You read that right. There’s a winery in Oakland that makes wine from flowers! Free Range Flower Winery (FRFW) uses locally-sourced, organically-grown flowers to make one of their four varietals in small batches – rose, rose hibiscus, lavender and marigold. Making wine by fermenting flowers is a completely new concept to me, even though the winery’s founder says this form of winemaking has been a tradition in various cultures and dates back hundreds to thousands of years! When I heard about it, I knew I needed to give them a try. But I must warn you, it’s not easy getting your hands on some of these bottles due to their low production.
FRFW doesn’t have a tasting room, so you have to either order the wine directly through their website or visit one of the few retail locations and hope they have it in stock. I was able to get the Rose Petal and the “L” Lavender from Piedmont Grocery, but they were running out fast. I learned that the Marigold is already sold out across the board and there’s no guarantee that the winery will be able to produce more due to the pandemic. If you’re interested, I suggest getting a bottle of whatever you can get your hands on because this wine is truly one-of-a-kind and is absolutely worth trying, whether you’re a wine enthusiast or not. The wine lover in me couldn’t be more excited to pop those two bottles open. 🍾
“L” Lavender Wine
The “L” Lavender wine only comes in the 375 mL size and is similar to a bubbly. It has a little bit of effervescence, but not a lot so don’t expect the same level of sparkling as a Champagne. Immediately after opening it, I got a whiff of fragrant lavender aroma that was so fresh, pleasant and inviting for me to try. It was crisp, acidic and had a lavender and citrus flavor with a hint of sweetness. This wine reminds me of a lavender kombucha that I’ve had in the past. I’m a fan!
Rose Petal Wine
The Rose Petal wine comes in the typical 750 mL size and resembles a dry, robust red wine. You can actually smell and taste the sweet rose petals. The floral taste is not in any way overpowering. There’s a warm and silky mouthfeel, which makes this so well-balanced.
Like I said, I recommend everyone to give this a try even if you’re not into wine. You won’t regret it.
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