The Story Behind our Dancing Egg

Our winemakers at V. Sattui are always looking for new and innovative ways to make wine.  Our latest release has hatched a cult following of folks who like crisp, refreshing flavors and are lured to the glass by the floral aromas.  The 2013 Dancing Egg is a dry Riesling made from grapes that have been fermented in both a concrete egg, and stainless steel barrels.

Winemaker Laura Orozco is at the top of the pecking order for this wine. She has worked at V. Sattui since 2006, starting out as enolgist in the lab and quickly working up to Winemaker, and her vision for this dry Riesling was to make it in an old-world style with a contemporary twist.  She has accomplished this not only with the wine, but with the fun label too.

“I wanted an old-fashioned style label to help the wine stand out on our shelves,” says Laura.  “I worked with our label designer, Michelle LeBlanc, and when she showed me the “Humpty Dumpty” character I wasn’t expecting it, but I fell in love with it.  Maybe because I’m the mom of two young girls and the nursery character just spoke to me!”

While egg-shaped tanks are a new tool in the “winemaking tool belt”, concrete tanks have been used in winemaking for centuries. Concrete is porous, so the tanks can breathe, like barrels, but without adding any oak character to the wine. The egg shape plays a role creating a natural stirring effect during fermentation. So the yeast in the wine is twirling and dancing while inside the egg.  The concrete also adds some minerality and complexity to the wine.

Our concrete egg on our production pad, next to its more well-known cousins, stainless steel and oak.

“The egg gives roundess to the wine,” says Laura.  “We still ferment some of the fruit for the blend in a stainless barrel which helps it keep the bright fruit flavors.  When the two are combined it results in a beautiful wine that is aromatic and fruity, but when you sip it, it finishes clean and crisp.   It’s not too dry, and it’s not too sweet.”

Serve Dancing Egg as an apéritif before your next celebration, or pair it with sushi, grilled fish, or a fresh goat cheese and crackers.