REFINED REBELLION: LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL

Wine at its simplest form is rustic, cloudy, powerful and unfiltered. Today we have wine that have innovated to be clear, light and beautiful- free of sediment. Back in the day, thousands of years ago, wine was more simple. Crushed grapes were put into cask and fermented. I picture the spicket at the bottom of the cask, like getting Gatorade on a high school football sideline.

Orange wine, which I have heard being referred to as "hipster" wine, is part of this simple, rustic, unfiltered wine movement. And it's freaking awesome! Basically, it just means white wine fermented on the skins which is a process not usually used because the skins give the wine more tannins and phenols. Phenols are just a fancy name for stuff that is going to make the wine taste awesome- tannins too. Fermenting on the skin gives it the orange color.

Red Hook Winery winemaker Abe Schoener is doing just this. The wine is absolutely delicious and fantastic. In a sales world we call this wine for the beer drinker. The line of Orange wines coming out of Red Hook Winery are so good you could pound it. Allow me to go back to my experience-

The wine is orangey in the glass, pouring out of a 500ml bottle. I'm working with "Outstanding in the Field" (@OITF) on Sweet Berry Farm in Portsmouth, RI, and I'm soaked to the bone drenched in rain. OITF is this movement that travels across the US setting up Farm-table style dinners sourcing specifically local food and wine. I went into this thinking Newport Vineyards was supplying the wine and was pleased to experience a wine from the North Fork, NY. Enter Darren from Red Hook, pouring simple, powerful, beautiful Chardonnay wine from his snub-nose weapon for us to taste and serve to the 150 guests. "Some people call this Orange wine, or Hipster wine."

I remember this wine as flavorful, bold, and obviously impressive. I remember thinking dry Cider, with this appley crispness and a rounded caramelization. The juice was heavy weight, with great mouthfeel. It sat on my tongue like a sumo wrestler, punched the sides of my cheeks, and then danced around like a child with an apple juice box and straw. I would drink this wine with a straw... maybe... if I don't just put the bottle right to my mouth.

This wine will kill any doubt about whether or not the new-school cats making wine in Brooklyn, NY are failing. They are nailing it. They have done their homework. The proof is in the glass and the experience. I will never forget it and am working hard on getting it here to RI.