Wine is one of the oldest industries on the planet, so “new wines” is something of an oxymoron. Many in the wine industry love it for its anachronistic ways. In a time when instant gratification rules and constant shifting trends dictate everything, wine’s ancient status and time-bound fermentation elevate it. But, like every other industry, the wine world has to adapt to what’s current.
A recent hospitality trend report from the Culinary Institute of America suggested that wineries should approach younger drinkers as experiential learners that don’t just come to tasting rooms for the wine, but also to take photos and enjoy the environment. Novelties like orange wines (or “skin-contact” white wines) are on the rise, along with an interest in “natural” wine and non-alcoholic wine.
One wine writer I’ve begun following is Gen Z Wine Guy, a California-based social media personality who shows that younger people can also be serious about wine. He pointed to the fact that things do, in fact, change often in the wine industry. For instance, Napa Valley recently acquired a new AVA (American Viticulture Area), Crystal Springs. That marks the region’s first newcomer in thirteen years, showing a refinement in American winemaking, which, compared to the 8,000-year history of wine, is still relatively young.
If you’re looking to elevate your wine knowledge beyond Cabernet and Chardonnay and look to some wines that really appreciate the craft, culture, and history while staying current and hip, try out some of these bottles.
Recent Vintages to Try
Extradimensional Wine Co Yeah! Brosseau Blanc Nouveau 2024
The boisterously named Extradimensional Wine Co Yeah! is the brainchild of Hardy Wallace and Kate Wells, who describe themselves as making wine at the crossroads of nature and luxury. Wallace and Wells state that the minerality of the Brosseau vineyards comes out in this 2024 blend of Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier, stacked with aromas. They promise that you’ll get lemon verbena, nashi pear, diced sweet potato, honeysuckle, and slate. Once it hits your palate, this wine delivers citrus, pear, and rock on a medium body.
Scribe Nouveau Pinot Noir Magnum 2024
This vibrant new vintage from Sonoma winery Scribe, which they describe as boasting pomegranate, blood orange, and bay leaf in its tasting notes. Their unfiltered, zero-sulfur approach to winemaking brings out uncommon flavors. This particular Pinot Noir focuses on a light, vibrant, celebratory energy inspired by the Beaujolais region. Pinot Noir is a grape where the flaws of low-caliber versions often bleed into the general opinion of it. Sometimes the $14.99 Pinot is good, other times, it’s not. But if you invest a little, you’ll find the versatility of the grape in youthful vintages like this one.
Domaine de Cornillac, Beaujolais Nouveau 2024
Maybe you think that Beaujolais Nouveau Day is a marketing push (it is), or a holiday for sad nerds who have nothing better to do than try to infuse joy into their lives through a new wine release (hey, November is a dismal time and sometimes wine is less disappointing than people are). But I sipped on this in a candlelit, rustic bistro on a rainy Monday night and felt myself inspired by the whimsy of such a young wine. It has a tart nose of cherry blossom and raspberry and a light, fruit-forward body. What I enjoyed most about it was that it softened as I drank it and I felt it necessitated spending more time with it, rather than just gulping it down.
Las Jaras Slipper Sippers 2024
This blend of Zinfandel and Carignan grapes from Napa’s Las Jaras brings out many of the best qualities of both. One of its most unique qualities is its cocoa-like tannin on the finish. To me, this presented as slightly ashy, a lighter-bodied smoky note. There’s a lot of berry happening in this wine, as raspberry, chocolate covered cherry, and boysenberry appear on the palate. For people who want a stronger body and higher tannin on a young wine, this is a great pick.
Orange Wines to Check Out
Joseph Jewell, ‘Artist Series’ Pinot Gris, Humboldt County, USA 2020
“This is a very unique wine from a great winemaker in California,” Sommelier Tyler Borne, who recently opened his own bottle shop in Pittsburgh, Solera Wine Co, said. “Joseph Jewell is known for their more classic Pinot Noirs (which are delicious in their own right). This wine is macerated on the skins for 14 days, before 15% is left on the skins for 6 months before bottling. Very deep in color, with bright orchard fruit and grapefruit notes and pronounced tannins. This is a really fun wine.” It also uses ancient winemaking techniques from the Republic of Georgia, blending the old with the new in a refreshing way.
Craven Wines – Pinot Gris (Stellenbosch) 2023
Sommelier Adam Knoerzer of ‘Burghundy LLC pointed to South Africa’s Craven Pinot Gris as a wine to try for people that might be skeptical about skin-contact wines. (Knoerzer notes that the term “orange wine” is often confusing. Sometimes the wine is not actually orange, nor does it taste at all like orange). “This wine is a deep rose color and offers aromas and flavors of watermelon and earth with a decided grippiness. It can be treated like a light red and is a delight with grilled meats,” he said.
Domaine Montrose, Solis Lumen Orange 2023
This delightful orange wine is a perfect apéritif. Apparently, an importer in Pennsylvania was as taken with it as I was, because you can now find it in the Chairman’s Selection at the Pennsylvania state store. If you know anything about that selection process and the importing brouhaha resulting from draconian liquor laws in Pennsylvania, you’ll know that’s an accomplishment. The wine is clear, fresh, and crisp, with that slight zest that separates orange wine from rosé. It’s incredibly balanced and refreshing without the loss of character one occasionally finds in clearer wines. In the tiny region of Côte du Thongue where Domaine Montrose originates, the winemakers chose to decline the official AOC certification to allow themselves more creative freedom.
Unique Grapes and Regions to Explore
Chona’s Marani, Saperavi 2022
Saperavi of the Republic of Georgia has a taste somewhere between Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Georgian wines have become some of my favorites, and Chona’s Marani makes wine in the traditional Qvevri method, aged in earthware jars with their stems and skins and then buried in the ground. If there were ever a grape to epitomize the fact that “natural” wine might be a fad term, but low-intervention winemaking is an ancient art, Saperavi is it. It has notes of pomegranate, black fruit, and pepper and medium acidity to it. Plus, Mikheil Chonishvili and his team accompany all of their winemaking with Georgian folk songs, as is the tradition, to celebrate wine’s connection to togetherness and celebration.
Roberto Henriquez, ‘Tierra de Pumas’ Pais, Bio Bio Valley, Chile 2020
“Roberto is one of our favorite winemakers. He is working very traditionally in Chile, hand harvesting grapes and using spontaneous fermentation,” Tyler Borne told TABLE. “This wine comes from incredibly old vines at 200 years old. Pais is such an expressive grape. It really shows off the terroir of where it’s grown. This one reminds me of Burgundy Pinot Noir, but with all the funk and earth that Chilean wine is known for.”
Envinate ‘Linit’ Pardilla, Albacete, Spain 2023
Spanish wine goes beyond Rioja, and though the grape Pardilla might not be on your radar, it should be. “Envinate is a very exciting producer making wine in Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, and the Canary Islands,” Borne explained. “Pardilla is an ancient grape native to Albacete. This wine is bright and zippy with excellent notes of caramel and green apple.”
2022 Santorini Assyritko
Gen Z Wine Guy pointed to this as a popular wine among sommeliers recently for its bright, crisp flavor and unique origin. On the tiny Greek island of Santorini, the volcanic soil infuses Assyritko with a complex terroir and a resistance to wine blight. As it ripens, Assyrtiko retains its acidity, mirroring its ability to survive in a harsh climate. To accommodate the altitude and sun and sea breeze patterns, Santorini has two unusual pruning systems, koulora and kladeftiko. Kladeftiko, what Assyrtiko uses, results in a bush-like shape for the vines. This is a good “fun fact” wine to pull out, but it’s also delicious, with a bone-dry, acidic mouthfeel balanced out by peach and honey notes.
Story by Emma Riva
Cover photo courtesy of Chona’s Marani
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition
