Orange is the New Napa from The Vice Wine

Years ago I attended an orange wine seminar led by old-world Italian winemakers. Interesting stuff. Orange may now be the new pink here in the states as the mecca of all U.S. winemaking areas, the Napa Valley, has theirs. The one to try: The Vine Wine orange wine made from Semillon grapes, named Brooklynites. See below for information on the wine, how the name originated and some tasting notes I collected.

The Vice Wine Releases Rare Orange Wine From Napa 

Orange is the New Napa with The Orange of Semillon, “Brooklynites”, 2020

The fervor for old world style orange wines, once known as the ‘sommelier’s favorite’  because of their distinct color, story and ability to pair with many foods. The Vice Wine, an all Napa Valley wine producer has released one of the few orange wines to come out of the appellation.

Orange of Semillon, “Brooklynites”, 2020 is the name given to this gorgeous Orange of Semillon produced from a small vineyard in Napa and picked in 2020 right before the fires and ensuing smoke.

Sometimes known as ‘skin-contact white wines,’ orange wines are made by macerating white grapes with their skins, thereby lending the wine an orange hue. With the skin contact, the wine becomes more nuanced and layered thanks to the tannins and phenols released from the skins. The Vice Wine’s Orange of Semillon was made by leaving the juice and skins in contact for 21 days in two concrete eggs, before removing the skins for the rest of the eight-month fermentation using wild yeasts, much the way old-world orange wines were made for hundreds of years.

Everything The Vice Wine does is by hand and the team members themselves are integral in every step of the winemaking process. Work hard and passionately enough, like The Vice Wine team members and Brooklyn-natives Carly and Kenny, who support founders Malek Amrani and Torie Greenberg Amrani every step of the way, and there may just be a special wine named after your hometown.

Orange of Semillon, “Brooklynites”, 2020  – Napa Valley ($28.00/750ml)

The Orange of Semillon has structure and bright acidity as well as a full-bodied mouthfeel. Tropical on the nose with papaya, banana, kumquat and ginger, the wine gives way to citrus and dried apricot in the mouth. Unfiltered, unfined, this wine is a pure example of Napa Valley’s unique terroir.

The perfect wine to accompany dishes from charcuterie boards to Asian cuisine. The wine is made from 100% Semillon grapes, with an ABV of 13.7%. 249 cases were produced.

Eve, and Friends, Tasting Notes

Tasted first with one winemaker and a sommelier that found: Malolactic creaminess, rich mouthfeel and incredible viscosity, crisp with a playful acidity, oily slightly weighted texture and a tannin level that played nicely for this style of wine. A complex flavor of tropical fruit and wet stone. Balanced and ready to enjoy. I tasted the wine with family, poolside, and we found it lighter than expected, with extremely low acid compared to some other white wines like a Sauvignon Blanc, lovely fruit that reminded me of chilled fruit cocktail in a light syrup, apricot and fleshy peach. Perfect for a pool or picnic day!

About The Vice Wine

The Vice Wine is a Napa Valley luxury wine brand made in small batches. Each batch is crafted from single grape varietals sourced from hand-selected vineyards that best express the grape varietal and the region that it comes from. The Vice wines is a result of passionate labor, sustainable farming, a long expertise of the wine industry and a current understanding of the consumer’s wine trend. The Vice Wine is about as personal of a brand as it gets. Everything is done by the founders. We drive the truck to get our fruit, we crush, bottle, label; we do everything by hand when possible. We design the labels, work the market, and sell the wine. We believe that the best wines in the world aren’t the most expensive ones. We thrive at providing the best quality wine at the best value. For more information visit thevicewine.com and follow on @thevicewine.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.