Van Life & Vino - Paso Robles Quest
– and cool van nights
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I slept in a van last night. A van down by the river.
You have hit hard times, huh?
Many of you won’t know the reference, but some of you will!! – think Saturday Night Live circa early 1990s and Chris Farley.
I will be sure to Google it, but I am sure you had a point.
I have been travelling for the last couple weeks in our camper van aka Pieter. We made it as far south as Santa Barbara County, California. Lots of good story material! The river in question … The Willamette River of the famous Pinot Noir wine country in Oregon. Stand by for future Willamette posts!
Today, two wines from white grapes - a white wine and an orange wine - are featured.
Right! I remember your interview with Heather Martin. Orange wines are made from white grapes but use red wine production techniques, right?
Correct.
In other words, orange wine is made from white grapes in a similar way that red wine is made from black grapes.
Yes, and conversely, just like white wine comes from white grapes, rosé wine comes from black grapes.
This is tricky to get my head around.
Don’t fret, more to follow!
Interestingly, orange wines are making a come back.
Are you going to writing in me making another bad 80s reference then?
Actually, orange wines are making a comeback from antiquity.
Oh, I’ll have to get back to you on THAT.
The orange wine comeback is partly attributable to the natural wine movement, as I discussed with Heather, but today’s wines are not natural wines.
Orange wines are also called skin contact or skin fermented wines, because once the grapes are crushed the juice is left in contact with the skins during fermentation, just as red wines are made. White and rosé wines have either no skin contact (pressed right after crushing) or skins are left in contact with the juice for only a few hours or days prior to pressing and the start of fermentation.
But this article’s focus is not about winemaking, but rather the Southern France white grape varieties grown on the California Central Coast.
Oh, I feel some ‘pope talk’ coming.
And do not forget the aliens. In fact, I am smuggling an alien with me into Canada this week.
You know this article is published on the world wide web…. Planning on spending some time in a jail cell on the border?
This story starts in Paso Robles California, a wine region I have wanted to visit ever since I learned Rhône grape varieties were grown in the USA. It is located on the central coast of California. It's about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Paso is a large wine region, about 3 times the size of Napa. This and the fact that the weather varies considerably from East to West means there is not much consistency in their wines, which makes Paso wines tricky for consumers.
The majority of the plantings are black grapes, with a majority of those being Cabernet Sauvignon.
The western portion, closer to the Pacific, gets cool nights which slows the ripening, allowing the grapes to build flavor complexity and retain acidity.
As a Canadian living near the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 1100 m, I must admit I always thought “whatever … cool nights … ‘they’ don’t KNOW cool nights.” We witnessed an overnight low of 3 degrees Celsius in mid-June, with daytime highs reaching as high as 36 °C!!! What a learning for me!
Brrrr.
The eastern side of Paso is a different story. It stays warmer overnight, meaning the wines produced there have riper fruit flavors, lower acidity, and less flavor complexity.
Paso did not disappoint! Part of the draw was one of the original Rhône Rangers - Randall Grahm and his Bonny Doon wines.
Readers, if you want a reminder of the crazy cigar story check it out here and this will make you understand the alien reference too!
I had a very high energy meeting with Andrew Nelson, a partner at Bonny Doon Vineyard. I tasted the latest vintages of the Bonny Doon range of wines including: the 2023 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Blanc (The White Cigar) and 2023 Le Cigare Orange.
These wines are perfect for summer!
The Cigare Blanc is a blend of Vermentino/Rolle and Grenache Blanc.
The Cigare Orange is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Pinot Gris, Grenache Gris, Orange Muscat, and Chenin Blanc.
These wines were great for campsite happy hour with or without snacks. There was just no resistance between me and the next sip.
Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc 2023 from Central Coast of California
Style: Minerally Medium Body White
Varieties: 61% Vermentino & 39% Grenache Blanc
This is a perfect summer wine with flavors of lemon and orange zest, hints of stone fruit, and the complexity of saline notes. This wines textural feel keeps the urge for the next sip.
Best pairings: Grilled shrimp and scallops, White fish (halibut or cod), Roasted or grilled chicken, Fresh salad with goat cheese, Sushi, Soft Cheeses - Brie or Havarti.
Serving Temperature: 7 degrees Celsius
Serving Tips: Enjoy!
Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange 2023 from Central Coast of California
Style: Aromatic Medium Body Orange
Varieties: 45% Grenache Blanc, 25% Pinot Gris, 14% Grenache Gris, 9% Orange Muscat, and 7% Chenin Blanc
This is aromatic wine has orange blossom on the nose and notes of stone fruit and wet stone and salinity on the palate. The slight textural component from light tannins creates extra interest as well as the pleasant acidity.
Best pairings: Chicken à l’Orange, Roasted turkey, Grilled or Roasted vegetables including stuffed peppers, Lightly spiced Thai or Indian dishes, Charcuterie board with salamis, sausage, gouda, old cheddar, nuts, and dried fruits.
Serving Temperature: 10-13 degrees Celsius
Serving Tips: Enjoy!
I have compiled all my wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
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SOURCES:
Robinson, J. (2015) The oxford companion to wine. 4th rev. ed. Corby: Oxford University Press.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
I love that your camper van is named Pieter 😊
Bonny Doon! A classic brand name. Love Pieter, we also named our caravan when we had her in NZ.