Swick Wines | "Lanyard Loop" Pinot Gris Blend | Willamette Valley, OR | 2022
Joe Swick's winemaking philosophy is, "...as naked and raw as possible while fun and delicious. Wine that tastes like wine, not kombucha.”
Joe's wine journey began in 2003 when he worked his first harvest at a local Oregon winery, which led him to traveling the world as a harvest rat working in Tasmania, New Zealand, Portugal, Italy, and France.
In France, he discovered natural wine and it was hook, line, and sinker.
Around 2013, Joe brought all his knowledge and new-found minimal intervention ethos to the PNW where he works with organic and biodynamic vineyards in both Oregon and Washington. While he is a minimal-interventionist, he's not radical or dogmatic...
“I’m not a fan of having to dump wines down the drain. If it means 10-20 ppm total SO2 added to a wine, I will do it. I prefer wine that tastes like wine, not kombucha... No yeasts, no acid 'corrections,' no temp control on the fermentor wines… Nothing is controlled. 100% of the stems are used in my red wines, which I work by foot 1-2 times a day.”
Named after the song "Lanyard Loop" by guitarist Allan Holdsworth, this dry sparkling wine is a low ABV stunner. Perfect for those warm sunny days where you want something bubbly but you want to keep your intoxication level in check. A perfect wine to start off the evening with and even better with lunch (or breakfast?) weighing in at 5.7%.
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Pair With: Soft Cheeses, picnics, fish and chips
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Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Gris, 40% Aligoté
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Farming: Organic, 300 feet elevation
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Winemaking: Pinot Gris pomace was hydrated with early-picked Aligoté juice, short maceration, the pomace was pressed and fermented in a stainless steel tank. Fermentation was finished in bottle. The wine was disgorged by hand in summer 2023.
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Winemaker: Joe Swick
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Region: Moeller Vineyard | Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon
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Serve: Cold af