Blend
36.5% Riesling (Skin Contact - Wild Ferment - 4 months)
25.1% Tempranillo saigneé
13.7% Nebbiolo saigneé (Fermented with Riesling skins)
12.3% Carménère saigneé
12.3% Malbec saigneé

Winemaking
The Riesling was fermented wild as whole berries without stems and left on the skins for four months. Nebbiolo saignée was added during the Riesling fermentation. Once dry, the wine was pressed and blended with saignée rosés of Tempranillo, Carménère, Malbec, and Nebbiolo. The extended skin contact gives the wine tannin, structure, and texture, while the rosé components bring fruit, freshness, and drinkability.

Winemaker Notes
An approachable take on orange wine. It drinks somewhere between a rosé and a skin-contact white: dry and fresh, but with considerably more texture and grip. Melon and spice on the nose with dried citrus peel and a tea-like character. Moderate tannin, good weight, and plenty of fruit without being sweet.

The Story of Ren
Ren started as an experiment in 2021.That harvest, I was playing around with skin-contact white wines and made a small batch of whole-cluster Riesling. I put the clusters into a tank, sealed the lid, let it ferment naturally, and basically left it alone for six months, tasting it from time to time. After six months, I decided it was finally time to get the wine off the stems and skins. I pressed the whole clusters, and in the process turned what had been a fairly delicate Riesling into something intensely astringent and bitter. Apparently squeezing Riesling stems after six months of soaking in wine has consequences. Luckily, I had a barrel of rosé that was almost the opposite: light, fruity, and easy drinking. I blended the two together, hoping the rosé would soften the Riesling. It did. More importantly, the combination became something much more interesting than either wine had been on its own.

REN was born.

Our son Ren was born shortly after we bottled that first wine, and the name seemed appropriate. Like the wine, he is a blend of his parents: light and fruity on one side, bitter and astringent on the other. I’ll let you decide which parent is which.

Ever since that accidental first version, I’ve wanted to recreate the style—but intentionally. The 2025 REN is that wine. This time, the Riesling was fermented as whole berries without the stems and spent four months on the skins rather than six. I also added Nebbiolo saignée directly to the Riesling fermentation. After pressing, the wine was blended with saignée rosés of Tempranillo, Carménère, Malbec, and Nebbiolo.

The result has the texture and tannin I liked about the original experiment, but with much more fruit, balance, and freshness.

Awards
Never entered. Too cool and doesn't need a category.