From: Applegate Valley, Oregon, USA
Varietal: Vermentino
Tasting Notes: An extremely vervy, drinkable PNW Vermentino from Brianne Day. We love its versatility and unique ability to bring fruit, citrus, beach vibes, and great packaging together in an affordable white wine hit you’ll love year-round. Her tasting note below says it all!
“[This Vermentino is] racy yet plush, salty, and tropical, and reminds me of sunbathing on a beach with a Pina colada in hand. There are notes of lemon oil, coconut, ripe citrus and papaya, macadamia nut, and a salty bright zesty finish.”
Pairing: Seafood and shellfish are excellent choices here, including grilled sea bass, halibut, or snapper and anything shrimp—whether grilled, sautéed, or in light pasta dishes. A Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes will pair wonderfully with Vermentino’s fresh acidity. Poultry and light meats, such as a simple roast chicken with herbs like rosemary and thyme or herb-crusted turkey, benefit from the wine's lively acidity and fresh finish. We love the idea of enjoying this wine with Lidey Heck’s recipe for Stuffed Zucchini.
About. In 2006 Brianne Day sold everything she owned and began traveling through wine regions all over the world. Over the following eight years she visited around 80 different regions, working at wineries in Burgundy, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.
During this time, she re-established her home base in Oregon and worked at a number of wineries including The Eyrie Vineyards and Brooks. In 2012 Brianne started her own winery with some Pinot Noir grapes from the 15-acre, dry-farmed Crowley Station Vineyard in the Eola Amity Hills. The inaugural vintage was only 125 cases and sold out quickly. On the strength of that single bottling she was invited to the RAW fair in London and was one of only seven American wineries mentioned in Isabelle Legeron’s recent book, Natural Wine, alongside Edmunds St. John and Arnot Roberts.
Since then, Brianne has grown her production, producing exceptional Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, as well as working with under-appreciated varieties such as Malvasia, Tannat, Aligoté, and Vermentino (in the case of this wine).
Brianne's general winemaking is as follows: native yeast fermentations, low additions of sulfur, minimal punch downs, rare pump overs, and only tiny amounts of new oak.
Day Wines believes that the character of Oregon wine is defined by the incredible diversity found in the various growing regions spread across the state. From Applegate Valley in the south to Yamhill-Carlton in the north and numerous AVAs in between, they seek and work with growers who are committed to stewardship of the soil and the vine through biodynamic and organic practices. These people are the backbone of their business, and they proudly call them partners and friends.
The 2022 vintage marks the second vintage of Day Wines Vermentino, which is named for Biranne’s niece, Claire Isla. This Vermentino is grown in the Layne Vineyard in
Applegate Valley, which was established in 1975 when only crazy people (like Roger Layne) would do a crazy thing like plant a vineyard down there. One of the region's original sites, this rugged, high-elevation site is 1600 feet above sea level on Kubli Bench. The vines here are planted on well-draining alluvial topsoils on a granitic bedrock, benefiting from the dramatic daily temperature swings to help the fruit reach full ripeness.
“The vineyard lies a couple miles down a single-lane, dirt road hemmed by shallow ravines on either side most of the way, with manzanita and madrone branches scraping the truck windows. In other words, you have to really want to come out here. A walk through the rows reveals signs of the apex predators (mountain lion and black bear) that frequent the vineyard, and it becomes apparent just what kind of place this is.” —Day Wines