I have witnesses. I was with a group of more than a half dozen wine writers and journalists. Just this past week, we visited, in a very socially distanced tasting, on a cold rainy day at Beneduce Vineyards, in Pittsdown, NJ.
Beneduce Vineyards has been making a version of this orange wine in their experimental series #CRAFTEDseries since 2014. According to the winery, "years of trial and error that have finally prepared it for the big leagues." Hmmmmm. I have had a number of orange wiens from around the US and around the world. Not always my favorite, self-admittedly, but I have had some lovely ones as well which I quite enjoyed.
For those who are not sure, according to wikipedia, "Orange wine, also known as skin-contact white wine, skin-fermented white wine, or amber wine, is a type of wine made from white wine grapes where the grape skins are not removed, as in typical white wine production, and stay in contact with the juice for days or even months.This contrasts with conventional white wine production, which involves crushing the grapes and quickly moving the juice off the skins into the fermentation vessel. The skins contain color pigment, phenols and tannins that would normally be considered undesirable for [commercial] white wines, while for red wines skin contact and maceration is a vital part of the winemaking process that gives red wine its color, flavor, and texture."
Intermezzo is part of the #CRAFTEDseries under the Beneduce label. The wine is an estate grown Gewürztraminer, fermented in open containers with 10 days of skin contact. The wine was aged on the lees in neutral oak for 9 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The wine poured for us was slightly hazy. True to form, the wine had a light orange hue to it. It had classic Gewürztraminer aromatics of lychee and tropical notes. The nose was super big. But there was something else. a lovely orange zest note on the nose. And orange blossoms as well. The wine had the classic notes of Gewurztraminer, but again, the orange zest came through again on the palate. Never over powering, but always present and to be contended with. The was was complex, elegant, and incredibly refreshing. And there was never any doubt that the wine was an orange wine.
#CRAFTEDseries #intermezzo
But here is why it's the best! It was hazy, yes. But the haze doesn't bother me. Here's the thing. There was no VA (volatile acidity) present. There was no funk. There were no perceivable faults in the wine. People who champion natural wine will claim these are parts of that process. I'm not disagreeing. I'm not putting down natural wine. The world of orange wine cane be difficult/dicey And I have had good orange wines that lack those characteristics. Maybe it's just a matter of taste. Many of my colleagues in tow agreed. But I say that this is easily, hands down, the best orange wine I have ever tried. Aromatic. Perfectly hued. Absolutely and positively refreshing and delicious, without VA or funk, it was in fact the single best orange wine I have ever tried.
From his bio, "In 2010, Mike Beneduce graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University with dual degrees in Plant Sciences and Viticulture/Enology. The recently introduced major focused on techniques specific to cool climate grape growing and winemaking, and most classes were taught in one of the local vineyards or Cornell’s new student winery.
Mike also gained experience working at Sawmill Creek Vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of NY, where he was trained in the arts of pruning and canopy management by a 4th generation grape grower. He is a Certified Sommelier under the Court of Master Sommeliers, and remains an active professional member of the international gastronomic society the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs."
Great job, Mike!
And just for edification, Louie Beneduce, the winery dog, agreed with me as well.
