A recent return to New York City reminded me just how far the public’s interest for “natural wine” has come. Falling in love with wine during the COVID-19 lockdowns, I spent hours trapped in my apartment researching the difference between “natural” and “conventional” wines, understanding unique wine regions, and even going so far as to take a few college courses on just how that fermented grape juice goes from vineyard to bottle. Needless to say, by the time I emerged from my COVID lockdown cocoon, I was ready to spread the gospel (aka: spout gibberish at any and all of my family and friends) about my new obsession. Why am I telling you all this? Because summer is here and it’s gonna be a BIG NATURAL WINE SUMMER.
Even though I’ve spent literal years trying to learn everything I can about natural wines and winemaking, the reality is that—much like the big-bodied Napa cabernets your dad loves to chug alongside grilled meats—the world of wine is intimidating. You might be thinking, Uhh, I still don’t really understand what ‘natural wine’ even is. Admittedly, the term is a fairly broad one; while there’s no hard-and-fast definition, the general understanding is that natural wine is wine made with as little intervention as possible, eschewing external additives or chemicals to create wines that celebrate the unique—often unpredictable—process and properties of wine. While natural wines cover the spectrum across various regions, grapes, and styles, most folks associate “natural wine” with orange wines (which are technically white wines made with an extended time on the skins, creating more color, tannins and generally bolder flavor expressions), pét-nats, and “glou glou”-style wines.
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While natural winemakers and producers pride themselves on transparency, the fact is that even if natural wines are rivaling conventional, big-name producers on shelves, regular shoppers can have a hard time understanding just what they’re looking at. In other words: Unless it’s something you’ve had before (or, let’s be real, you simply like the label art), it can feel like shopping for (good) wine is plunking anywhere from $20 to $50 down at a casino’s roulette wheel and hoping you’ve picked a winner. While there are plenty of places to cop natural wine (including online), understanding what names to actually scoop from those retailers can be a guessing game. One natural wine name we’re interested in picking up this summer though, is Tinto Amorio.
Monje (opens in a new window)
Bheeyo (opens in a new window)
We caught wind of its vibey bottles from Refinery29, and have also seen it earn plenty of love on TikTok, Tinto Amorio’s origin story sounds like it’s the basis for one helluva summer beach read. Previously working as investment banker, Tinto Amorio founder Anish Patel endured a near-fatal car accident and decided to rethink his career path. While Patel at one point considered becoming a monk, half a year of introspection helped pushed him to take his talents to South Beach make a full-on leap into the oenological arts, translating the learnings from his previous career into building a natural wine label in California. Seems like that was a good choice, because now the brand’s wines are a huge hit—and should definitely be on your radar this summer (the time to stock up on cool wines to bring to pool parties is now).
When it comes to orange (or, better said, “skin contact”) wines, Tinto Amorio has two options: Monje and Bheeyo. For a lighter expression, the Monje spent seven days on the skins, resulting in a brighter, juicier expression from its blend of 93% Paso Robles gewurztraminer and 7% Mendocino County zinfandel. The Bheeyo, with 24 days on the skins, has a fuller-bodied, earthier expression of the same blend of grapes (technically 95% Paso Robles gewurztraminer and 5% Mendocino County zinfandel, if we’re being specific).
Jajaja (opens in a new window)
As for a “glou glou”-style wine, Tinto Amorio makes its own take on the gluggable, chuggable style of light-bodied red in the form of its Jajaja. (Despite the term’s association with with Las Jaras’ highly popular red of the same name, “glou glou” is technically unofficial term for refreshingly light wines that are designed to be consumed quickly and often; the term is a onomatopoeic play on liquid “glug, glug”-ing from a bottle.) Made from 100% zinfandel from Mendocino County, and a mix of destemmed and whole cluster grapes using a semi-carbonic fermentation (a winemaking technique often associated with the bright, juicy flavors found in Beaujolais), this is exactly the type of red that—with a slight chill—is perfect for drinking all day (and into the night… you know, if you’re into that sort of thing).
Regardless of which Tinto Amorio you gravitate towards, you can take solace in the fact that the brand prides itself on using organic grapes, utilizes minimal sulfites in the winemaking process (opting for 35 ppm—or less—as opposed to the 50+ ppm found in conventional wines), and keeping things vegan by eschewing animal byproduct-based fining agents.
Having trouble deciding which bottle to pick? Tinto Amorio offers a variety of ways to experience its wares, including its Natural Wine Sampler Pack and its wine club. Even if a bottle of wine isn’t your drink of choice this summer, the brand also offers a selection of canned cocktails inspired by warm-weather cocktails and spritzes from Spain.
We’re all about using “summer” as verb (if your bank account is really built like that), but we appreciate that Tinto Amorio makes showing up to the function with a “good bottle of wine” easy, affordable, and free of having to ask a sommelier a bunch of awkward questions.
Plus, who doesn’t want to say, “I brought the Jajaja”?
Learn more about Tinto Amorio and its natural wines here.
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