May’24 // MAENAD WINE CO. WINE & WOMEN, UNTAMED
the maker
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the maker 〰️
Winemaker Yvonne Irvine co-owns Maenad Wine Co. with her partner Rob Wallace. The project was born out of a desire to create a brand with integrity while producing honest, well made, and unique wines crafted on their own terms, embracing women and wine just as they are, unfined and unfiltered.
Yvonne brings 14 years of winemaking experience and knowledge along with a zeal for perfectionism to a brand that is a true reflection of her spirit and personality. Yvonne has been following the Maenad playbook all along, without even realizing it. After stumbling across the history of these fierce, wild, winedrinking women one night, the notion of creating not just a brand or a winery, but a lifestyle, began to take shape.
Her wines will reflect both the spirit of the Maenads and her determination to create fun, intricate, and passionate beverages to be enjoyed with laughter and exuberance. We’ve always had her wines featured at odd duck, and it just made perfect sense for us to package them together for club members!
the vision
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the vision 〰️
Maenads were female followers of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and were known to partake in drinking wine and breaking into ecstatic dance as part of their rituals. The wild part is that the winemaker has been following elements of the Maenad lifestyle without even realizing it had roots in the distant past. Obviously they aren’t living in the 3rd century BC and there aren’t a lot of “followers” of Dionysus among us these days, but what can be taken away from the Maenads is a lifestyle that celebrates wine and women everywhere. That we couldn’t love more!
in your pack
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in your pack 〰️
2021 Vidal Pet-Nat with Concord & Terragon
The Juice: Beautiful Vidal was harvested at the perfect time and co-fermented with Concord grapes and Tarragon from their garden to add some interesting character and complexity.
Incredibly crushable with notes of bubblegum and cherry accented with hints of licorice all enveloped in luscious bubbles.
Unfiltered and bottled with lees. | No sulphites added.
2021 Muscat
The Juice: This Muscat was harvested from a vineyard in the Niagara Lakeshore appellation and crushed to fermented with wild yeasts on its skins for 10 days. Aged in stainless steel for 7 months before bottling unfiltered. An incredibly dreamy, aromatic wine that feels like walking through a wildflower meadow, snacking on toasted almonds and drinking fresh lime margaritas.
Unfiltered and bottled with lees. | No sulphites added.