Wonderwerk

House of Fermentation

 

Quick Facts

Location: Gilroy, California

Owner & winemaker: Andrew Lardy & Issamu Kamide

Vineyard area: urban winery working with a variable selection of vineyards all over California

Vineyard management: mostly practicing organics and pursuing certification, some sustainable

Soils: depending on the source vineyard, mostly sandy and alluvial soils

Main varietals: Mission, Petit Sirah, Carignan, Riesling

Winemaking: low-intervention exploration – co-ferments, field blends, piquette-style beverage with added fruit. Spontaneous fermentation, neutral barrels and tanks, no fining, no filtration, minimal sulfur additions at bottling.

 

Fun Facts:

  • Andrew and Issamu are two high school friends from Virginia that made their way to California and started a label playing with wine and other fermented beverages like piquette
  • The guys both currently work full-time, fermentation-related gigs – Andrew is the Head Distiller at the Spirit Guild Distillery in downtown Los Angeles and Issamu does marketing and product innovation for a major kombucha brand
  • The label started after a long, intense and inspiring time the guys spent at Despacio, a unique disco pioneered by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and the Soulwax brothers
  • The name “Wonderwerk” actually originates from a cave in South Africa that is believed to have the earliest sign of human cooking – a million-year-old hearth – where humans manipulated nature for enjoyment as much as sustenance.

 

Jump to wines | Wonderwerk Website

 

Wonderwerk is Andrew Lardy and Issamu Kamide, two high school friends from Virginia that made their way to California and started a wine label that they hope will morph into “The Wonderwerk House of Fermentation”. Andrew was originally working on a graduate degree in neuropsychology when he realized the science and experiments he was working on were too far removed and less tangible than he’d like – too clinical if you will. He’s always had a passion for culinary exploration and wine and would often find himself bootlegging cider or moonlighting as a bartender in college. Making wine felt like that perfect mix of science and art he was after so he up and moved to California and enrolled in the Fresno State Enology program. After Fresno State, he cut his teeth working in several different wineries on California’s Central Coast – around the same time that Issamu came back from a stint in Brazil to go back to school in Virginia for brand management which led him to LA to work in CPG food & bev.

While in LA, Issamu would regularly visit Andrew in San Luis Obispo and they’d go through all the wines Andrew had been drinking and making. “I started to familiarize myself with the world of wine, eventually studying through to WSET 3. But we both knew eventually we’d have to stop working on other people’s ideas because we had so many of our own,” Issamu says.  After a fateful day when the guys attended “Despacio”, a roving, high-end discotheque pioneered by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and the Soulwax brothers, they emerged from a disco daydream to ask themselves “how could we make a wine that tastes like that?” And thus was born Wonderwerk’s first wine, Discovino Donna Rosé.

The grapes come from different vineyards around California, selected by Issamu and Andrew based on their respectful cultivation: “We seek responsibly farmed fruit that provides us with unique character in the winery. Sometimes we go looking for a particular profile or varietal, sometimes the site finds us. Most of our vineyards use organic practices and are pursuing certification, sustainable farming is a minimum requirement,” they assert. In the cellar, Wonderwerk is about inclusivity and the freedom to explore new directions in fermentation – “bringing our desire to twist, turn, and tweak flavors and ideas into something enjoyable for everyone”, Issamu describes the philosophy behind their co-fermented wines and piquette, all made without fining or filtration, with just a bit of sulfur at bottling.

The name “Wonderwerk” actually reflects on this experimental, avant-garde spirit as well – it originates from a cave in South Africa that is believed to have the earliest sign of human cooking – a million-year-old hearth – where humans manipulated nature for enjoyment as much as sustenance. The guys both currently still work full-time, fermentation-related gigs while running Wonderwerk: Andrew is the Head Distiller at the Spirit Guild Distillery in downtown Los Angeles, immersed in botanicals and aromatics day and night, and Issamu does marketing and product innovation for a major kombucha brand.

Wonderwerk stands out also for their colorful, eye-catching labels: “We wouldn’t be anywhere without our friends Anton Goddard and Lana Shahmoradian who design all of our branding and label artwork, as well as the slew of other friends who lend their creative energy to making some of our more absurd and visual ideas come true,” Issamu acknowledges. “It’s true that you “drink with your eyes first” and so we’ve always wanted to create wines that jump out at you, grab your attention and make you go “what is this all about…?” Well, New York, thanks to this hot addition in the Jenny & Francois book, you can now wonder about Wonderwerk’s work as well!

 

 Wines

Free Your Mind

Andrew and Issamu on this wine: “Free Your Mind is a novel co-fermentation of skin-fermented Riesling and old vine carbonic Carignan. The idea is to be more than the sum of the parts. At its core, Free Your Mind is an aromatic skin-fermented Riesling. When the Riesling begins to ferment, pressed carbonic Carignan is gradually blended in via pump-overs. Our goal was to conduct a layered extraction of Riesling skins; first in a water matrix (Riesling must, with little to no alcohol), followed by an alcohol matrix (mid-ferment Riesling, with pressed late-ferment carbonic Carignan).”

Grapes: 50% Carignan, 50% Riesling

Vineyard: Sandy Lane Vineyard (120-140 yo head-trained vines of Carignan on sand, Contra Costa County AVA, Antioch, CA; sustainable), Zabala Vineyard (old riverbed in Arroyo Seco AVA, Soledad, CA; certified organic in 2010 (MCCO, CDFA).

Making of: Riesling was de-stemmed and fermented on skins with twice-daily punch-downs. At 1/2 Brix depletion, punch-downs were replaced with twice-daily pump-overs of pressed carbonic Carignan. Once the two cuvees were fully blended and fermented to dryness (14-day maceration), the lot was pressed to stainless steel tanks, where it underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged on lees. This wine was produced without fining or filtration, with 30 ppm sulfur (KMBS) added at bottling.

Personality: an extraordinary chillable orange-red wine hybrid!

 

Free Your Mind Lite (Piquette)

Andrew & Issamu on this wine: “Piquette! An old-school wine cooler of sorts, this is a low-alcohol wine made from re-hydrating pressed grape pomace. Piquette was traditionally enjoyed as a mid-day thirst quencher on the farm. In order to take piquette from the farm to the market in a shelf-stable form, we had to bring some natural sources of acidity to the cuvee. Enter ume – which is technically an unripe apricot – and hibiscus, two of our favorite sources of sour. Our friends at Tsubaki (Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA) introduced us to Nicholas Family Farms, who grow ume in the Central Valley. Our friends at Masienda (Los Angeles, CA) turned us on to the incredible heirloom hibiscus they source from several farms on the Oaxacan coast. Born of collaborative sourcing, recycled grape pomace, and our home kitchen experimentation, Free Your Mind Lite is a product of the spirit of Los Angeles.”

Grape: Carignan and Riesling pomace from Free Your Mind wine, Ume, Hibiscus

Vineyard: Contra Costa County, Arroyo Seco (see Free Your Mind for details)

Making of: Ume was harvested the week of April 24, 2021 and preserved with rock candy sugar. Carignan and Riesling pomace were vinified separately and hydrated with sterile, carbon-filtered winery water. Ume preserves were blended evenly into the fermentors. Pomace fermentations were punched-down twice daily and pressed to tank (blended together) after 7 days. Hibiscus was brewed to a maximum concentration with boiled distilled water, cooled, and blended into the piquette tank along with 30 ppm sulfur (KMBS). On October 23, the piquette was racked, blended with a small amount of frozen Riesling juice, and bottled under crown cap. No additional sulfur was added at bottling and the bottles were cellar conditioned for 5 months.

Personality: Wonderwerk’s take on Piquette – inspired by Los Angeles and just as colorful and intriguing.

Free Your Mind Rosé

A sparkling saignée of co-fermented carbonic Carignan and skin-fermented Riesling.

Winemaker’s note: “Making our flagship co-ferment, ‘Free Your Mind,’ takes several weeks in the middle of harvest. This vintage, about 1/3 of the way through ‘marrying’ the Carignan and Riesling, we were taken aback at how great this early phase was tasting – was this light pink juice a rosé? is this what a rosé could be? So, we siphoned off this 1/3 finished co-ferment into a separate tank because we knew we had to share it!”

Grape: 86% Riesling, 14% Carignan

Vineyard: Sandy Lane Vineyard (120-140 yo head-trained vines of Carignan on sand, Contra Costa County AVA, Antioch, CA; sustainable), Zabala Vineyard (old riverbed in Arroyo Seco AVA, Soledad, CA; certified organic in 2010 (MCCO, CDFA).

Making of: Carignan underwent carbonic maceration for 2 weeks. Riesling was de-stemmed and fermented on skins for 9 days, with twice daily pump-overs. On days 8 and 9, pressed Carignan wine was pumped over the fermenting Riesling skins.

Personality: fizzy, low ABV, ultra-bright and fresh. 

Free Your Soul

Andrew and Issamu on this wine: “Free Your Soul returns for its second vintage exploring new directions in Petite Sirah. The grape is an undeniable fit in the state of California, though often relegated to a ripe, heavily-extracted style. We pick our Petite Sirah early, with high acidity and moderate sugar accumulation. We’ve brought some 2020 Cab Franc to the blend for texture and sophistication and finished the wine with a splash of Riesling for aromatic flair. The result is a Petite with verve and polish – a wine more redolent of fresh blackberries than jam, with hints of cacao, earl grey, and gravel.”

Grapes & vineyards: the current NV release (bottled in 2022) is

87% Petite Sirah (2021 vintage), Marsh Creek Vineyard (Contra Costa County AVA, sustainable)
9% Cabernet Franc (2020 vintage), Siletto Family Vineyard (San Benito County AVA, certified organic, gravel)
4% Riesling (2021 vintage), Zabala Vineyard (Arroyo Seco AVA, certified organic, alluvial soils with round river stones)

Making of: Petite Sirah was harvested 8/10/21 at 23.4 Brix and the fruit was destemmed and fermented with native yeast for two weeks in stainless steel. The wine was aged for 12 months in neutral French oak barriques. Cab Franc was harvested 9/30/20 at 22.0 Brix and the fruit was destemmed and fermented with native yeast for two weeks under a submerged cap. The wine was aged for 22 months in neutral French oak barriques. Riesling was harvested 9/22/21 at 20.7 Brix and the fruit was pressed direct to tank and fermented with native yeast for two weeks in stainless steel. The wine was aged for 11 months in neutral American oak barriques.

Personality: “A vibrant expression of Petite Sirah, with velvet Cab Franc and shimmering Riesling. More redolent of fresh blackberries than jam, with hints of cacao, earl grey, and gravel.”

Free Your Body

Winemakers’ note: “Orange wine! In 2021, we dialed up the acidity and captured more texture this year as Free Your Body took a float down the Sacramento River and unlocked a new level in the Wonderwerk portfolio: the Clarksburg AVA.

This corner of California exudes a vibe unlike any other part of the state, with
rich alluvial soils, drawbridges, old country stores, and riverboat zoomers. The delta
breeze provides a cooling effect to temper the warm summer days, creating the diurnal
temperature shift that is critical to produce high-quality wine grapes.

Here we found a chalky Chenin blanc to lay the structural foundation, mellowing the loud fruit tones of Sauvignon blanc and harmonizing with the elegance of Pinot Gris. After a 21 day maceration (26 days for the Pinot), the grape skins were exhausted and the body was free to begin a new life as wine.”

Grapes: 35% Chenin blanc, 33% Sauvignon blanc, 32% Pinot gris

Vineyard: Heringer Estates Vineyard (Clarksburg AVA / Clarksburg, CA), rich alluvial soils on the banks of the Sacramento
River. A seventh-generation family enterprise, farmed with organic practices and is Lodi Rules certified. No herbicides, instead opting for mechanical weed management and cover crop. Deficit irrigation is maintained with detailed evapotranspiration modeling. The farm is home to an owl sanctuary for rehabilitated owls.

Making of: Pinot Gris was picked at 19.4* Brix on August 12, 2021 and fermented whole cluster in picking bins with twice daily punchdowns. Sauvignon blanc and Chenin blanc were picked at 19.1* Brix on August 17, de-stemmed, and pumped to tank along with the mid-ferment Pinot Gris. Long twice daily pump-overs were employed for a 21-day maceration. The lot was pressed to tank, briefly settled, and racked to neutral oak barrels where the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and aged 7 months in barrel. This wine was produced without fining or filtration, with 30 ppm sulfur (KMBS) added at bottling.

Personality: light, bright, chalky-textured orange wine

Above & Below

Andrew and Issamu on this wine: “Portuguese and Italian immigrants settled Contra Costa County in the late 1800s, drawn to the offshore whaling industry and the prolific salmon fishery of the Sacramento River. Vineyards were planted to field blends of Carignan, Mataro, and Zinfandel and harvested together for the production of a single cuvée with simple, low-intervention winemaking. This wine has been made by many generations before us and it’s an honor to continue to share this story. We strive to intervene as little as possible and present the same wine experience. As Above, so Below.” Only 98 cases produced.

Grapes: equal parts Carignan, Mataro, Zinfandel

Vineyard: Sandy Lane Vineyard (120-140 yo head-trained complanted vines on sand, Contra Costa County AVA, Antioch, CA; sustainable)

Making of: The fruit was hand-harvested on the same day. Zinfandel was de-stemmed and co-fermented with whole cluster Carignan and Mataro in a 2-ton open-top fermenter. The fruit was gently foot-treaded to liberate juice and macerated at cellar temperature. Fermentation was managed with a generous initial pump-over, followed by 1-2 daily punch downs. The wine was pressed to neutral French oak barrique after an 11-day maceration and aged in barrel for 13 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, with 30ppm of sulfur.

Personality: a tribute to old vines and old days, this is a sunny and balanced field blend red.

Bustin’ Loose

Andrew and Issamu on this wine: “Mission is the first wave of California winemaking, the true origin of California wine and aka “the los angeles grape”, among other aliases. The grape was introduced to Spanish missions in California in the 18th century as fodder for sacramental wine – we are certainly not talking about your Run-of-the-mill wine grape! Mission is more akin to a table grape with sass than it is reminiscent of a “noble” wine grape. Strap in, we’re taking a funky stroll down our ancestral memory lane.” The name is a tribute to the funk icon Chuck Brown and his eponymous hit.

Grapes: Mission

Vineyard: Somer’s Vineyard. Organic, dry-farmed 100yo head-trained Mission vines on sand, Mokelumne River AVA, Lodi, CA

Making of: Whole clusters were loaded into tank and flooded with carbon dioxide for two weeks of carbonic maceration. 

Personality: “low-key glowing gusher made from wild style vines and funk”. Or “glowsé”, as the guys like to call it with a term of their own!

Giorgio Pet-Nat

Issamu and Andrew on this wine: “Riesling is our darling grape, it can do almost anything. Sparkling Riesling has been on our to-do list since before we started making wine. This is an aromatic white wine with 24 hours of skin contact, made more aromatic by tiny bubbles that propel the wine’s perfume out of the glass and into your world.”

Grapes: Riesling

Vineyard: Zabala Vineyard (Arroyo Seco AVA, Soledad, CA). Rocky dried-up riverbed.

Luis Zabala is a 10th generation California farmer who tends to over 1,000 acres of various grapes. The vineyard is a Lodi Rules certified sustainable site – it was certified organic in 2010 until 2017, when it lost the organic certification upon performing a post-emergent vine mealybug treatment in 2017. All other farming practices have remained organic and the vineyard is approaching re-certification. Mildew pressure is extreme in this region of coastal California, and vigilant sulfur application is absolutely mandatory. Botrytis formation is common at this site, with a very high rate of desirable botrytis development.

Making of: Whole clusters were foot treaded and macerated on skins for 24 hours before pressing and cold settling. The wine was spontaneously fermented to dryness in stainless steel tank over 2 weeks. A small amount of frozen Riesling juice reserved from pressing was blended in, and the wine was bottled under crown cap. No fining, filtration, sulfur addition or disgorgement.

Personality: just like the eponymous icon & pioneer of electronic music (listen here), this wine will make you dance!

Enzo Pet-Nat

Issamu and Andrew call this wine “Ferrari water”, as it is inspired by Lambrusco and fast cars and named after the one and only Enzo Ferrari. “A shared love for traditional and obscure Italian varieties brought us to the Siletto Family Vineyards in San Benito County. We weren’t familiar with Freisa – a lesser-known Piemontese grape with only two plantings in California – but its elongated, almost XL-mulberry cluster morphology made quite an impression from afar. We pulled an early-season vineyard sample that yielded the most electric, watermelon-colored, strawberry-scented juice. It was an instant indicator that we had a strong candidate for the sparkling red wine we set out to create,” they recall.

Grape: Freisa (a traditional Italian red variety of the Piedmont region; more info here)

Vineyard: Siletto Family Vineyard (San Benito County AVA, Tres Pinos, CA). A collection of 3 sites and a veritable treasure trove of mostly traditional and obscure Italian varieties. Gravelly soil, important diurnal temperature shifts. Most varieties have been farmed with organic practices for years, and in 2021, all vineyards transitioned to organic certification. Agricultural veteran John Siletto has taken over the reins from his father Ron Siletto, who passed away in 2020.

Making of: Whole clusters underwent 2 weeks of carbonic maceration before being pressed to tank and fermented dry by native yeast and bacteria. Racked off early of primary lees to maintain as much viable microflora as possible prior to bottle re-fermentation. A small amount of frozen Freisa juice reserved from pressing was added, the wine was then bottled under crown cap. No fining, filtration, sulfur addition or disgorgement.

Personality: with fruit and pleasure going at more than 100mph in this compelling fizz, it will be gone before you even had the time to whisper Enzo.

It’s a Fine Day

Winemakers’ note: “Riesling! Riesling can do anything. Riesling has been the core of our portfolio for years as the backbone of Free Your Mind and the single varietal focus of Giorgio and Toot Toot, Beep Beep. It’s a Fine Day provides a more direct approach, this time featuring Zabala Vineyard Riesling in a simple, direct-to-press and neutral oak-aged still wine paradigm. It was a record year for acidity at this site and the resulting wine is delightfully thirst-quenching.”

Grape: Riesling

Vineyard: Zabala Vineyard. Alluvial soils with pale round river stones. Lodi Rules certified sustainable vineyard that was certified organic in 2010 by the Monterey County Certified Organic Program (MCCO) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Luis Zabala, a 10th generation California farmer (!) tends to over 1,000 acres first planted in the 1970s in the dry riverbed of Arroyo Seco (Monterey County). The vineyard is famously windy and cool, which helps retain acidity and temper sugar accumulation.

Making of: the grapes were picked at 20.7* Brix on September 22 – 2021 was an impressively cool growing season in Monterey County, with longer hang times and extremely high acidity. The fruit was loaded direct to press and pressed to tank, fermented to dryness, then racked to neutral oak barrels. The wine was aged on lees for 6 months in barrel. This wine was produced without fining or filtration, with 20 ppm sulfur (KMBS) added at bottling.

Personality: crushable, dry California Riesling

 

Purpolator

Winemakers’ note: “Purple Bubbles! We wanted a fine mousse of Purple – Purple is the unofficial color of Wonderwerk, it’s on everything we use in the winery. Normally when you think Purple you think ‘Prince,’ but this time we thought – Purpolator. We kept singing ‘It’s Time For the Purpolator’ to the tune of Cajmere’s 1992 dance track ‘Percolator’ while we were dreaming up this blend. It’s like Lambrusco, but with a thumping bassline. That undertone anchors the wine, while the bubbles shimmer across the dance floor.” 

Grape: 34% Teroldego, 33% Tempranillo, 33% Malbec  

Vineyard: Teroldego from Heringer Estates Vineyard (Clarksburg AVA / Clarksburg, CA), rich alluvial soils on the banks of the Sacramento River. A seventh-generation family enterprise, farmed with organic practices and is Lodi Rules certified. Tempranillo from Alta Mesa AVA, Malbec from Madera AVA.

Making of: Teroldego was fermented whole cluster while the Tempranillo and Malbec were de-stemmed. All grapes were fermented with native yeast and bacteria, then underwent 2 weeks of primary fermentation with punchdowns and/or pump-overs twice daily. The wines then rested in neutral oak for 4 months. Bottle conditioned with yeast starter. 

Personality: Fresh and crushable, like Lambrusco’s cool younger sibling 

 

Big Orange

Winemaker’s note: “BIG ORANGE is orange wine for everyone – BIG on flavor and low on all the tannin, funk, and other common barriers to orange bliss. Muscat Canelli lays the foundation with a rich bass profile even at low harvest Brix, thanks to Fresno County’s ripening power. We selected Symphony to fill in the soaring mids and highs – it tastes just like it sounds!”

Personality: Delicious and easy drinking — and shareable! Honeysuckle and candied orange on the nose, with apricot and peach tea on the palette. Soft tannins, moderate acidity, a delight to drink on its own or pair with foods of all kinds. 

Grapes:

2025:

44% Symphony (San Joaquin County), 40% Muscat Canelli (Fresno County), 9% Zinfandel Rosé (San Joaquin County), 7% Chenin Blanc (Clarksburg)

Making of: Fruit was de-stemmed and macerated for two weeks, undergoing native fermentation. The wine was pressed into stainless steel tanks, where it aged for 6 months on fine lees before being gently filtered and bottled.

2024: 

43% Muscat Canelli (Clarksburg AVA), 33% Symphony (San Joaquin AVA), 15% Sauvignon Blanc (Clarksburg AVA), 9% Torrontes (Alta Mesa AVA) 

2023:

30.5% Muscat Canelli (Clarksburg AVA), 28.6% Albariño (Livermore Valley AVA), 16.6% Sauvignon Blanc (Clarksburg AVA), 12.1% Chenin Blanc (Clarksburg AVA), 6.7% Torrontes (Alta Mesa AVA), 2.2% Verdelho (Alta Mesa AVA), 2.2% Alvarinho (Alta Mesa AVA), 1.1% Verdejo (Alta Mesa AVA)

Vineyard: Primarily sourced from Silvaspoons Vineyard (Alta Mesa AVA). “Ron Silva grows a plethora of very fun, harder to find Portuguese and Spanish varietals that he brought to CA with him,” Issamu and Andrew say of the vineyard. Muscat Canelli and Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg AVA, Albariño from Livermore Valley AVA. 

Making of: Each varietal was de-stemmed and fermented separately with native yeast and bacteria for 1-2 weeks on skins, with punchdowns and/or pumpovers twice daily. The wines then rested in tank and neutral oak for 5 months. Aged on fine lees and lightly filtered before bottling, with 30ppm SO2 added. 

 

Marinara!

Winemakers’ note: “One night a week everyone asks themselves… ‘Am I going to have pizza? or.. am I going to make pasta?’ This wine was designed for that very moment. Marinara! is a celebration of red sauce (or ‘gravy’ depending on where you’re from) – perfectly pairing with the tang, the sweetness, the umami. Wherever there’s pizza or pasta or eggplant parm or meatballs or bolognese, plop a bottle of Marinara! on the table and watch the faces light up as everyone goes ‘eyyyy!'”

Grapes (2025): 47% Montepulciano, 40% Zinfandel, 13% Malbec

Vineyards: Lodi, San Joaquin County

Grapes (2024): 27% Montepulciano, 18.1% Zinfandel, 17.1% Barbera, 16.3% Aglianico, 13.2% Teroldego, 8.3% Grenache

Vineyard: Contra Costa AVA, Madera AVA, Clarksburg AVA, Lodi AVA.

Making of (2025): Each varietal is destemmed and fermented separately with native yeast and bacteria for 2 weeks on skins, with punchdowns and/or pumpovers twice daily. The wines then rest in stainless steel for 9 months before bottling.

Personality: Perfect pairing for pizza, pasta, or just about anything else served up at your neighborhood red sauce joint (especially if that’s your own kitchen). 

 

Chismosa

Lightly sparkling rosé infused with rose geranium.

Winemakers’ note: “Andrea Jaramillo (of Mas Vino Please), dreamt up this wine as a lighter, bubblier expression of Como la Flor. Something she could enjoy with her friends while getting ready to go out or as a pre-dinner apertif. The name (which means someone who likes to gossip in Spanish) and
label design instantly came to us – let’s take the Rose note and give it some more personality. The sparkling
bubbles makes this wine sing out of the bottle like laughter when you hear something juicy.”

Grapes: 31% Montepulciano (Contra Costa AVA), 31% Pinot Gris (Clarksburg AVA), 30% Gewurztraminer (Clarksburg AVA), 4% Mourvédre (Madera AVA), 4% Syrah (Madera AVA)

Vineyard: Contra Costa AVA, Madera AVA, Clarksburg AVA

Making of: Varietals were fermened separately based on vineyard. Montepulciano was fermented with carbonic maceration. Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris were de-stemmed and fermented on skins for 2 weeks. Syrah and Mourvédre were direct-pressed and co-fermented. The wines then rested in neutral oak for 7 months. Infused with steam-distilled organic Rose Geranium hydrosol, then bottled with a Champagne starter. 

Personality: fresh, bubbly, and energizing. 

Sol y Mar

Winemakers’ note: “Our third wine in collaboration with Andrea Jaramillo of Mas Vino Please found us walking the sandy shores of Cartagena, Colombia and taking Andrea back to her homeland. This sparkling wine of 100% Vermentino felt like the perfect sunny beach wine (or wherever you can find a body of water!). Thus we traded in our rose tinted glassed from our other Mas Vino Please collaboration for sunglasses and the cool breeze of the ocean.” 

Grapes: Vermentino

Vineyard: San Benito AVA

Making of: Vermentino was foot-treaded and macerated for 24 hrs before
pressing. Fermented with native yeast and bacteria. Bottled with a 5% v/v Riesling juice addition at completion of fermentation. 

Personality: delicious, low-ABV sparkler for sunny beach days. 

 

Lite Werk Yuzu

Winemakers’ note: “We believe in Low-ABV. We believe in building flavors, developing new production methods and creating the next generation of wine products to meet the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers today. Our Lite Werk line pushes those boundaries to create a 7% alcohol, naturally flavored and delicious wine-like beverage at a great price point. We want to show that wine can stretch beyond just bottle lists and by-the-glass placements into new occasions and formats – Lite Werk can be enjoyed as a cocktail ingredient, over ice as a Low-ABV spritz and more.”

Grapes: Riesling, Verdejo

Making of: Re-fermented grape pomace (piquette) from direct-pressed white wines for 3-7 days, then blended with 30% finished wine (Riesling and Verdejo). The wine is then infused with Japanese and California yuzu peel from YUZUCO. The base wine was fermented with native yeast and bacteria and a light bottle re-fermentation was initiated with a Champagne yeast starter.

Personality: Yuzu combines a bright pop of citrus with herbal notes of basil, mint and rosemary — a truly unique fruit and experience. Lite Werk Yuzu is like the mimosa you never knew you needed!

 

Lite Werk Hibiscus

Winemakers’ note: “We believe in Low-ABV. We believe in building flavors, developing new production methods and creating the next generation of wine products to meet the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers today. Our Lite Werk line pushes those boundaries to create a 7% alcohol, naturally flavored and delicious wine-like beverage at a great price point. We want to show that wine can stretch beyond just bottle lists and by-the-glass placements into new occasions and formats – Lite Werk can be enjoyed as a cocktail ingredient, over ice as a Low-ABV spritz and more.”

Grapes: Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Grenache

Making of: We re-fermented grape pomace (piquette) from direct-pressed rosé and carbonic red
wines for 3-7 days and blended with 30% finished wine (Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Grenache). We infused the wine with heirloom Oaxacan hibiscus tea. The base wine was fermented with native yeast and bacteria and a light bottle re-fermentation was initiated with a Champagne yeast starter.

Personality: You can find Agua de Jamaica at all the best taco stands in LA. Lite Werk Hisbicus is our nod to that LA staple. But, it’s not just for tacos, it’s the perfect low-abv pairing for any occasion.

 

Lite Werk Pink Lemonade

Winemakers’ note: “We believe in Low-ABV. We believe in building flavors, developing new production methods and creating the next generation of wine products to meet the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers today. Our Lite Werk line pushes those boundaries to create a 7% alcohol, naturally flavored and delicious wine-like beverage at a great price point. We want to show that wine can stretch beyond just bottle lists and by-the-glass placements into new occasions and formats – Lite Werk can be enjoyed as a cocktail ingredient, over ice as a Low-ABV spritz and more.”

Grapes: Syrah, Mourvedre Rosé

Making of: We re-fermented grape pomace (piquette) from direct-pressed rosé and carbonic red
wines for 3-7 days and blended with 30% finished wine (Syrah + Mourvedre Rosé). We infused the wine with zest from organic California-grown Eureka lemons and natural lemon extract. The base wine was fermented with native yeast and bacteria and a light bottle re-fermentation was initiated with a Champagne yeast starter.

Personality: What if a lemonade stand sold wine? That’s what Lite Werk Pink Lemonade reminds us of — it’s Country Time meets Wonderwerk. A refreshing beverage that combines nostalgia and wine in a bottle.

 

JuicyFruit

Winemakers’ note: “The J U I C I E S T chillable red wine, this block party cuvee is an ice cold
collaboration with globe-trotting DJ Andre Power. Juicy Fruit is carbonic
Montepulciano with cherry-inflected Zin and the most tropical Torrontes.”

Grapes: 27% Montepulciano (Contra Costa County AVA), 22% Torrontes (Alta Mesa AVA), 19% Zinfandel (Madera AVA), 8% Chenin Blanc (Clarksburg AVA), 8% Grenache (Madera AVA), 8% Alvarinho (Alta Mesa AVA), 8% Verdelho (Alta Mesa AVA)

Making of: Montepulciano underwent carbonic maceration; Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, and Grenache were fermented on the skins for 2 weeks; Torrontes, Alvarinho, and Verdelho were macerated on the skins for 24 hours. All aged in neutral oak for 8 months. 

Personality: Juicy Fruit is one of those wines where we mix it all together and turn the volume all the way up. This wine is built on layers of juicy carbonic red, bouncy orange, and crisp aromatic white wines. It’s a loud ensemble that can’t be muted even when chilled.

Big Juicy

Grapes (2025): 59% Black Muscat, 14% Zinfandel, 10% Symphony, 10% Pinot Grigio, 7% Montepulciano 

Grapes (2024): Black Muscat, Petite Sirah, Torrontes

Vineyard: San Joaquin County, Lodi

Making of: Grapes are de-stemmed and direct pressed before spontaneously fermenting in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged on fine lees in stainless steel for 7 months, then gently filtered prior to bottling with a low amount of SO2 added.

Personality (winemaker’s note): “Following in the footsteps of the mighty Big Orange, we present a blush-colored chillable red that is equally refreshing and crushable. We designed this wine to have an approachable profile with soft tannins, moderate acidity, and clean, fruit-driven flavors — it gives strawberry bonbon and Turkish delight. Enjoy this wine well-chilled or ice cold.”

 

Club Music

A sparkling rosé/orange blend, founding member of the “Party Pours” series. 

Grapes (2024): 60% Montepulciano Rosé, 30% Gewurztraminer, 10% Torrontés 

Vineyard: Contra Costa AVA, Solano Count AVA, Alta Mesa AVA. Sustainable farming. 

Making of: Montepulciano Rosé and Torrontés are direct-pressed, while Gewurztraminer undergoes two weeks of skin contact. The wines each ferment spontaneously before aging in neutral oak barrels for 10 months. Gently filtered, then bottled with Champagne starter with a touch of SO2 added at bottling.

Personality (winemaker’s notes): Dry sparkling rosé-orange wine with loud notes of nectarine, lime, pastry, raspberry and citrus — “Rosé all day, rosé all night!” A bubbly rosé best enjoyed chilled before, and after, your best night out.

 

 

 

 

Riviera

A red-and-white blend inspired by the featherweight rosés of Corsica and Italian rosatos made from Primitivo (Zinfandel). 

Grapes (2025): 60% Pinot Grigio, 29% Zinfandel, 11% Albariño 

Vineyard: Lodi, San Joaquin County, Clarksburg. Sustainable farming.

Making of: Grapes are all direct-pressed and undergo spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, before aging 7 months on fine lees. Gently filtered before bottling.

Personality (winemaker’s notes): The irresistible light touch of a cloud-like rosé! Says Wonderwerk, “Riviera feels like driving a convertible down the coast and jumping into a boat at the dock: full of glamour and possibility.” Pair with a picnic basket packed with tomatoes and antipasti. 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Crispy

Grapes (2024): 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Albariño, 11% Chenin Blanc

Vineyard: Clarksburg. Sustainable farming.

Making of: Grapes are all direct-pressed and undergo spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, before aging 7 months on fine lees. Gently filtered before bottling.

Personality (winemaker’s notes): Loaded with lime, guava and melon in a super fresh and clean profile — like the ice cold beer of wine. Packaged for extra BTG pours in a liter bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Al Fresco

“Introducing AL FRESCO: a food-friendly, aperitivo-appropriate white wine inspired by the understated sophistication of Italian white wines like Soave.”

Grapes (2025): 42% Chenin Blanc, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 18% Albariño 

Vineyard: Clarksburg. Sustainable farming.

Making of: Grapes are all direct-pressed and undergo spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks, before aging 7 months on fine lees. Gently filtered before bottling.

Personality (winemaker’s notes): Graceful, silky and finely-tuned, pouring perfumed notes of nectarine and white peach with a touch of salinity and a clean, dry finish. Think fresh air and blue skies. Wonderwerk pairs it with seafood, roast chicken, or cheese; and a table set outside on the piazza.