Le Sigh Free Rangers,
Wine education is a constant battle against the forces of misinformation wielded by hapless health influencers and soulless booze marketeers. 1) sulfites and sulfates are not the same. It’s a chemistry thing. And you do not have an allergy to either one (statistically speaking). If you’ve ever eaten a can of Pringles, or a handful of dried apricots, you’ve consumed more sulfites than exist in any bottle we’ve ever sold. 2) There is no orange wine. The wine category is skin contact white, which can result in finished wine of myriad shades of white, yellow, orange, pink, and brown. No oranges were harmed in the making of these wines. Also, wine can’t be more or less “orange-y”. 3) Biodynamic, organic, sustainable, natural, and unfiltered are all different terms with specific (though occasionally overlapping) meaning(s). Not one of them, however, specifically tells you anything about what the wine in question tastes like. … Much appreciation to those who have allowed these weird biases to be massaged out with the facts that we have, and to those who ask questions based on similar outside assumptions rather than to pose empirically unfounded notions as fact, as no positivity ever escapes the blackhole at the intersection of ignorance and certainty. Regardless of your (most trusted) sources, always verify. Who does it hurt?
Most recently, an earnest young woman wanted to know which wines were less fermented, as fermentation causes inflammation, she told me, and inflammation is bad for your organs. There is no wine (or beer, or spirit) without fermentation, I explained. Yeast catalyzes sugars into alcohol. This also creates sulfites. Which are natural. And to which you are not allergic. Arsenic is also natural. But you don’t want that in your wine, or your drinking water. Wait, how did we get on this line of questioning? What’s the score here?
This week’s FREE in-store tasting welcomes back to the shop, All Points West, a tiny distillery in NJ who produce solid grain and malt based whiskeys with a Japanese sensibility and one of the most delicious and unique gins to cross our palates in the last decade. This Thursday, October 24th (5-7pm), please join us for FREE tastes of two All Points West whiskeys, as well as their high proof Bone Black Vodka (which is clear), and their not to be missed Cat House Pink Pepper Gin (w/ hibiscus and pink peppercorn). Enjoy 10% OFF all of these ONLINE all week, and in-store on tasting day. Click below for full descriptions of each bottle and sale pricing!
(!) Click here for hidden sale page (!)
Cheers,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
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