CHANNING DAUGHTERS “TROPICAL” CHARDONNAY

2022 GRAPES: CHARDONNAY SKIN CONTACT: SKIN-FERMENTED REGION: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, USA Producer: Channing Daughters is one of America’s orange-wine pioneers, on the South Fork of Long Island in Bridgehampton, New York. Winemaker Christopher Tracy has championed skin-fermented white wines here since the early 2000s, working from an unusually diverse patchwork of grape varieties. Everything is hand-picked, and the methods stay traditional and artisanal — from whole-cluster pressing to gentle, gravity bottling. Vinification: In the estate’s pioneering skin-fermented style, the hand-picked Chardonnay ferments on its skins rather than being pressed off straight away, drawing gentle tannin, texture, and a deep golden hue from the extended contact. The clusters are handled gently, fermentation runs on native yeasts, and the wine is raised in neutral vessels so the fruit and skin character stay front and centre. Tasting notes: medium-bodied, white peach, yellow nectarine, golden apple, pineapple and melon, with white flowers and a saline lift Pairings: grilled shrimp with mango salsa, coconut vegetable curry, Manchego DRINK: NOW TO 2028 ORGANIC