Stanner’s Pinot Gris ‘Cuivre’ 2019
Background
Let’s talk about unconventional wines. We offered the 2018 vintage in one of our mixed 6 packs last year, and as soon we heard there was a new vintage available, we knew we wanted to include it.
Ok so where to begin? The first reason to love this wine is that it’s super local. Mary and Colin Stanner run a literal Mom & Pop operation with their daughter and a few seasonal workers in Prince Edward County. Check them out online or you can say hi to Mary at a few different Farmer’s Markets here in the city. It should be noted that as much as we love this particular wine, Mary and Colin produce lots of other stuff, including what we feel is some of the best Pinot Noir in the country right now.
So this is an ORANGE WINE. Which is a term that’s become quite popular in the past few years. Basically, white grapes (in this case the almost-pink Pinot Gris) are left to soak on their own skins, as opposed to being drained off. This usually gives the wine a deeper orangey colour, and it imparts very soft tannin, almost like a rosé. It’s an old technique, but it has become very popular lately with the “natural wine” movement.
Tasting Notes
In this particular case, Colin lets the Pinot Gris rest on pressed skins for 72 hours after maceration. In the spectrum of Orange Wines, this is relatively short. Pinot Gris is a thick skinned, fleshy white grape, so that 72 hours is enough time to impart a beautiful copper colour (‘cuivre’ is French for copper), but also, the skins give this wine tannin. Almost like a red. This wine has lots of tart red fruit flavours and an almost mandarin orange citrus element. Under that there are lots of crisp, zingy vegetal flavours. It has an acidity almost like an heirloom tomato. It’s all these savory flavours that make this wine such a winner with food. Serve this chilled, like a white
Food Pairing
Seafood boil or potluck BBQ with a million different salads - This specific orange wine has a lot going on, so we recommend it with complex flavours. Orange wine exists on a spectrum. The thickness of the grape skins and the time spent in maceration will determine the final structure of the wine. Lighter orange wines may have no perceptible tannins, whereas this wine has a real ‘stick to your palate’ quality. The structure of the wine should always be a consideration when working out your perfect pairings. Light with light, complex with complex
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