Deux Punx Piquette 2021

Piquette is not wine, technically speaking. It is made by adding water to grape pomace — the skins, seeds, and stems left after pressing — and fermenting the residual sugars. The result is a lower-ABV, lightly sparkling, wine-adjacent beverage with a long history as a drink for vineyard workers. Deux Punx sourced pomace from certified organic vineyards in Northern California and used pristine well water for the second press.

The 2021 blend draws from eight grape varieties in roughly equal parts: Barbera, Carignan, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Marsanne, Roussanne, Zinfandel, and Muscat. The combination of red and white pomace gives the wine its neon pink-red color. Fermentation was spontaneous, carried out with no additions, and the wine was aged in stainless steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered. Total sulfites measure just 20 mg/L with none added.

On the palate it is sharp, tart, and lightly fizzy — closer to a kombucha or sour soda in its refreshment factor than to a conventional sparkling wine. Residual sugar is under 1 g/L, so there is no sweetness to soften the acidity. Drink it cold, drink it fast, and do not overthink it.