INSIDER'S PICK: 2020 CACIQUE MARAVILLA MOSCATEL DE ALEJANDRIA VINO NARANJA D.O. YUMBEL (Chile) $23.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

We're taking away the safety rails this week and getting a bit more esoteric, which is exactly how this wine is made. The natural wine movement has caught on in every part of the globe, especially places where lesser known grapes are planted in older overlooked vineyards waiting for someone to rediscover them. These older vines provide immediate fruit cheaply compared to trying to start a vineyard from scratch, and considering many of their winemaking processes are a bit riskier it takes some of the financial pressure off. This wine comes from a family vineyard managed by its 7th generation, with some vines dating back over two hundred years, farmed without irrigation and very little day to day pruning or maitenance; not quite feral, but closer than most. Winemaking here is extremely hands off, using native yeasts and no sulfur at any point, and bottled with a VERY evident amount of sediment. Concept-wise, this falls firmly into the 'Orange wine' style of wine (Vino Naranja literally translates to that), yet the color is nowhere near that, further evidence that process trumps color and appearances. The solids are left in the wine to help protect it in the absence of sulfur, with the wine only being racked off instead of running it through a filter. If you prefer the wine with less solids, let it stand in the fridge at least a day before pouring and try not to agitate the bottle between pours, but if you don't mind them they don't really hurt the experience at all. Either way, the aromatics are brilliant here, full of bright oranges, tropical fruits and wildflowers with a little zestiness. The palate is much drier than expected, helped by the extended skin contact to really bring out the citrus skin tannin texture behind the floral flavors, and popped a little extra by any sediment you may have. This works fabulously with spicier cuisine of most any origin, from domestic, Central/South American or Far East.

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