GLUP! Naranjo Valle de Itata 2024

This is the work of Julio, a fourth-generation winemaker who spends his time seeking out tiny, old-vine plots farmed by families who've worked them for generations. If you're new to orange wine, this is a gorgeous place to start. Coming from a tiny, remote parcel in the Itata Valley, the southernmost pocket of Chilean wine country. It's 100% Moscatel that sat on their skins in concrete for six whole months, macerating, soaking up texture, and that electric amber hue. Then it rested in old French barrels for another four months.

Wildly fragrant. White flowers, yes, but also this crunchy, almost meaty white grape thing, with a bitter bite on the finish that borders on addictive. Chill it slightly. Drink it with something pickled, something fried, or just alone.