Emme Wines "Pink Lemonade"

Rosalind, of Emme Wines, is an organic grape farmer and natural winemaker in Northern California, crafting wines without additives. Since starting her own project in 2018, she has thrived within a supportive community of like-minded growers and winemakers. For Rosalind, wine is a deeply communal endeavor, shaped by the collective efforts of field workers, winemakers, and industry professionals who contribute to every bottle. Inspired by this collaborative spirit, she creates fresh, vibrant wines designed to spark thoughtful conversation and bring people together. Her work celebrates both the community behind the wine and the connections it fosters.

In 2024, the consistently hot weather in Redwood Valley meant that the second pick came soon after the first pick, only a week later. This second pick is of the traditionally later-ripening varieties at Ricetti – Valdiguié, Carignan and Colombard.  This pick was very minimally crushed, with a full third of the fruit left intact on the bottom of the tank to undergo carbonic fermentation.  The goal with this style of fermentation was to extract much less tannin and produce a fruitier, lighter wine, as a counterbalance to the earlier, more tannic pick.  After 6 days carbonic in tank, the partially fermented fruit was further crushed by foot to add a bit more color to the wine.  Two days later, the fruit was pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation.  Once sugar-dry, the wine was racked to all neutral barriques to age for 6 months.

In late March, these two field blend components were racked out of their barriques and blended just before bottling, to create one comprehensive Ricetti field blend.

Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 15 ppm total.  No other additions, unfined and unfiltered.

‘pink lemonade’ looks like electric pink lemonade during fermentation, and was named as such.

• Producer: Emme Wines
• Region: Redwood Valley, California
• Variety: Field Blend
• Alcohol: 12%