The color orange heralds a change of seasons in much of the world. This month we’re unlocking the energy, power, and play of our five senses through all things orange: wine, cheese, chocolate, and music! We often associate the color orange with feelings of vibrance, enthusiasm, and energy, and we definitely feel those positive vibes when we pop open a bottle of orange wine! This wine style is still a mystery to many (and was to us until not long ago), but we hope to be able to remove the mask on orange wine this month and have you all running to your nearest local wine shop to pick up a bottle. Our playlist specifically reflects our appreciation for the changing seasons, the warmth of fall, all with a little nod to pumpkin spice and everything nice.
Before we get into our pairings, make sure you open up our custom curated playlist to play as you go!
“Orange you glad you stopped by?”
Tessier Winery – Science and Wine combine in this woman-owned CA Winery
The Wine: 2021 Filigreen Farm Anderson Valley Skin-Contact Pinot Gris
The Story: Kristie Tacey, winemaker and founder of Tessier Winery, is a scientist turned winemaker. With a background in microbiology, Kristie is fascinated by the cycle of life. She began handcrafting small lots of Pinot Noir and has added Grenache, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, Riesling, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Why we love Tessier: Each vintage of Tessier’s wines reflects a year in the lives of the vineyards. For Kristie, sustainability is a priority — not only in terms of the vineyards’ farming practices, but also with regards to cultivating long-term relationships with her growers and customers. These small production wines – annual production is just 1,400 cases – get unparalleled attention.
Sit back and relax with this gorgeous version of “Autumn Leaves,” sung by Eva Cassidy. Originally written in French as “Les feuilles mortes” (literally, “Dead Leaves”), the song laments lost love and regret. The English version is gentler and more wistful. Cassidy’s silky voice is the ultimate pairing to this beautiful orange wine.
Casa Relvas – Family-Owned Wine from the Alentejo Region
The Wine: 2021 ART.Terra Curtimenta
The Story: Casa Relvas is a family run winery located in the heart of Redondo, with a deep love and understanding of the viticultural heritage of the Alentejo region. Alexandre Relvas started it in 1997, and his two sons Alexandre Jr and António now run the show, ably supported by Head Winemaker Nuno Franco and his team at the Pimenta Winery.
Why we love Casa Relvas: The family develops their enterprise both locally and globally, and are committed to ambitious environmentally sustainable and socially responsible winemaking practices so the benefits are shared, and added value is retained.
Music Pairing: We’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge Halloween this month. Our music pairing, Autumnal Sketch Op. 8 by Sergei Prokofiev, offers the listener something of an unsettled, slightly spooky vibe while still providing lovely warmth and depth of sound with lavish orchestration and soaring melodies that mirror the richness of flavor in this bottle.
Château Lestignac – When you want chickens and sheep with your wine
The Wine: 2020 Château Lestignac, Blizzard Hors les Murs
The Story: This estate was reborn in 2009 by Camille & Mathias Marquet who inherited the family farm. They paired down the 17 hectares of vines in order to retain only the best sites. The Sauvignon Blanc is direct pressed, while the Sémillon sees carbonic maceration. Find this wine at Orange Glou in New York City!
Why we love Lestignac: Camille and Mathias have developed a true polyculture to complement their conscientious, organic farming style. After Lestignac’s first vintage in 2009, the couple began introducing biodynamic farming in 2011. In addition to the vineyard, the farm has over 200 fruit trees as well as 80 chickens and 20 sheep that hang around in and around the vineyards.
Music Pairing: How surprised can you really be that we picked Autumn in New York for our music pairing? Not only is it the most perfect fall song, but our team will be in NYC this month, and we can’t wait to check out Orange Glou, a shop dedicated only to orange wine, in person while we’re there! Orange wine all day every day – we’re in!
Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
In keeping with our theme of orange for this month, we’d like to share with you a delicious cheese called Sparkenhoe Red Leicester (pronounced ‘Lester’). This cheese made from the milk of Leicestershire cows, and its natural orange color is augmented by the natural plant dye, Annatto, taken from the Achiote tree found in South America. Nutty, sweet, and citrus flavors round out this perfect autumn nibbler!
jcoco (from Seattle Chocolate)
jcoco, the ultra-premium sister brand to Seattle Chocolate has a mission to elevate the way we experience chocolate and to turn an everyday indulgence into an opportunity to make a difference. Today, jcoco has donated more than 3.7 million servings to organizations working to combat hunger.. This bar boasts flavors of freshly sliced orange with a light dusting of chili powder, a creamy sensation that finishes with a lingering kick of red pepper. The bar is made of 30% cacao ethically sourced from West Africa.
That’s it for this time around! We hope you love these beautiful orange wines along with our cheese and chocolate selections, and of course our playlist to accompany our yummy treats!
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We’ll see you next month!
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