The Fizz: Maine Wild Wine Fest is here! (And a look into Darling Wines)
Join us for Maine Wild Wine Fest on Saturday, May 21st by the water in Freeport, Maine (plus, a look into Darling Wines Pinot Noir)
Hello dear readers! I am so thrilled to be inviting you to my first annual wine event—Maine Wild Wine Fest, in partnership with Devenish Wines. My local community here in Maine may not be the best known wine circle in the states, but our little corner of the world has some incredible winemakers, wine shops, bars and restaurants, and all around wine establishments that I absolutely love.
I’m so happy to share our upcoming event with you, where U.S. based winemakers and international importers will share their wares with you in a wine fair centered on communication and community. Maine Wild Wine Fest will be held in Freeport’s Wolfe’s Neck Barn on Saturday May 21st. Wolfe’s Neck is an incredible 1800s post-and-beam partially uncovered barn with a ton of character, right by the Wolfe’s Neck State Park overlooking the water. Needless to say, it’s beautiful.
You’ll meet some of the winemakers you’ve read about in The Fizz, including Megan Bell, Ryan Stirm, Dierdre Heeken, Camila Carrillo, Emily Smith, Ed Lutjens, Regan Meador, and others. We have a ton of incredible importers joining with a wide variety of wine, including Zev Rovine, SelectioNaturel, Jose Pastor, Bon Vivant, David Bowler, and others. See the lineup here—it’ll be updated with more presenters soon!
We've designed this event to give you plenty of space to talk in depth with the winemakers and importers in attendance, not feeling rushed or cramped in the space. There will be two separate attendance windows ensuring that there are not more than 150 people there at a time. Throughout the weekend, we’ll have events at local restaurants like wolfpeach, Leeward, and others. Local tasting rooms will be open ready to receive guests and travelers. It’ll be a weekend of community bonding, exploring new makers and wines, and getting to know our local environment in an incredibly special time of year. I really hope you’ll join us.
Get your tickets here, and if you’re in the wine industry, shoot us an email at info@mainewildwinefest.com for a discounted ticket. I can’t wait to see you! Questions about the festival? Just reply to this email or send me a DM on Instagram.
2019 Darling Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap AVA—a testament to the grower
People are quick to think that California winegrowing is one-dimensional—the constant warmth and sunshine of California vineyards is the picture many folks get when thinking about growing grapes in the state. Indeed, California produces most of the grapes grown in the United States, but the state’s climate is quite diverse.
The Petaluma Gap AVA, for example, home of Darling Wines, is known for their incredibly windy and foggy conditions, creating a climate quite different from neighboring regions. This region can get quite cold compared to other AVAs in California, and thanks to the fog, temperatures can vary wildly throughout the day. The constant wind can help with potential mildew issues, but it’s not all beneficial—the fog itself can hinder grape ripeness by partially blocking out the sun. The unique climate of this region helped grant it its very own AVA in 2018. The Petaluma Gap is just that—a gap in the coastal mountains allowing in cold Pacific Ocean air, wind, and fog that creates the unique conditions of this region, making it perfect for grapes like Pinot Noir to thrive.
This bottle of 2019 Pinot Noir by Darling Wines, owned by Tom and Ashley Darling, caught my eye in a local wine shop. There’s one thing on the label that is particularly interesting and rare—the names of the growers who grew the Pinot Noir. It’s common to see the vineyard name on a bottle, but to acknowledge the names of the people who tended the vines and grapes? That’s new. It’s refreshing to see winemakers share the spotlight in such a direct way, and to acknowledge that making wine is not just about what happens in the cellar—the growers themselves are a vital part of the process, and it’s great to see them cited.
The wine itself is a beautiful representation of California Pinot Noir. There’s a lightness there, a restraint. There’s fruit on the wine, both red and blue, and a soft texture. This is the Pinot Noir I love, and continue to pine for. If you have a chance to find this wine in your local shop, grab it. Darling Wines also sells online.