by James Robinson, Your Co-op Sommelier

Single serve wine options, orange wines, sustainable, dry-farmed, organic and biodynamic wines will be on everyone’s radar as the new year unfolds and the Port Townsend Food Co-op has a numerous options to keep you among the vanguard of wine drinkers in 2021 and beyond.

“Canned or single serve wines are up 200% due to the pandemic and will most likely continue well into next year,” said Anne Sackett, sales representative for American Northwest Distributors. “Younger business owners are tired of traditional ways and are concerned about where the grapes are coming from – sustainable, dry farmed, organic, biodynamic, no sulfites, giving back to community, LGBTQ owned, racially diverse, etc. Orange wine was trendy this year and will continue to grow in popularity I think. Actors and sports stars who are out of work will probably make some wine too.”

To those ends, the co-op has a number of delicious canned options – Seattle-based Sprezza spritzers, featuring Scrappy’s Bitters and Mancino Vermouth; Ramona spritzers featuring organic grapes and fruit juice from Sicily and Frico Lambrusco – at once red, fizzy and slightly sweet, Frico Lambrusco is arguably one of the best canned picnic wines around.

If you’re looking for a celebrity wine, the Co-op has that too, and we are proud to feature Las Jaras Slipper Sippers Nouveau a red blend from Mendocino County done in the Beaujolais style. Las Jaras is the brainchild of Joel Burt and Eric Wareheim and the wines have developed a cult-like following and are in extremely short supply. You can read more about Las Jaras wines and the Slipper Sippers Nouveau here.

 Orange wines, while trendy this year, have a deep viticultural history, and they’ve been a staple on co-op shelves for more than a year.

“Orange wine has been all the rage this year,” said Roland Nudelman of Owen Kotler selections – a natural wine importer focused on low intervention, natural, biodynamic and organic wines. And Nudleman said he sees no sign of consumer interest in orange wine slowing down.

For orange wine enthusiasts, the co-op’s shelves abound with options from Bainbridge Island, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Austria and Italy. The Italian line-up is particularly strong with delicious, natural, low intervention selections from Villa Job, Salvatore Marino, and Ancarani. And stay tuned for a selection of skin-contact wines from Georgia – courtesy of Owen Kotler Selections – which are due in on co-op shelves in January.

And speaking of skin contact, there has been much buzz in recent months about piquette – a low-alcohol wine made from the second pressings of grape pomace. On current offer is ‘The Marigny’ a pinot noir driven piquette from St. Reginald Parish in the Willamette Valley. Also due in soon is Todd Cavallo’s piquette from the sustainably-focused Wild Arc Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. The co-op will receive just three bottles of Cavallo’s coveted juice.

While trends come and go, quality and excellence never go out of style, and the co-op’s shelves brim with cutting edge new arrivals coupled with classics from every major wine region in the world. And if you need a suggestion or recommendation, or want to stay hip on what’s hot, just ask your co-op somm – you’ll find me on aisle five.