Brood Fermentation "Playflight" Pinot Gris 2023

This orange wine showcases the beauty and intensity of skin-fermented Pinot Gris grown on dense Moutere clay soils, with flavors of white peach, orange zest, candied ginger, fresh herbs and honey. 

Brood isolated a portion of their vineyard, hand picked the grapes with family and friends, then pressed the fruit whole bunch and fermented it directly in puncheon. The remainder of the vineyard was then destemmed and fermented on skins for five days before being pressed off and aged in neutral puncheons on fine lees. This wine expresses texture, acidity, and subtle tannin all in beautiful balance. Unfined unfiltered, farmed organically, minimal sulfur added at bottling.

"Brood" is a beekeeping term for the part of a hive where life is regenerating. "Fermentation" is an incredible, natural process of chemical change. Putting the two words together already evokes a lot. Winemakers Lauren Yap and Jim Brown collectively worked across the beer, wine, hop and malt industries for 10+ years and have now landed in the rich fruit basket that is Nelson, New Zealand. They dry farm their own organic vineyard with biodynamic practices and make minimal intervention wine.

"Playflight" is also a beekeeping term, describing "orientation flights," when older bees training younger bees how to navigate their environment and locate the hive.