Diving into the Skin Fermented Wine Pool of Two Shepherds Winery #WinePW #Sponsored

Wine samples and wines at an industry discount were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

This month Martin, of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog, has invited the Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers to join him in exploring skin-contact wines. Martin actually first introduced me to this genre of wines years ago when he steered me towards Jared and Tracey Brandt of Donkey & Goat Winery in Berkeley.

Since then, my fascination with these kinds of wines has blossomed into a full-blown love affair. Anytime I can get my hands on a skin-contact wine, I do. So, I was very excited to see Martin's theme for this month. You can read his invitation to the Wine Pairing Weekend crew: here.

In previous months, I've poured and paired: Piattino di Polpo e Patate with Skerk's Malvasia; Garides Saganaki + A Traditional Semi-Sparkling Orange Wine; Gingerbread with Lemon Curd + Donkey & Goat's Pinot Gris; and An Unlikely Match: A Thai Favorite + A Qvevri-Aged Wine from the Republic of Georgia. And this week,


I started the skin ferment exploration with Fregola Sarda Con Gamberi + Attems Ramato Pinot Grigio 2017.

All of these #WinePW articles will go live between Friday, May 8th and early Saturday, May 9th. If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join us on a live Twitter chat on Saturday, May 9th at 8am Pacific time. You can follow the hashtag #WinePW. If you chime in, be sure to use the hashtag so we can see your comments.

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures With Camilla will be Diving into the Skin Fermented Wine Pool of Two Shepherds Winery.
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm presents Donkey and Goat Skin Fermented Roussanne: A Baaaaad Ass Wine.
• Andrea of The Quirky Cork takes up Turkish Amber Wines and Fast Food.
• Olivier of In Taste Buds We Trust is Trying Orange and Non-Orange wine with Jamie’s Kinda Niçoise Salad.
• Lori of Exploring The Wine Glass asks Orange You Glad I Have Wine?
• Jeff of Food Wine Click! offers Wine 201: Orange Wine Primer.
• Jill of L’Occasion has us Thinking Wine: The Engaging World of Orange Wine.
• Linda of My Full Wine Glass is Revisiting NY Finger Lakes Skin-Contact White Wines.
• David of Cooking Chat proffers Cauliflower Bacon Spread with Orange Wine from Georgia.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator will be featuring Orange Wines from California and Italy by Accident and On Purpose Paired with Shrimp Curry.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish posts He Said, She Said: Ryme Cellars and the Tale of Two Vermentinos.
• Susannah of Avvinare serves up Orange Wine From Slovenia’s Movia Paired with Homemade Sushi.
• Katrina of The Corkscrew Concierge wonders Is Orange (Wine) the New Everything Wine?
• Nicole at Somm’s Table is Cooking to the Wine: Kabaj Rebula and Chicken with Mushroom Escabeche and Lentils.
• Rupal, the SyrahQueen advises us that Radikon Orange Wine – Not Just For Hipsters.
• Host Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog serves up A Cadre Of California Skin-Contact Wines Paired With Ethnic Fare.

Skin Fermented Wines

So, what are we talking about here? These skin-contact wines might also be called 'skin fermented', 'amber', or even 'orange' wines. That's where some initial confusion lies. Even among our group, initial thoughts might have been that the 'orange' wine event had to do with wines made from the citrus fruit! But Martin explained that skin-contact wines are white wines made like red wines, that is to say they are fermented with the skins on. And the color of the resulting wine might be brilliant orange to a muted peach color with more tannins and a more voluptuous body than a typical white wine.

While skin-contact wines are a fairly new addition to winemaking routines here in America, this process dates back over five thousand years in places such as Georgia where they have been making skin-contact wines in large egg-shaped terracotta pots called qveri.

Martin suggested: "Skin-contact white wines are very versatile at the table thanks to their tannins and acidity. I’d consider trying a skin-contact white with the same types of foods you’d pair with a medium-bodied rosé for starters. I’ve found I enjoy them with Asian flavors, but also consider other ethnic fare, fatty fish and tuna, roasted dishes, and earthy vegetarian fare. Also try with charcuterie, patés and terrines. And if you’re looking for one wine to pair with a variety of mild hard and soft cheeses a skin-contact white wine just might do the try. Let you imagination be your guide!" And with that encouragement, I dove right in!

Before Two Shepherds Winery, he was what you might call a 'garagiste'; the term refers to a group of winemakers in the Bordeaux region who were producing vins de garage, or so-called garage wine. True to his Bordeaux history, Two Shepherds Winery - now a partnership between William Allen and Karen Daenen - focuses primarily on Rhône varietals from unique plantings, cool climate, or old vine vineyards. Their wines are made with native yeasts and minimal intervention, embracing how wines were made in years past without the introduction of chemicals or flavor manipulation. William says that "this old world style allows for the true expression of the variety, vintage, and vineyard" and he aims for brightness, subtlety, and texture.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on several different bottles from Two Shepherds and will turn my eyes to the five skin-ferment pairings that Jake and I did over the course of the past couple of weeks with those wines.

You can visit the original recipe posts by clicking on the bolded (and hyperlinked) recipe titles below photos of the dishes. Note: If the recipe title isn't linked yet, it will be soon. Apologies for the delay in posting all the recipes, but I had a lot of fun cooking and uncorking. Enjoy my dive into the skin fermented wine pool of Two Shepherds Winery!

Reminiscent of Italian Ramato wines, this skin fermented 2019 Pinot Gris poured a brilliant, burnished copper color. You can see its vibrance, against the sun, in the photos above. But even without being illuminated from behind, its color fell uniquely between orange and a deep rosé. The fermentation started with the grapes destemmed, but skin-on, for five days after which they were pressed. The wine was aged in neutral French barrels.

This was the first wine from Two Shepherds that we poured and Jake and I were both wildly impressed. We found the Pinot Gris lively and festive. It was fresh with nuanced notes of tart cherry and the meatiness of leather. It definitely had all of the makings of wine that will make it back onto our table again soon.

I poured the Skin Fermented 2019 Pinot Gris Ramato with Lime-Poached Salmon Over Pea Pesto.

 A unique wine from an obscure grey skinned grape, originally from the Jura.  The grapes are the only planting in CA, from a 40 year old vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Fermented with native yeast on the skins for five days to extract color, flavor and texture, then aged in neutral barrels for 6 months, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  Similar to the 2017 release, this vintage is destemmed, allowing a fresh and vibrant expression.

I poured the 2018 Trousseau Gris Skin Fermented with Ground Turkey and Sautéed Mizuna with Sesame Noodles.

The 2014 is a 100% Grenache Blanc from the Russian River Valley, while the 2016 hails from Saint Ynez. Both wines have a nice structure with aromas of citrus and spice. But it was sediment and more adventurous look of the 2014 that made that our favorite.

I poured both the 2014 and 2016 Centime Skin Fermented with Cajun-Spiced Shrimp Over Creamy Grits. That recipe will be coming soon! But we quickly replaced the cork in the 2016 and kept pouring the 2014 with this dinner. You'll see the 2016 again with a different dinner, but the creaminess of the polenta and slight zip of spice matched the 2014 perfectly.

Well, that's it for now on my deep dive into the skin fermented wine pool of Two Shepherds Winery. Grateful to William for the opportunity to taste and highlight his wines. So excited to have made the acquaintance of a new-to-me winemaker whose creations are simultaneously classic yet adventurous. These are my kinda wines. Thanks to Martin for hosting this month. I adored the skin-ferment topic.

Next month the Wine Pairing Weekend crew will be back wines from the Finger Lakes wine country with Linda of My Full Wine Glass leading the discussion. Can't wait!

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