2022 The Piquette Project 'Pinkette'

Region: Lodi < California

Grape: grape pomace from Pinot Gris & Trousseau Gris

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Oganice farming; grape pomace is steeped in water for 2 days, drained into steel barrels, unfermented Pinot Gris juice added to assist in fermentation, organic beet sugar added at bottling to start secondary ferment in bottle, wild yeasts; bottled after 3 months in stainless steel barrel; undisgorged, with zero added So2; zero-zero; 7% ABV; 300 cases 

Winemakers: Patrick Cappiello and Pax Mahle

Quick refresher: Piquette is an old-is-new-again style in which the leftover skins are rehydrated in spring water and pressed again, making a second, less concentrated wine with low alcohol and high refreshment value.  This style has been made for eons, starting with ancient Romans and Greeks who made it for the farm workers, as a lunch beverage that wouldn't make them drunk (and less productive). Some Piquettes are bubbly, some are still, some taste like a light wine, some more like Kombucha.  They're all over the place, but mostly all delicious. 

Patrick's dark pink 'Pinkette' is slightly fizzy, reminiscent of a light Lambrusco but with more fruit (strawberry/rhubarb) and funk. This is one you'll want to drink the same day you pop it, as it isn't as great on day 2 - but at 7% ABV, crushing a bottle with a few friends in one sitting is easy peasy...

SERVE CHILLED

More about The Piquette Project:

One of two spin-off labels from Patrick Cappiello’s flagship project, Monte Rio Cellars. Here focused exclusively on the production of “piquette” wine which has roots that dating back to the late 18th, early 19th century. Piquette, for those unfamiliar, is not necessarily a wine seeing how it is not made with grape juice but instead produced with the leftover pumice from the production of wine that has water added to it which activates any remaining yeast to start fermenting any remaining sugar to create a slightly fizzy, very low ABV wine-like beverage. Historically piquette was produced as way to create an easy drinking beverage for farm hands to enjoy while working the fields, but was also a way to make use of what would typically be pure waste to create a refreshing beverage.

Patrick’s venture into piquette was not all that different than the origin story of piquette, say for it being meant for the farmhands. Piquette continues the overall goal of Patrick’s vision to create honest, affordable wines from California that anyone & everyone can afford to enjoy. All of the pumice used for The Piquette Project wines comes from the production of Monte Rio Wines or from the production from his good friend & collaborator Pax Mahle’s eponymous Pax Wines.