What’s your latest ritual? In the last year, we’ve had to modify our daily routine more than a few times! I never want to hear the word “pivot” again! But now that our “bubble” is expanding and in some cases starting to pop, my rituals are changing to fit a new paradigm. I’ve limited the hours I spend in the rabbit hole tending to emails, social media, online shopping, and getting the latest news about the royal family… Instead, I’ve resurrected my love of reading (yes, real books!), clocked in more time at the gym and spent quality time with friends.
I’ve also been sipping more wines from producers that are committed to environmental stewardship. My recent finds include three wines (sent as samples) from Ritual Wines, a joint venture between Chilean vintner Agustin Huneeus and American winemaker Paul Hobbs. Ritual is located in the most eastern end of Chile’s Casablanca Valley where Pacific breezes, early morning fog and cooling influences by the Humboldt Current help vines flourish on well drained, decomposed granite soils.
Photo Credit: Ritual Wines
Organic practices are firmly in place – all vineyards are certified as such. Surrounding the vineyards are 6000 acres of native forest that are considered Ritual Wines’ “life force.” The area helps create a “balanced, biodiverse landscape for healthy vines to thrive alongside natural wildlife corridors and native vegetation.” Team members make their own compost from stems and pomace collected during harvest season and manure from local animals. They utilize cover cropping and seeding to rejuvenate the soils. Sheep help mow the grass and provide natural fertilizer.
Low impact farming techniques are followed in the vineyards, but that strategy doesn’t stop there. At Ritual Wines, “gentle handling of the grapes and the revival of Old World winemaking techniques in the cellar” are of paramount importance. Hand harvesting in small batches at dawn and double-sorting begin the process. Whole berries are added to open-top tanks and manual punch-downs occur during fermentation. Wines are then basket pressed and only native yeasts are used to garner “natural balance and greater purity.”
Photo Credit: Ritual Wines
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir are produced by Winemaker Sofia Araya who ages each in a combination of containers, each of which offers distinct characteristics to the wines. Oak barrels give structure, concrete eggs are used for texture, stainless steel drums deliver freshness, and stainless steel tanks are used to maintain aromatics. The result? Ritual wines are pure, fresh, and balanced and exude elegance and complexity.
Ritual Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($20) was aged in 30% concrete eggs, 30% neutral oak, and 40% stainless steel tanks. On the nose, I found aromas of grass, herbs, juicy pears, peaches and a spritz of lemon juice. The palate, with its snappy acidity, offered generous notes of tropical fruit, citrus, nectarines and wet grass. Enjoy with a cheesy risotto, white fish with sauce, or a flavorful garden salad while you dine al fresco.
Medium in body and lush in aromas and flavors, Ritual Pinot Noir 2017 ($20) spent 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which was new oak. Bright aromas of cherries, raspberries, and spice wafted from the glass. Texture and complexity were plentiful on the palate that offered food friendly acidity and soft tannins. Fresh and pure flavors of red berries, wood and spice lingered on the satin-like finish. Pair this beauty with a juicy burger, grilled tuna steaks, seafood paella, or your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.
Photo Credit: Ritual Wines
The three wines I tasted were true representations of the winery’s philosophy – “Ritual Wines is a labor of love. It connects us to the land we farm, to healthy living soil, and to the daily rituals of artisanal winemaking.”
How have your rituals changed this year? Are they a labor of love, too?
Cheers! ~ Cindy
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