Modesto wine columnist shares his experience at unique wine tasting event
The Navigator and I were invited to a Sonoma wine tasting with a dozen winemakers pouring their own wines and backed by NakedWines.com. Yes, yes, oh yes was our response.
Naked Wines is a unique wine club. It relies on its investors called Angels. There are about 150,000 Angels worldwide, each investing $40 a month. That money goes toward their future wine purchases. The incentive for Angels is the wines are priced near wholesale. Naked Wines provides their 130 worldwide winemakers the opportunity to create great wines of their own and avoid having to deal with the financial and distribution hassles. USA Today Reader’s Choice Awards voted Naked Wines America’s No. 1 Wine Club 2019 through 2022.
Here are a few highlights from our Sonoma tasting.
Former head winemaker for Domaine Chandon, Wayne Donaldson, poured three super sparkling wines. Aussie winemaker, Daryl Groom offered his Barossa Shiraz and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. Matt Parish had two roses, one from Carneros and the other from Anderson Valley, both delicious and very popular among his Angel following.
Montse Reece makes three well-balanced reds from Dry Creek Valley, a red blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. Her story piqued my interest. I followed up with a few questions and she quickly responded. She is from Tarragona, Spain. After finishing high school and with support from family, she went to study winemaking at the Rovera I Virgili University in Tarragona. Her first harvest was in1994 as a student in a Penedes cooperative. After college she had the opportunity through Freixenet to work as an intern in their Sonoma winery. She came back the next year as an intern at Ferrari Carano and there she met her husband. In 2007 she started working at Pedroncelli Winery. John Pedroncelli was the winemaker and needed an assistant. In 2015, John sadly passed away and she became only the third Pedroncelli winemaker in 90 years.
Montse said Naked Wines is a very interesting and attractive project for her. She has the freedom to make wine her own way and under her own label and have it sponsored through the Naked Wines Angels. Naked Wines takes care of the sales and other expenses. She has 2,436 Angels following her journey now and with their support hopes to add a Spanish varietal to her line-up. Cheers to Montse Reece!
What’s on our table
I thought I was pretty smart when I bought the Spanish 2021 Esteban Martin at the Grocery Outlet for $6.99. I called it a deal. Costco now has the Grenache-Syrah Blend for just $4.99 which is now a steal. Trader Joe’s 2022 Petit Reserve Rose from Provence is priced at $7.99 and is a deal. Most French roses under $10 are not drinkable. This one is. Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.
