The Gift of the Grape: Handcrafted Wines

The pleasure of lingering over a glass – or more – of wine, is my gift of the love of the grape to you. My partnership with Steven Fladung of distributor, Candid Wines, provides Picnic with organic, biodynamic, small family owned wines that you won’t fine in many places. Steven’s commitment to these winemakers is special; each glass we enjoy has an impact on the vineyard and the winemaker’s family.

And, each wine has a story that I love to share. My first line up includes a fine wine with a fun name: Vin de Days Rouge, Dundee Hills, Oregon. An intriguing blend of 3 Pinot family grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris, Vin de Days Rouge is aromatic and  fruit forward with just a hint of spice.  It’s a Day Wine, named not for when you drink it (while this is a perfect daytime picnic wine), but for the winemaker, Brianna Day. When Steven tasted this wine, he made Chicago Briana’s very first shipping destination for this vintage. Day Wines is more than a producer: it is part of Day Camp, a community driven collaborative space of eleven small wine producers of viticulture creativity led by Brianna.

Handcrafted wines such as Vin de Days Rouge create an exceptional wine drinking experience. Taste the difference and know that your choice does have an impact on these small businesses that do it all, from farming, to harvesting the grapes, to wine making, and even shipping to Chicago. That’s a significant gift, from the grape to the glass!