Slow Press Wines
Slow Press Wines
Livermore | California
Today’s consumers have a “slow down and live better” lifestyle. They demand premium-priced slow-crafted products. Craft beer and coffee shops paved the way for consumers paying a premium price for slow-crafted products with the expectation of better quality—from slow-pressed juice to slow-drip coffee to slow-churned ice cream to slow-aged liquor.
This month we bring you Slow Press Wines: crafted wines made with quality-first processes. Their motto is, “Quality takes time.” The slower the press, the better the wine. With Slow Press, the hand-crafted, slow winemaking process gently coaxes layers of ripe fruit and avoids astringency that often comes with pressing too quickly. All this craft results in more concentrated flavors and a smoother finish.
Slow Press wines are getting recognized by wine industry judges, though they’ve been in the market for just a short time. These wines have won big with 90-plus scores for the highly-regarded Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The 2015 California Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in oak barrels for nine months and delivers bold concentrated flavors of dark fruits, blackberries and cassis, with notes of tobacco and leather. Its robust structure grips the taste buds, leaving a velvety finish. All of this happens because of three things: an extended cold-soak process, where the grapes are soaked in cold water for 48 hours to produce intense flavors and limit harsh tannins; the gentle pressing of the grapes, which minimizes astringency and utilizes more free-run juice to elevate robust flavors; a slow fermentation process, which is done at cold temperatures that amplify the varietal’s natural fruit character. This cabernet received 91 points and the Editor’s Choice award from Wine Enthusiast. At the sale price of $12.99, saving you $7.00, you won’t find a better quality California cabernet.
The 2014 Monterey County Slow Press Chardonnay is a classic chardonnay with a toasty finish. The slow-press winemaking process magnifies fruit aromas and delivers notes of fresh apples and pears. Slow Press Chardonnay is aged in oak barrels for 12 months, which helps the wine develop a full-bodied mouthfeel. The same cold soaking and gentle pressing of the grapes, along with the post-fermentation process of sur-lie aging—which allows the wine to age on the lees, or leftover yeast particles—deliver that full-bodied, rich mouthfeel is what gave this Chardonnay 90 POINTS from the Wine Enthusiast panel. Also at $12.99/Save $7, you better pick up two bottles.
New to the family is the 2016 Slow Press Monterey County Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is bursting with crisp, refreshing notes of citrus and passion fruit. It is sur-lie aged to bring out the fullest flavors and a richer mouthfeel, revealing a tropical, fruit-forward flavor profile. Too soon to have ratings from Wine Enthusiast judges, we ask you to pick up a bottle and make your own rating. We are confident you will enjoy this up-and-coming star of the family.
These wines can be ordered or found at the following local retailers: Acme Fresh Markets, Buehler’s, West Point Market, Heinen’s, Regency, Mustard Seed, Papa Joe’s, Giant Eagle and other fine beverage retailers in the Greater Akron Area.
Wine Wisdom: You can’t judge a book by its cover; the same holds true for wine. You can’t gauge a wine’s quality by its front label. A pretty label does not necessarily mean you’ll encounter a “great wine.” When selecting a wine, be sure to read the entire label, front and back; don’t just look at it. The second thing to note is the producer of the wine. Certain wineries and winemakers develop a reputation for quality and can generally be counted on to produce an outstanding product.
