Swick!
9/25/19 -
Swick wines are officially back in stock! I am new to Joe Swick's wines, but I can already see why they have such a big following. These wines are fresh, unique, and fun to drink. I had the pleasure of meeting Joe on his recent visit to New York and was taken both with his commitment to organic and dry farming, and also to his very dry sense of humor. Joe began working harvests in 2003 in his native Oregon before traveling the globe for almost a decade to further his education in winemaking. In 2013 he returned home to Oregon and got to work on his eponymous winery "Swick Wines". Joe has been experimenting with maceration times and co-fermentations, honing in on his current style of richly textured, quaffable wines that showcase the best of the North-West. All of his grapes are sourced from organic and/or biodynamic vineyards from both the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Columbia Valley in Washington, most notably from the entirely biodynamic Naches Heights AVA.
I'm a big fan of his line of "chillable reds" this year, including the apt "Shill-ah-blay," named for the pronunciation a costumer once used seeking out this style of low-tannin, lighter-bodied red wine. We'll be getting the "Shill-ah-Blay" and "For Your Za," a Sangiovese destined to be the perfect pizza pairing, a bit later this season. In the meantime we have both "The Natch," sourced entirely from the Naches Heights; a refreshing, unfiltered blend of Graciano, Pinot Gris, and skin-contact Gewurztraminer, and the "Ellaguru," a super savory combination of Melon de Bourgogne from Oregon and Counoise from Washington.
Fans of skin-contact, "orange" wines should check out his 30-day macerations of Marsanne and Gewurztraminer. According to Joe, he has discovered the sweet spot for soaking white grape skins at around 30 days. He explained that after two weeks the tannins tend to get a bit aggressive and overly astringent, but after another two weeks the texture softens and adds body. This helps balance their prominent acidity, because he prefers to pick these grapes early to maintain their freshness.
Most of these wines had a very small production this year, so I'm thrilled that we're able to share some with you at Chambers Street!
-Michelle DeWyngaert
