The Marigny, Piquette 2021 750ml

Winemaker’s note: “When wine is too much, and water is too little, there is Piquette. This “Wine Like Beverage” is made by re-fermenting the grape skins and stems after they are pressed, resulting in a highly-drinkable low-alcohol beverage that has been around since the dawn of time, but is experiencing a revival in the states in large part due to the efforts of our friends Wild Arc Farm in NY. The result is a crisp, clean drink that straddles the line of many of our favorite things (flavored fizzy water, beer, hard seltzer) while being completely unique and unto itself. Open at lunch, at the park, in the sun, by the river, or wherever you’d like a drink but don’t want to imbibe too much.”

Grapes: Pinot Noir (pomace), Pinot Gris (underripe juice)

Making of: filling closed-top stainless steel tanks with pressed pomace (the leftover grape stuff) and water, several days of maceration on skins and stems. Drained to a new tank. A small amount of underripe Pinot Gris juice was added to help adjust the acidity and general chemistry. Racked once, crossflow filtered and professionally bottled with CO2 added.

Personality: “Your favorite fizzy water / the memory of your favorite Marigny wine / tart raspberry / black cherry / floating the river / reading in the sun / catching up for hours and remembering the entire conversation / Fun Dip / strawberry rhubarb bitters / Swedish fish / microdosing on the beach”