Try It Out! 2020 – A Natural Wine Spritzer
Radically naked, Meyer lemon, Orange blossom
Varietal:
Orange Muscat natural wine base, Pure reverse osmosis water, Hanson Distillery's organic grape-based spirit infused with organic Meyer lemons, Organic orange blossom water
Alcohol:
8%
Vinification Notes:
The base of Try It Out! is derived from Orange Muscat grapes harvested in August 2020 at Nelson Family Vineyards in Mendocino County. The grapes were harvested by hand and pressed immediately at the winery. We fermented the wine fully dry and aged it for 10 months in neutral vessels. Throughout the winter and spring of 2021 we experimented with numerous combinations of spirits and infusions (turning our humble winery office into a miniature NOMA-inspired laboratory) before landing on Meyer lemon and orange blossom as our favorite pair.
Try It Out was crafted in collaboration with Hanson of Sonoma Distillery. We dunked organic Meyer lemon peels in a giant tea bag to infuse Hanson Distillery's organic grape-based spirit to make an infusion. We also added just a hint of organic orange blossom water for subtle aromatics, made by steam distilling orange blossoms. We discovered the quality of water used has a big impact on flavor, so we sought out the best filtered water we could buy and added it to the wine. Once blended, we gently filtered the finished product for stability and then bubbled carbon dioxide through a pressurized tank to achieve our first natural wine spritzer.
Tasting Notes:
A persistent, delightful bubble soothes the palate with whispers of lemon and orange blossom. Bone dry yet creamy on the nose, this 8% ABV natural wine spritzer boldly goes where no spritzer has gone before. Try It Out!
Tableside Talk
This first round of Try It Out! is only available via our distribution network. It's not currently available in our online shop. Please find in select markets (CA, NY, OR, TX, IL and Washington D.C.) at one of our fine purveyors.
Live out of state? Check out our playlist pairing curated by Vinovore for Try It Out! energy anywhere.
Martha's Notes
Like many things we create these days at Martha Stoumen Wines, this spritzer was born from a combination of our love of experimentation and the need to solve a problem. During the widespread smoke and fires of the 2020 vintage, I wasn't comfortable making any of our higher price point age-worthy red wines because I expected they may suffer quality-wise –tasting of smoke taint– or have to be heavily manipulated to remove smoke taint. As a small business, when we look at sustainability we don't only look at our environment and workers, we also look at our long-term financial sustainability, and how to achieve this while sticking to the promises we've made to ourselves and our customers. The wildfires of 2020 weren't a new problem, just a bigger one than the fires we'd faced since 2017. In order to remain financially healthy in a world where climate resilience is increasingly important on all fronts, we'd need something more predictable than age-worthy red wines to float our ship and keep our cash flow steady. I knew a product that could have a flexible base –likely from white grapes, always well-farmed though– would be key. Meanwhile, the less pragmatic and creatively indulgent side of me had been dreaming of making a lower alcohol, subtle but elegant spritzer, derived from completely natural and elemental ingredients. After many fun weeks of experimentation in our alchemy lab (our office), Tim and I finalized what will be our first foray into the world of wine spritzers, naturally. Try It Out! is an ode to creativity, being your true self, and forging ahead. Cin-cin!
Production Notes
Dry white wine made from Orange Muscat grapes, Hanson Distillery's organic grape-based spirit infused with organic Meyer lemon peels, organic orange blossom water, filtered water, a tiny bit of sulfur, and lots of carbon dioxide bubbles.
A note on the label: You will see, "Carbonated grape wine with natural flavors" on the label. It's important to us to provide transparency about what goes into our wines so we wanted to give some context. "Carbonated grape wine with natural flavors" is the classification given to naturally made spritzers like ours by the Federal Trade & Tax Bureau. "Natural flavors" can consist of all sorts of weird things that get added into processed foods, which is why we chose to be radically naked and list out absolutely everything that we put into this bubble bottle of deliciousness.
At Bottling:
8% alcohol. Unfined. Filtered for stability. Bottled August 2021.
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