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A Tiny Sliver of Wine Tasting Bliss and Quality Bites
& why it made the Carpe City list
Spending a considerable time of my life in the Sunshine State, I did come across (and was actually gifted, gasp!) wine made from oranges. Yes. Citrus oranges. So, you wine snobs out there, put away your smirks and snickers when someone asks you if orange wine is made from oranges because, it is, however frightening/appalling it may be, a possibility.
Thankfully(!!!!) this is not the orange wine we see on menus like Ruffian’s. Orange wine is created with a minimally interventionist process when white grapes are pressed and allowed to ferment with the skins and the seeds still attached. The longer the skins stay attached, the bolder the taste. The flavors and texture can be remarkably different from a white wine made with the same grape. If you haven’t already, orange wine (or skin-contact wine as it is also called) is worth a try and Ruffian is a great spot to start.
You might guess from the signage and the mural on the back wall that Ruffian is a reference to a famous thoroughbred racehorse from the 1970s. The famous filly dazzled the public with 10 consecutive wins before a breakdown at the 1975 Belmont. The story of her wins by epic lengths was immortalized in the 2007 TV film, Ruffian starring Sam Shepard.
Anne Crays
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