Corsage – Amber Style Traminette
April 19, 2026
A Floral Whisper from the Ancient World
Long before the hum of modern machinery and the gleam of stainless steel, there was clay, sun-warmed grapes, and the patient art of time. Back then, white wine grapes weren’t pressed and rushed away from their skin. Winemakers allowed them to linger together, mingling juice and tannin in earthy clay vessels buried beneath the soil. The result was a wine unlike the pale whites we know today: deep, amber-hued, and richly layered. Today, it is called orange wine. Or more poetically, amber wine or skin-contact white, a style as ancient as it is alluring.
Our Expression: Corsage
We didn’t bury Corsage in a Georgian qvevri, but we honored the old ways in our own fashion. We fermented it slowly at 57°F. Then let it age gracefully for two years in seasoned oak barrels at a steady 60°F. This wine draws its character not only from the grape but from time and texture.
The result is dry, floral, and evocative. Imagine a bouquet of honeysuckle and rose drifting on a breeze through late-summer grass. A whisper of dry oak and wild herbs lingers at the finish. Malolactic fermentation gives it a soft, creamy mouthfeel. Corsage is both delicate and grounded, an ethereal nod to a floral Chardonnay, but with its own soul.
Because we fermented Corsage on the skins, it carries subtle tannins that allow it to age beautifully in the bottle. This is rare among white wines and typical of this ancient style.
- Bottled: May 7, 2025
- Released: June 14, 2025
- Residual Sugar: 0% (Dry)
- Alcohol: 13%
Perfect Pairings
Corsage shines alongside rustic, sun-drenched flavors:
- Aged sheep cheeses like Manchego or salty, briny Feta
- Mediterranean vegetables roasted in olive oil and kissed with thyme, oregano, or za’atar
- Bowls of warm olives, earthy and aromatic
- Our Mediterranean Savory Muffins—a cozy, herb-laced companion
A Glimpse into Winemaking’s Old Soul
The exact birthplace of orange wine is lost to history. However, many trace its origins to Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains. There, winemakers have fermented white grapes with their skins for over 8,000 years in massive underground clay vessels known as qvevris. This technique, preserved through generations, is not just a method but a cultural ritual.
From Georgia, the practice wandered westward into northern Italy—particularly Friuli-Venezia Giulia—and across the borders of Slovenia and Croatia. These regions embraced extended skin contact as both a tradition and an art form.
Today, this ancient method is experiencing a renaissance. Winemakers across the globe—drawn to its depth, texture, and honesty—are reviving orange wine as part of the broader natural and minimal-intervention movement. Wines like Corsage are not only drinkable history but also soulful expressions of the vineyard, the season, and the hand that guided them.