A few years ago we were introduced to orange wine and it has now been somethign that we keep an eye out for! So when we heard about Doreen Winkler, a leading wine sommelier and consultant who has a passion for orange wines, we had to reach out to find out more about her wine store as well as her wine event that takes place on Nov 5th! ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into your event and store, we'd love to know more about your background as a leading wine sommelier and consultant. Where did you train and what restaurants did you work in as we know that you worked at Aldea as well which we had Chef George Mendes as a cover a few years ago! DOREEN WINKLER: I completed a 3 year hospitality apprenticeship in Germany and then worked in Switzerland, where I quickly became a floor sommelier and then back to Germany where I started as a server at the Atlantic Hotel. I was training at the Wine Institute of Germany and quickly replaced the hotel’s sommelier. Then worked in the U.S., Sydney and Cyprus before ending up in New York in several wine director positions including the 2 Michelin starred Aska where I created an all natural wine list in 2013. This was when natural wine wasn't very common. I also was a sommelier of Tocqueville, Prime Meats and Aldea in New York City. For the past 7 years, I’ve been managing the wine programs in a consulting role for several restaurants including Sel Rrose Montauk, Sel Rrose NYC, Moby’s, Trappizzino. AM: Wine is such an interesting category. For those who are not familiar with natural wines, what do we need to know about this? DW: All the orange wines that we sell are natural. Natural wine is the romantic fantasy of how we wish all wine was made. It uses no chemical growing or plowing solutions, only ripe grapes are handpicked, there are very low to no added sulfites,
and only indigenous yeasts are used. Natural wine has no additives of any kind and isn’t filtered or refined. What you get in the glass is as close to what’s in the vineyard including all the notes of the grapes and the conditions of that year's vintage. AM: Years ago at a press trip in Vermont, we had the pleasure of enjoying a chef's table and the somm poured our first orange wine from Donkey & Goat! We were fans from that first sip! What are orange wines and how are they made? DW: Orange wine is also called skin contact and amber wine. Orange wine was made in the Republic of Georgia thousands of years ago and brought to the rest of the world by two Italian winemakers Josko Gravner and Stanko Radikon who wanted to explore this winemaking style about 40 years ago. Today, there are around 3,000 wine producers or wineries that make orange wine along with other styles. Orange wine is made from white grapes that macerate on their skins which can take anywhere from a couple of hours up to one year. AM: Why do you love orange wines? DW: I love the wide range of styles of orange wine that you can find, both sparkling and still. The wines are so versatile and pair well with a wide range of cuisines. There’s also so much new stuff happening in the category like new vessels and new countries like Japan now making orange wine. AM: You have your own wine store and subscription devoted to orange wines how did this come about? DW: I found myself putting lots of orange wine on wine lists and the staff really digging it and selling it. I shared it a lot with my friends and people were
