Accenti Vinello Piquette 2021

Region: Contra Costa County , CA

Grape: Merlot Skins

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; old, dry-farmed vines on sandy, clay soils; second pressing of Merlot skins with spring water; bottled unfined/unfiltered with minimal So2; 

7.1% ABV; 25 cases

Winemakers: James & Lorenza Allen

Super refreshing, low alcohol beverage that tastes like wine, just lighter.  A light fizz with tannins and spice, it tastes like a tart cranberry tea with some blood orange, and goes down like water.  Breakfast Wine.

From the winemaker:

Our quest for a chill-able fizzy red started after harvest, when all our grapes were already fermenting. During a hot day of pressing, we looked at each other with deadly thirst. We needed a crushable wine immediately.

Merlot grapes give our Vinello its stunning crimson color. But the craziest thing about this wine is that it’s gone through FOUR FERMENTATIONS. The first before pressing, the second and third to infuse the flavor from the pomace, and the fourth in the bottle to give it a tasty spritz.

The cranberry scones and blood orange zest flavors can cure the even most cursed of thirsts. A moderate 7.1% alcohol means you can crush a bottle with no worries. Just make sure to chill it down to keep the light bubbles going strong.

2ish barrels produced.

About the producers:

Accenti, formerly known as Thereafter, is the passion project of a lovely young couple, James and Lorenza, who both work day jobs for other wineries but with Accenti are focused on regenerative viticulture and super low intervention winemaking.  Their philosophy is that the land, vines, and wine will exist far longer than we can imagine. They say, "With this in mind, being good stewards of the vineyards and the ecosystems within them is our top priority. Everything else falls into place more easily afterwards."

Accenti means "accents" in Italian (Lorenza is a Piedmont, Italy native), and they like to think of their wines as California with an Italian accent -- meaning subtle, low ABV, food-friendly wines, which we love.  This restraint, along their focus on next-level farming, are unusual things for the Napa/Sonoma regions where they work and source grapes.  Vinello, the Italian word for piquette, is what they call a "California natural wine spritzer".   

SERVE CHILLED