Tinto Amorio 'Monje' Skin Contact Orange Paso Robles, USA 2023

Producer: Tinto Amorio

Grapes: 53% Colombard, 32% Gewürztraminer, 10% Zinfandel, 5% Albariño

Where: California

Country: USA

Taste: Royal mandarin oragne and double delight nectarine, bright, juicy, with an ocean sea breeze finish. 7-day skin-contact orange wine with a little disco for your palate - crafted to get everyone grooving, and always the talk of the party. 

Vibes with: Squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta, oysters on the half shell, Paneer Takka Masala

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Additional info: The blend and where the grapes are from: Organic French Colombard, Organic Gewürztraminer froom Pasooo Robles and Potter Valley, Organic Zinfandel from Mendocino, and Organic Albariño from Lodi. The whole berries were gently added to tank for a semi-carbonic fermentation for 7 days before being pressed. Fermentation was native with an experimental 10% Zinfandel field-blend co-ferment. The skin-contact orange wine was aged sur lie before being racked off the thick lees and coarse filtered on a full moon's day. Each bottle was waxed by hand. Unfined, coarse filtered, native fermentation and semi-carbonic. <30ppm of sulfur added. Produced in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California. 

About the Producer:

Founder Anish Patel endured a near-fatal car accident and decided to rethink his career path. While Patel at one point considered becoming a monk, half a year of introspection helped pushed him to take his talents to California, translating the learnings from his previous career into building a natural wine label in California.

Seems like that was a good choice, because now the brand's wines are a huge hit.

The brand prides itself on using organic grapes, utilizes minimal sulfites in the winemaking process (opting for 35 ppm-or less-as opposed to the 50+ ppm found in conventional wines), and keeping things vegan by eschewing animal byproduct-based fining agents. This winery only employs friends and family and donates 5% of its proceeds to southern California food banks.