Good Spirits News, October 2020

Good Spirits News Review: The Vice Orange of Semillon, “Brooklynites”, 2020

The Good Spirits News reviewed the Vice Orange of Semillon, “Brooklynites”, 2020. Here’s what they had to say…

The Vice Wine, an all Napa Valley wine producer has released one of the few orange wines to come out of the "orange wine" appellation. Orange of Semillon, "Brooklynites", 2020 is the name given to this wine produced from a small vineyard in Napa and picked in 2020 right before the wildfires and ensuing smoke tainted many of the vineyards.

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.

GSN's Remarks: This is a very easy wine to drink. Smooth, mellow and somewhat tropical in character. we picked up notes of banana nut bread, baked green apple and apricot fruit tart. A very nice summery wine that is down to earth and reminiscent of a sunny day. Try this with some creamy cheeses and fresh fruit.

GSN Rating: A-