics, especially Robert Parker, who awarded them three 100-point scores. One of these was for their 2012 vintage of ‘The Beast,’ which is a special red blend made from select vineyard rows.

“We named it ‘The Beast’ because the first time a good friend tasted it, he called it a ‘beast of a wine,’’ explained Dave.

The wine, sold in a special ‘caged box,’ is produced in very limited quantities and typically sells out to wine club members almost immediately at the current price of $295 per bottle. It is a robust red blend with rich, concentrated flavors of cassis, black plum, graphite, cocoa, and espresso beans, with a long complex finish.

Dave mentioned that ‘The Beast‘ is frequently resold on the secondary market in Asia to collectors, who have paid up to $1000 per bottle for it, “and have sent me videos of how they have taste-offs comparing it to Chateau LaTour.”

‘Sacred Caves’ at Del Dotto Estate Winery in Napa Valley

But Del Dotto Estate Winery doesn’t only focus on cabernet sauvignon, as they own a hilltop vineyard in the Sonoma Coast where they produce high-end pinot noir and chardonnay. They also make sauvignon blanc, syrah, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese, and several delicious sparkling wines. Altogether they own 108 vineyard acres, and produce around 20,000 cases of wine per year, which they primarily sell directly to consumers.

Visitors to the estate can make an advance reservation for a Bar Tasting for $75 per person or Cave Experience and Barrel Tasting for $120 per person. A good plan is to schedule a morning tasting at Del Dotto Estate Winery and then drive a few minutes down Highway 29 to visit their second winery, Piazza Del Dotto Winery & Caves. Here you can enjoy an oven-baked pizza on the terrace overlooking the organic garden. This winery features an even larger cave network dug back into the hillside, and an Italian-inspired barn with turkeys, chickens, and peacocks.

The Del Dotto Wine Family – Giovanni, Desiree, Yolanda, and Dave Del Dotto (left to right)

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Event organizers mentioned that they promptly refunded all ticket purchasers upon being informed that the event could not be held at Resorts World.

Three years ago, a group of wine industry outsiders took a bold step into the sector by offering premium, non-vintage and non-varietal wines priced at $40. The bold part? It’s boxed wine.

Boxed wine has never had a stellar reputation among even casual wine drinkers, but meeting sustainability goals has winemakers rethinking the entire process, including how wine is packaged.

Gratsi Wine’s unconventional approach has proven successful; the Washington-state brand says it is on track to sell more than 200,000 cases this year.

Gratsi’s marketing strategy—centered around connection and community—has played a significant role in its success. Inspired by the simple Mediterranean lifestyle, Gratsi aims to bring the essence of slow mornings, quiet towns, fresh food and great wine into the homes of its customers. The company utilizes captivating storytelling and vivid imagery of Mediterranean destinations across its digital platforms, offering recipes, music, movies and books to inspire and connect with consumers. Additionally, products like Gratsi glassware and a recipe book enhance the immersive experience, encouraging customers to savor life mindfully.

In 2023, Gratsi Wine expanded from its direct-to-consumer model into retail markets, beginning in Connecticut, where over 1,000 cases were sold in April. As of June 3rd, the company has expanded its retail presence to Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C., continuing its growth and reaching new markets.

Gratsi founder Stephen Vlahos recently shared more with Forbes about market expansion, innovative strategies, challenges and future plans for the winery.

We launched as a direct-to-consumer company during Covid, and the box was a perfect way to ship wine to customers as a 9-liter case of boxed wine is one-third of the weight and one-fourth of the size of a 9-liter case of bottles. To us, DTC is a totally different competency than launching retail. We wanted the retail launch to be focused and limited, really figure out how to convert customers in person versus online, and then scale.

We have always seen Gratsi as a large-scale commercial grocery product, so we wanted to pick a broadly representative American market and not a unique large metro like New York or Los Angeles. Connecticut was perfect for us because of its great food scene and diverse immigrant culture, and it was an avatar for the rest of the country.

Initially, we got pushback from distributors and retailers because we were first to market and no one had sold a $40 box of wine at scale. So we said, just put it in the store and we will convert customers with tastings and events. Customers in Connecticut started buying the wine in large volumes and our distributor was onboard to expand the footprint. Again, it’s important to us that we are in markets that represent the American consumer as a whole, not just a few major metro areas.

To us, the most important factor in our wines is quality, taste and price to value ratio. We wanted to be open minded as to where the wine came from. Our number one goal was to find the best wine at the best price. After tasting wine from all over, we fell in love with Washington state. We thought the wine was absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. We had a desired profile in mind, not a bias towards a certain varietal.

The goal for our wine was to be reminiscent of young European table wines—which meant no oak treatment—young, fruity and dry wines that are easy to drink with or without food. We also thought that the bag in box, if done correctly, had a really high upside for market opportunities. It’s perfect for at-home consumption; it just needed a great wine and brand to legitimize the category.

Our wines are grown and crafted using certified Sustainable Washington and Washington salmon-safe standards, which signifies a commitment to high quality fruit, environmental stewardship and healthy communities. These standards include requirements to use natural interventions to the highest level possible, including minimal spray treatments, naturally limiting weed growth through the use of competing row crops such as wheat, eliminating harmful vineyard runoff, water quality protection, enhancement of native biodiversity on vineyard sites and fair wages and safe working conditions for workers.

And Gratsi wines are clean and keto-friendly thanks to being zero sugar and only using all-natural ingredients. Many wines are fermented dry and have very little to no residual sugar at the start of the winemaking process. However, due to the use of low quality and inexpensive fruit as well as poor winemaking practices, these wines then require sugar and a host of other additives to be added back into the wine to make a finished product that is palatable. This leads to a wine that is not clean drinking and contains considerable amounts of residual sugar. Gratsi uses only the highest quality fruit from vineyards that use sustainable growing practices and never adds sugar or unwanted additives to enhance color or flavor.

Our entire team has a deep love for and fantasy of living the slow, simple Mediterranean life. We find creators who we personally find interesting and look for recipes, playlists, travel guides and general content that we personally love. Then we just try to share it with our customers.

The biggest challenge from the beginning was converting the $12 to $30 per bottle customer to start buying boxed wine. It has been a slow grind, but once customers trade in the bottle for the box, they stay. It seems that the tide is turning and customers are starting to adopt the premium boxed wine as a full-time replacement for their $20 bottle.

As customers are focusing on how much they spend at the store, the box is a clear cost-saving mechanism. Plus, the boxed wine packaging is so efficient, it allows us to have a bigger budget for the wine itself. Once customers pay half the price as they would for four bottles and the wine is superior, it’s game over.

Our team is full of wine lovers, but no one is from the wine industry so we have taken a very elementary, common sense approach to our strategy. Do we love this brand? Is this our favorite wine to drink? Do we like the way that it tastes and how it makes us feel the next day? We were really blown away at the contrast between American and European wines, in regards to the residual sugars and additives. We just said, let’s make a wine that reminds us of a pitcher of European table wine that you would have at a cafe in Sicily. If people like it, great. If not, that’s okay, too.

We feel very confident that we know how to successfully activate a market. Our plans are to expand into more than 15 states by 2025 and all 50 by 2026. It’s time for Gratsi to hit the mainstream at scale. We do not have plans to expand our offerings as we feel we cover the spectrum for our customers. It’s possible that we offer smaller volume packaging, but it isn’t in the short term plan for the business.

Internally, our team has a fantasy of living the slow life in the Mediterranean and the name is paying homage to this lifestyle of the slow, simple life. “Grazie” means thank you in Italian, but that spelling was too expensive for us to trademark. The domain name of “Gratsi” was very reasonably priced, so Gratsi it is.

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Though Art of Wine guests didn’t have to pack up to go to summer camp, their support will help the arts organization Pack the WAC by raising more than $65,000.

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What’s a wine memory?

It’s an incredible experience that involves a remarkable wine.

And this recollection is one wine lovers are eager to share — they love revisiting that place in time and they want to take you with them.

Wine memories take us to all corners of the world and hearing these stories invites us to learn about extraordinary, as well as unusual, wines.

Here are a few colorful wine memories from Sonoma County wine aficionados.

“Kristine Anderson, please report to the office.”

When Anderson, a seventh grader in 1968, was summoned to the principal’s office during a school assembly, many of her schoolmates in the small town of Gwinn, Michigan, thought she was in trouble.

As she reached the office, the secretary said, “Your father is on the phone.”

Thankfully, there was no bad news from home. Instead, her father asked if she wanted to accompany him to Washington, D.C., that afternoon. He needed to pick up eight to ten cases of 1963 Château Margaux from a distributor.

The world-renowned Château Margaux wine estate is located in the appellation of the same name in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France. It has been making full-bodied Bordeaux red blends for centuries, with notes of leather, smoke, and earth.

At 12 years old, Anderson knew very little about wine and hadn’t heard of the legendary Château Margaux. But she was up for a trip to D.C., replied “sure” to her father on the phone, and then rode her bike home.

Once her mother had packed a small suitcase for her, Anderson and her father drove to Marquette, Michigan, where he kept a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche airplane.

After an eight-hour flight, they landed in D.C. in the late afternoon, checked into the Shoreham Hotel, where they had dinner while Peggy Lee performed that night.

The next morning, before they went to pick up the French wine, they went on a whirlwind tour of the capital — they drove past all of the monuments, visited the National Air and Space Museum and Arlington Cemetery, and saw George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon.

The father and daughter arrived at the wine distributor around 3 p.m., loaded up the wine and flew home. By the time they arrived back in Michigan, they had only been gone for 30 hours.

Fifteen years later, Anderson’s parents bought 40 acres of land in Napa Valley where they founded Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards. And, sometime in the 1990s, Kristine Anderson got to finish off the last bottle of the 1963 Château Margaux together with her parents.

By that time, the wine had become much softer but it had held up well and was a pleasure to drink, Anderson said. The Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet that they were drinking alongside the Château Margaux tasted very fine, too, she added.

When Fred Levin of Santa Rosa visited Hungary with his family several years ago, a server suggested a somewhat unusually named wine to pair with their meal. It was a bottle of Egri Bikavér, also known as Bulls Blood (“bika” means bull, and “vér” means blood in Hungarian).

Egri Bikavér is a red blend that is made in Szekszárd, in the south of Hungary, as well as in Eger, in the northeast part of the country.

The town of Eger was the site of a 16th century battle between the Hungarians and the Ottomans — or “the siege of Eger.” Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Ottoman forces, the Hungarians defeated the attackers, forcing them to retreat from the Castle of Eger. The Hungarians’ unexpected victory, according to the Ottomans (and legend), was due to their habit of drinking bulls blood.

Whether the legend is true or not, Levin enjoyed the Egri Bikavér, its aroma, rich full body and pleasing aftertaste. In fact, he liked it so much, he ordered another bottle. But no battles were fought at the end of the meal.

In 2006, when Susan and Dean Nowacki of Santa Rosa were traveling to China for the first time, they had been advised to stick to beer because Chinese wine, according to friends who had visited previously, tasted terrible.

The Nowackis heeded the advice. But, halfway through the trip, just as they had arrived in Xi’an to see the famous army of terra-cotta warriors, Susan had an unexpected wine moment.

While waiting for their luggage to arrive at the hotel, the couple joined a group of other travelers at the bar. Curious, Susan picked up the wine list and — to her amazement — it featured a Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. She had two glasses.

Maybe it was the Kendall-Jackson magic, maybe it was the excitement of traveling and exploring new and historic places, but, to this day, Susan Nowacki considers those glasses of Chardonnay sipped some 6,000 miles from home the best she ever tasted.

The next time you uncork a bottle with friends, ask them about their favorite wine memory. Then sit back and expect to be entertained. You’ll find the stories compelling and, best of all, you’ll walk away with a curious palate.

You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.

Arlow wants to cater to the growing movement of mindful drinking and those seeking healthier alternatives.

Arlow is debuting this month as a new low-alcohol wine brand, crafted with the intention of providing a flavorful and balanced option for consumers looking to moderate their alcohol intake.

“Over the last five years, we’ve seen increasing demand for solutions to moderate alcohol intake,” Arlow CEO Brandon Joldersma tells Forbes. “While non-alcohol wine has prospered (and sister brand Surely has played an important role in that), we discovered that there has been little innovation in low-alcohol wine.”

Joldersma highlighted the complex process of creating Arlow’s wines, involving blending full-alcohol wines with dealcoholized ones to achieve the desired 6.5% ABV. After a lot of experimentation, Joldersma says the team—including a winemaker and a flavor scientist—realized that they could create wines with around half the alcohol (and calories) of regular wines, which on average can have ABV levels between 12% and 15%, depending on the varietal and winegrowing region.

“Full-alc wines that taste great often taste terrible when dealcoholized, and a great-tasting, dealcoholized wine most likely tasted a bit strange when it was full-alc,” Joldersma says.

A bottle of Arlow’s low-alc rosé wine.

But creating low-alc wines is a complex and time-consuming process, Joldersma notes, which involves blending full alcohol wines with dealcoholized wines to achieve the 6.5% ABV target.

“Thankfully, we have an in-house team that can dedicate the time required to get these blends right,” Joldersma says. “We taste hundreds of wines from our vineyard partners in California, working through a litany of blends to make sure we’re hitting the mark. It’s an art as much as it is a science.”

Joldersma also underscores the shift towards moderation among wine drinkers. The startup aims to tap into the growing trend of mindful drinking, offering an alternative for those looking to enjoy wine without overindulging.

“Many wine fans now intentionally drink less on weekdays. Arlow provides an option for them to enjoy wine without overindulging,” Joldersma explains. “Our wines allow for two glasses on a Tuesday night without worrying about the next morning, or a Sunday afternoon at the pool without needing a nap.”

Low-alc wines usually have a reputation of tasting watered-down, but maintaining taste and quality is paramount for Arlow, Joldersma says.

“We wouldn’t pursue this if we didn’t believe we could offer a quality product at this ABV,” Joldersma says. “Many ‘lower’ alcohol products prioritize branding over taste. We aim to reverse this trend, proving that you can enjoy a flavorful wine with lower alcohol content.”

Arlow’s low-alc wines by the pool.

And Arlow’s wines are naturally low in calories due to the lower alcohol content.

“While non-alcoholic wine has seen innovation, low-alcohol wine has not kept pace. Most existing low-alcohol options are marketed as low-calorie, ‘diet’ wines,” Joldersma says. “At Arlow, we’ve focused on creating wines with around half the alcohol and calories of traditional wines, without compromising on taste.”

The brand’s inaugural release includes bottles of sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and rosé varietals, each crafted from California-grown grapes with meticulous attention to detail. Joldersma adds a red blend as well as a pinot noir are currently in development.

The company is also exploring different bottling and packaging options, including canned wines and premium bag-in-box formats.

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Rose wine glasses set on wine tasting. Different varieties, colors and shades of pink wines on white… background. Top view

Rosé: it’s pink alcohol, served cold by the pool, right? On one hand, absolutely. On the other, this over-simplifies a surprisingly nuanced wine encompassing impressive historical and cultural traditions in some of Europe’s great appellations. Of course, nuanced doesn’t mean so complex it’s too intimidating to learn the basics. If you’re looking for a break-down of the differences in rosé, from the effect picking and production techniques have on style, color and taste, to a review of classic European regions, bookmark this page. Next time you reach for a bottle, you’ll know the difference between Tavel, Rosado, or Rosato.

Production Methods

Though it’s commonly believed that rosé is made by blending white with red, most bottles are made through skin contact (like a red wine) known as “saignee.” Blending red wine into white is only common in Champagne — not in quality still wine. Further, another misconception leftover from America’s white Zinfandel days is that rosé is off-dry or even sweet. In fact, most quality-driven rosés are a variation on bone dry.

Skin Contact

Have you ever heard a producer use the phrase “intentional rosé?” The concept entails growing and harvesting grapes for the express purpose of making rosé wine. This means picking early to preserve freshness and bright fruit flavors, followed by a limited maceration. In other words, winemaking follows the same technique as for red wine: crushing grapes and allowing the juice time on the skins. But for rosé, that time is far less, from a few hours to two days. The shorter the period, the lighter the color – think pale salmon versus dragon fruit pink. After maceration, the wine is drawn off and fermented to full dryness.

Direct press is a variation on this, though is more akin to white winemaking. Rather than allow any contact between skins and juice, the grapes are pressed and the juice is drawn off the skins. But because the grapes are black, the juice will take on a hint of color and flavor. This method yields a delicate rosé, one that’s faint in color, while favoring citrus flavors over red fruits.

Wine glasses and appetizers on the table in the vineyard orchard.

Saignée

French for “bleeding,” saignée is often a byproduct, though not always – see Navarra – of red winemaking rather than utilized as an intentional rosé winemaking method. Grapes are not picked expressly for rosé but rather for the primary red wine. This technique is common in Paso Robles, for example, where winemakers seek to produce concentrated, bold, and flavorful reds. Bleeding some wine off early in the maceration process concentrates the remaining juice; and the lighter juice that’s bled off gets vinified separately for rosé. Though it’s an acceptable method, wines can be an afterthought. Rosé generally demands freshness, and grapes picked for concentrated reds are usually the opposite: ripe with higher alcohol. Of course, it’s a matter of taste – saignée is great for those who prefer a richer, fruitier style of rosé.

Blending

Except maybe late night at a party, fine wine producers don’t blend red and white wine together. At least, French appellations do not allow it, except for one: Champagne. For rosé Champagne, producers may add still Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier for hue and flavor. Outside of Europe, a few New World producers might blend white and red but it’s not the norm for quality wine production.

View on ancient village of Aiguines, Provence, France

FRANCE

Provence, France

If you’ve sipped a glass of rosé, you’ve probably tasted one from Provence. The OG of pink wine, denizens of the south of France view rosé as a way a of life, not just a beverage. Stylistically, Provençal rosé is distinct, too.

Typically, wines are made intentionally, picked for citrus and tart red fruit flavors, with limited skin contact for lighter hues and delicacy of flavor. It’s not a big, brash, fruity wine; rather, they are meant as crisp, versatile food wines to be enjoyed with vegetables, seafood and even meat. The classic grapes are Grenache, Cinsualt, and Mourvèdre. Bandol has a large presence in the U.S. for its high quality, pricier versions made from Mourvèdre. Wines are savory, mineral-driven and structured, rather than simple and fruit-forward. Bandol is a rosé that can age.

Tavel, Rhône Valley

Though Provence is better-known in the U.S. market, Tavel is the only French appellation specializing in dry rosé. Talk about intentional winemaking. The primary grape used in Tavel is Grenache. Other grapes allowed include: Cinsault, Bourboulenc, Clairette (pink and white), Mourvèdre, Picpoul (black, white, grey), and Syrah. While white wine cannot be blended with red, white grapes and their press juice can be added pre-fermentation.

Due to longer skin contact, the wines achieve greater color and depth of red fruit flavor. This lends more tannin, structure, and age-worthiness from top producers.

Chinon, Touraine, Anjou, Loire Valley: Based on Cabernet Franc, the best rosés weave delicate vegetal notes from the Cab Franc with juicy red fruit flavors.

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage which can be walked by connecting various different trails and routes through Europe ending at the tomb of St. James in north west Spain.

SPAIN

Spaniards have been drinking rosé for ages; only in recent years have those bottles made their way stateside. Often, producers made simple, quaffable wines. But as exports have increased, so has quality. Instead of rosé, bottles will say rosado. Grenache and Tempranillo are the main varieties used for making various styles, though often in a deeper hue than their French counterparts.

Navarra

Navarra rosé helped make the region famous. Producers turn out both poolside sippers and more complex, food appropriate expressions. Grapes used include Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, though rosado from old-vine Grenache is considered the highest expression for the region. Saignée method is typical, but in the case of Navarra, wines are of good quality, not after thoughts.

Rioja

Unusual in the world of rosé, or rosado, is the application of aging classifications to this style of wine. Most producers of rosé tout new vintages for their youthfulness and freshness, using stainless steel vessels in that stylistic pursuit. That, or they need to move product for cash flow. But in the case of Rioja, rosado follows the classic aging rules in oak barrels: joven (no aging requirement), crianza (aged for 12 months including 6 months in barrel); and reserva (2 years including 6 months in barrel). Grenache and Tempranillo are the primary grapes.

Txakoli

Spain’s northern Basque country is home to unusual, indigenous varieties used to produce dry, effervescent Txakoli. Though rosé is a recent phenomenon, it’s becoming easier to find in the U.S. Made in a pale shade of pink, wines are mineral and tart, and largely based on red grape Hondarrabi Beltza.

Beautiful Medieval Villlages Of Italy. Pacentro, Abruzzo.

ITALY

Known as rosato in Italy, rosé is made up and down the boot, with styles and flavors dependent on the local climate and traditional varieties. You’ll find more delicate versions produced in the northeast around Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige. Logical, given the cooler climate. That includes Chiaretto from Lombardy and Veneto. “Chiaro” means light or pale, evoking the dry style of the wine based on the Corvina grape. Ramato, from Friuli, is based on extended maceration with pink grape Pinot Grigio.

Central Italians, of course, produce rosato. One better known example: cherry-pink Cerasuolo of Abruzzo made from the Montepulciano grape.

In the south, rosatos are fuller-bodied and fuller-flavored like the sun and the food. Puglia, Sicily and Calabria turn out lots of examples with native grapes like Negroamaro (Puglia) and Nero d’Avola (Sicily).

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Nope, orange wine is not made with oranges. No, it isn’t always orange in color. Sorry, it doesn’t really taste like oranges, either.

So what exactly is orange wine? And why do some people loathe it?

Also known as skin-contact white wine or “amber wine,” orange wine is a style developed thousands of years ago in Georgia, a small country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

Believed to be the birthplace of wine, Georgia has been fermenting grapes for at least 6,000 years and continues to produce orange wine today.

While most white wine is made by separating the juice from the skins before fermentation, Georgians ferment the juice and skins in an underground clay vessel called a Qvevri.

After extended aging and oxygen exposure, the wine emerges a deep amber color, with intense aromas, healthy tannins, and flavors that range from nuts to herbs, honey, bruised apple, sour bread dough, candied orange rind, and more.

A wine style produced around the globe, orange wine began cropping up in the U.S. around 2010 and has since become a regular part of the American wine repertoire.

Often produced with native yeast (no inoculation) and little additives like sulfur, many orange wines fit neatly into the “natural wine” category — another popular wine segment. Especially appealing among younger, open-minded wine drinkers in search of something unique, both orange and natural wines appear to be here to stay.

But not everyone is a fan of these unconventional, sometimes funky, hard-to-wrap-your-head-around wines — especially in Wine Country.

DC Looney, co-owner of The Punchdown wine shop in Sebastopol and Oakland, was one of the first people to start selling orange wines in the Bay Area.

“People who are trained in wine or work in the industry can be a little set in their way. “They know what Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are supposed to taste like,” he said. “But I grew up in the Midwest not drinking any wine. I think that’s why I’ve been open-minded about orange wines since the beginning.”

In Oakland, Looney said his customers tend to be more willing to give orange wines a go. In Sebastopol, it can be more challenging to get people on board.

“We named our orange wine flight the ‘Orange Adventure,’ because it aligns with our goal to introduce and inspire people to wine styles that may be new or different,” said Looney. “For me, part of the fun of wine is watching people try new things and seeing when they click.”

While traditional orange wines tend to be rich and opulent in style, a growing number of California winemakers are producing versions in a fresher, more restrained style.

Instead of undergoing extended maceration, these wines have spent just hours or a few days mingling with the skins. They’re also being made with varietals that lean toward acid and aromatics, for a combo that’s quickly attracting a whole new audience to orange wines.

“When a winemaker adds a little bit of an aromatic grape to an orange wine, it can bring out these tropical, floral, fruity aromas and it ends up smelling like a fresh bouquet of flowers,” said Looney. “Our most popular skin-fermented white by far (from Catch and Release) has Riesling and Gewurztraminer in it. It’s so popular, I can’t take it off the list.”

Ryan Miller, co-owner of The Redwood wine bar and bottle shop in Sebastopol, said lighter-style orange wines have a loyal following among his customers, especially the younger set who tend to order them by the glass.

“We get a lot of curious wine drinkers through our doors who want to see what the buzz is around macerated white wines,” he said. “For our clientele, sales of skin-contact wine are steady and fairly strong.”

For Miller, lighter-style orange wines are perfect for the warmer months when people are seeking something “fresh” and “food-friendly.” Come fall, however, he admits he has a penchant for the richer style.

“Some of the longer-macerated orange wines are more structured and take on these autumnal, nutty, oxidative qualities,” he said. “That’s what I enjoy when the temperatures start to drop.”

Orange wine curious? Here are some of our favorite skin-contact wines with plenty of vim and vigor.

Catch & Release 2023 Block Party, California ($28)

50% Pinot Gris, 30% Riesling, 20% Gewurztraminer

Deeply tropical and inherently aromatic, this 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 operative of being delicious.

catchandreleasewines.com (also available at The Punchdown in Sebastopol)

Two Shepherds 2022 Trousseau Gris, Russian River Valley ($30)

“Light orange wine or complex rosé? You decide,” says the back label of this delightful Trousseau Gris from 45-year-old vines in the Russian River Valley. Light, fresh and zippy with notes of white peach, white tea and pink grapefruit.

P.S. Also worthy is Two Shepherds 2023 Natty Pets, a delicious, sparkling orange wine in a can. #truestory

twoshepherds.com

Les Lunes 2023 Populis Macerate White, California ($24)

This fresh, gulpable orange wine combines Picpoul, Albarino, Grenache Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, and Chardonnay for summer in a glass. Orange muscat adds a fresh blossom bouquet. lesluneswine.com

Crutchfield 2022 Skin-Contact Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg ($30)

From winemaker Matt Crutchfield comes delicious skin-contact Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg. Showing the savory side of Chenin with orange pith, lemongrass, chamomile, button mushrooms and autumnal flavors. The 2023 vintage will be available this fall. mattcrutchfieldwines.com

Fres. Co 2023 Fire Fuego Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Valley ($36)

A thrilling carbonic Sauvignon Blanc from winemaker Jack Sporer, this vibrant orange wine shows aromas of grapefruit and apricot, with light grip on the finish. No sulfur added. fresh.wine

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Sarah on Instagram at @whiskymuse.

Live like a winery owner at The Residence at Skipstone

When my son was two years old I took him on a trip to Napa and Sonoma—as insane as that may sound, and this was over 25 years ago, it worked out nicely. The adults tasted wines and my son puttered around the tasting rooms and gardens with his toy tractor (he’s a chef now, so I like to think this was part of his journey). Naturally this experience only reinforced my desire to return to California wine country with each of my children when they finally came of age so they could properly enjoy one of America’s greatest treasures. This year, my youngest finally crossed the line into 21 and boy did I have a trip planned. I researched, I reviewed and I quizzed my wine industry colleagues, leveraging all of my expertise to ensure we had a doozy of a trip. We did, but it turns out everything I planned is available to anyone and you don’t have to be an insider to have a spectacular visit to wine country, you simply must plan ahead. Hence, I share this guide with you so that your celebration can be as special as ours was—and so the next generation of wine lovers can see for themselves how amazing wine, wine country, and the people that make wine, really are.

Top Tastings:

Enjoying the ambiance in one of the cabanas at Flowers Vineyard.

Flowers Vineyard: Most of the winemaking at Flowers takes place on precipitous ridges close to the Pacific Ocean. To accommodate wine lovers, they built a beautiful winery just a few minutes south of Healdsburg. The main tasting room oozes wine country ambiance with vaulted ceilings and clean simple lines, and the redwoods and lush gardens add to the lovely outdoor setting. Yet, the best seat here is in one of the private cabanas—breezy sailcloth-trimmed spaces and luxurious lounge seating. Here, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy experiences such as the Estate Vineyard Immersion tasting, a tasting of Flowers’ single vineyard expressions paired with exquisite chef-prepared bites.

Opus One: Book at least two months early for a chance to visit this iconic Napa Valley winery where the setting almost rivals the wines. The Opus One Experience is without question the best option. You’ll enjoy a seated tasting in the incredible Partners’ Room—a luxurious glass-walled lounge with sweeping views of the estate vineyards and thoughtful refinements such as original artwork and Jurassic era limestone floors. None of these distractions, however, will overshadow the wine—a tasting of the current release and two library wines from their collectors’ list. Your personal guide will walk you through the fascinating history of Opus One, and you’ll finish with a grand tour of the winery.

Suite at Jordan Winery

Jordan Winery: Jordan’s tastings tend to book out well in advance, so call as soon as you know your plans and book the Tasting and Tour for the full range of experiences. You’ll start out on the newly renovated terrace with a glass of Jordan Chardonnay and a bite prepared by Executive Chef Jesse Mallgren. Then it’s off to see the winery garden and vineyards, as well as a peek at the stunning new private dining room, followed by a tour of the historic oak tank room and the grand library. Finish with a seated tasting in the very cool cellar room—and prepare to be dazzled by the culinary pairings and the chance to taste multiple vintages of their iconic Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Schramsberg Vineyards: A visit here is a worthy stop for any trip to Napa Valley for the history, the education, and the bubbles. Beloved for their amazing range of sparkling wines, many consider Schramsberg to be America’s true sparkling wine—and for good reason—their Blanc de Blancs was used for President Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with China’s Premier Zhou Enlai, and to date, Schramsberg’s sparkling wines have been served at official State functions by every U.S. Presidential administration. The Cave Tour and Tasting experience allows you to “go backstage” into the winery caves where you’ll see firsthand how much time and effort must go into making a method champenoise sparkling wine. Then you’ll finish with a tasting of their expressions (and, like us, probably leave with several bottles to enjoy later).

Incredible Stays That are Not Hotels:

Jordan Winery has an intimate collection of accommodations that are available to members of the wine club—and the ability to stay on this 1,200-acre property is worth the trouble to become a member (you’ll also get first dibs on the cool tastings and events they have throughout the year). Rooms are located in a beautiful French country chateau-inspired winery with stunning, newly designed interiors. Each jewel of a space features elegant designer touches, vintage antiques, and artwork. Some rooms have windows that overlook the barrel room and all of them boast views overlooking Jordan’s rolling vineyard landscape.

Exterior of The Residence at Skipstone

The Residence at Skipstone: Booking an entire home is a big challenge in wine country so this option is a rare gem—a fabulously private sprawling 200-acre wine country estate that overlooks the Alexander Valley. The Residence is just that—an 8,300 square-foot property which was originally the home of Skipstone Winery proprietor Fahri Diner. It offers five bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, gym, cellar, pool, game room, and vegetable garden all tucked into the fold of rolling vineyards. The main kitchen is fully-stocked but you’ll likely spend more time around the two outdoor firepits, grilling local lamb in the outdoor gourmet kitchen, (which includes a Mugnaini wood-fired pizza oven, really). A concierge is on hand for everything you might need, including stocking the kitchen or retaining a private chef to do the cooking for you.

Guests also get a private tour and a tasting of their exquisite estate wines, cultivated right on site. Estate winemaker Laura Jones, previously of Aubert Wines and Cliff Lede Vineyards, crafts the wines which include the flagship Oliver’s Blend Cabernet Sauvignon and Faultline Vineyard Bordeaux blend, as well as two extremely limited 75-case bottlings, the Luka’s Blend Cabernet Franc and Sofia’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Skipstone also produces Viognier, Malbec, Preface Proprietary Red, and the Rose de Constance Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne, in partnership with Diebolt-Vallois. If you really want to get swanky, the concierge can also arrange private aviation services and an opportunity to golf or enjoy other amenities and services at the exclusive members-only Jack Nicklaus-designed Mayacama Golf Course and Private Club.

Amazing Meals:

Cyrus Restaurant: This Michelin-starred restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Douglas Keane opened in 2022. It’s a gem of a destination just a bit north from Healdsburg—and absolutely worth the extra five-minute drive. Start your 20-course journey (they also offer a three-course lounge menu if you prefer) in the Champagne Bubbles Lounge with cocktails and canapés, then its into the actual kitchen for several courses and real-time interaction with the chefs. Next, you’ll take a seat in the glass-walled dining room with breathtaking, panoramic vineyard views. The finale takes place in the Chocolate Room, featuring a flowing, liquid chocolate wall. After dinner, if you can manage, walk the one block up to the main street in Geyserville grab a negroni on tap (or a Dirty Mezcal Martini with tomato water and olive oil) at the Geyserville Gun Club—lots of locals find their way here.

On the way back to the airport be sure to take a bite of wine country with you—you’ve your choice of fabulous to-go food. Grab a breakfast sandwich at the Model Bakery (their from-scratch English muffins are the stuff of legend), or pop into Oxbow Market and wander the options—everything from fresh salads and from-scratch bakery goods to Moroccan eats, and it’s all delicious. Just be sure to enjoy one last celebratory glass of wine before you head back home.

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Photo by Michael Woolsey

In the latest installment of the hippest wine & fashion collaboration, Belle Glos & Kenny Flowers up the game by offering a limited-edition wine meant to pair perfectly with their tasty print. Dress to impress in the summer heat, and have your fit match your red-waxed wine.

Last year, fifth-generation Napa Valley winemaker Joe Wagner partnered with his favorite upscale tropical clothing brand Kenny Flowers in celebration of each other’s craft and appreciation for those living life unbuttoned. The limited-edition men’s short sleeve button downs and women’s dresses were such a hit amongst customers that they sold out in less than 3 weeks! Now, the styles are back for a limited run – and designed to pair perfectly with a special limited run wine developed by Belle Glos to celebrate the successful collaboration. Less than a year after their first partnership, the brands are doubling down with an even richer collaboration.

Photo by Michael Woolsey

The 2022 Belle Glos x Kenny Flowers Eulenloch ‘Block 2’ Pinot Noir ($85) is available for purchase at the Belle Glos tasting room in downtown Napa and online at belleglos.com/collection/belle-glos.

Shop the limited-edition shirts & dresses via the Kenny Flowers website kennyflowers.com/collections/belle-glos-x-kenny-flowers ($88-$168)

Courtesy of Belle Glos