Margins Wine 'Guardian Vital' NV
The vibe: Megan Bell’s Margin Wines get their name from the underrepresented regions, vineyards and varietals they’re made from. Though this blend is made up of more household name varietals than some of her others, Guardian Vital speaks to the people behind the scenes that make wines like this possible. People living on the margins of society, often at risk of abuse and unsafe working conditions. Now more than ever, this wine highlights the reality the agricultural industry faces in a changing economic landscape. By buying wine you’re not only supporting the winemaker, you’re supporting a whole network of folks from harvest interns to tractor drivers. From Megan: “The Guardian Vital label is a new open-source label project (a la Brutal) in collaboration with Líderes Campesinas to raise awareness of vineyard workers' safety and rights. In order to gain permission to use this label, a strict checklist of both organic farming and responsible vineyard labor practices must be satisfied. Líderes Campesinas is an advocacy organization built “on the long legacy of women using organizing, outreach, and grassroots mobilization to improve the lives of farmworker communities.” They “organize to create healthier working conditions, safer environments, and engaged women leaders.” By drawing consumer attention to the inequities and lack of protections for vineyard workers, we can ignite conversations and enact meaningful change, inspiring a new era of labor rights in the wine industry.”
The winemaker: Margins Wine is a small winemaking project of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France).
The geeky details: 34% Grenache, 33% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot. The Cabernet Franc and Merlot were destemmed and cofermented. The Grenache was destemmed and vinified separately, then the two cuvées were blended shortly before bottling. The Cabernet Franc/Merlot was fermented on skins for five days and aged in neutral oak for eight months. The Grenache was fermented on skins for seven days and aged in neutral oak for 9.5 months.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Put on this Anticuada record by Pantera Blue, seriously we’ll wait for it to start. Ok light a candle or two. Now we’re fancy. This album is good right? Setting the mood? Ok now are you hungry? Shoot, we forgot to tell you to put this bottle in the fridge ahead of time. Maybe you did anyway, but regardless it doesn’t need a huge chill. Just a light one. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah what’s for dinner? Honestly, this bottle is the Swiss Army knife of chilled reds - pick a protein (ideally something with some char or grilled goodness) and go to town. Or skip dinner and pair it with creme brûlée because my god doesn’t this album feel like that vibe? Bops on bops. Enjoy.
Album pairing: Pantera Blue - Anticuada