Dry Creek Vineyard, Healdsburg, Calif., released a new package for the winery's flagship varietal, Fumé Blanc. The 2019 vintage features increased transparency about the grape origins, winemaking techniques, and the family winery's viticultural philosophy, it says.
"Walking down the wine aisle today, it's hard to tell who is making the wine in the bottle, how it is made, and sometimes, even what varietals are in it," said Dry Creek Vineyard President Kim Stare Wallace in a statement. "Clever marketing has replaced authentic, transparent winemaking and the rich histories of the multigenerational wine families. Other items in the grocery store proclaim that they are all natural, low carb, free range, etc., but the wine bottles on the shelf are silent. We're bucking this trend of secretive labels, and giving our consumers an honest look at what's really inside."
In addition to the technical information, this new label includes important details about the wine varietal, including being gluten free, vegan and made with minimal intervention.
"It's common for many people — especially those concerned with health and wellness — to think wineries add ingredients like colorants, anti-foaming agents and chemicals to their wines and hide behind vague labels," Stare Wallace said. "Seeing this, I realized that there is more work to be done to educate the consumer about what is and isn't in their wine. My father, David Stare, audaciously released the first Sonoma County Fumé Blanc in 1972, and nearly 50 years later, our new 2019 Fumé Blanc label is yet another innovative step in the pioneering history of our family winery because now, more than ever, we have nothing to hide."