The Super Trendy Issue
Me, talking all things wine, with my friend Andrew at Southbrook Vineyards.
Dearest Subscribers, are orange, vegan, and Pét-Nat wines really all the rage right now or are we being punked by wine industry insiders?
In this issue, I'll share notes on what's cooler than cool in the booze biz rn; explaining in plain terms, what these wine styles are, how they taste, what they look like, and how they're made.
Go ahead, raise your brow, but also, why not raise a glass. As they say, don't knock it til' you've tried it.
Bottom's up baby! This is the Super Trendy Issue!
All that sparkles is not Champagne. But, all that's old eventually becomes new again. Pétillant Naturel, or Pét-Nat as it is affectionately referred to by its gaggle of fans the wine world over is a modern trend for sure, but it's anything but new. In fact, the first Pét-Nat was bottled over 400 years ago!
Pét-Nat is a type of sparkling wine. Unlike Champagne, where, in order to create bubbles two separate fermentations take place, with Pét-Nat there is only one fermentation.
To make Champagne you must first start with a 'base wine'. This is a fully finished wine without bubbles. This 'base wine' is then bottled with additional sugar and yeast which creates carbon dioxide, the gas responsible for creating the bubbles.
With Pét-Nat, the wine is not yet fully fermented before it's bottled. In this case, the carbon dioxide is produced by the sugars released from the original grapes not by the addition of sugar and yeast. In a sense, it's a more naturally occurring process. Pétillant Naturel = Naturally Sparkling.
Pét-Nat is typically, but not always, unfiltered, which means it will most likely appear cloudy, and, more often than not, have some particulate matter resting at the butt of the bottle which you might later find floating in your glass.
This 2017 Southbrook Biodynamic Bubbly is no exception. Made from 100% estate grown organic and biodynamic Chardonnay grapes it's nothing if not classic with its hazy complexion and distinct aromas of fermentation, akin to kombucha. Notes of yellow apples, toast, and yeast are met with mouthwatering bubbles that refresh and tantalize the palate.
I'd pair this one with a soft, salted pretzel.
When I was first introduced to vegan wine in somm school I was just as confused at the time as you probably are now. The same look of bewilderment marks the faces of those hearing the term - applied to wine - for the first time. "Yes", I always explain, "It really is, a thing."
For a wine or winery to be vegan, animal-based fining agents like gelatin and casein cannot be used in the fining process.
What are fining agents and why do winemakers use them?
Fining agents are used to help clarify wines so that the end consumer gets a glass of wine free of particulate matter floating within it. It works like this: a fining agent such as casein is added to a wine to act as a bonding agent between it and particulate matter such as dead yeast cells or remnants of grape skins in a wine. This 'matter' along with the fining agent is then skimmed off the wine.
So, to be clear, in the case of all products used in the fining process they are not additives but rather, processing aids. This means that gelatin will never be an 'ingredient' in your wine. At the same time, it is impossible to guarantee that through the process of using it as an aid that no residue of it would be found in the finished wine.
There are essentially two ways you can produce a vegan wine. You can choose to leave your wine unfined or, you can use a vegan fining agent such as bentonite clay, plant casein, and carbon, all of which are recognized by PETA.
Unfiltered and unfined wines are by themselves a growing trend, and with more and more wineries adding this style of wine to their portfolios, it means that it is possible to get a vegan wine from a not entirely vegan winery.
Personally, I think the LCBO could do a better job of identifying vegan wines on store shelves. Alas, here's a good list I found online the other day while doing some research for this issue.
On this list, under producers of vegan wines, you'll see Trapiche. They have several wines available at the LCBO at various price points. For this issue, I chose their 2014 Terroir Series Malbec, currently available in Vintages.
Dry, full-bodied and firm with high alcohol and weighty notes of cedar, spice, and blackberry, this is quintessential, Mendozan Malbec, the darling red wine grape of Argentina.
While not vegan, the best possible pairing for this wine would be skirt steak with chimichurri.
Orange wine is not wine made from oranges.
I get this question a lot actually, some version of, "So, if I'm told there are notes of plum and blackcurrant, does that mean they put those in the wine?" Legit question. The answer is no.
Orange wine is created by letting white wine 'juice' have extended contact with its grape skins during fermentation. Unlike typical white wine production, where the skins are separated from the juice immediately after pressing, the opposite is true in orange wine production. Think of it as a process similar to steeping tea. The longer the grape juice/ wine is left in contact with the skins the more flavour and colour the skins will impart. Orange wines range in colour from yellow to amber, pink, deep gold and yes, orange. The depth and range of colour will depend on the length of contact and the grape variety.
For this issue, I'm reviewing Southbrook's orange wine, their 2017 Skin-Fermented Vidal. True to its name it's pale orange and cloudy. Brimming with crabapple, tart white cranberry, under-ripe pear, and white peach. Southbrook says this wine will appeal to fans of sour beer and I couldn't agree more.
They also recommend leafy green salads with vinaigrette dressing. Spot on!
