Field Recordings Domo Arigato (Mr. Ramato)

Field Recordings is winemaker Andrew Jones' side pet project. His day job is as a nursery fieldman, planting and tending vines for other winemakers all over California. On occasion, these wineries will provide Jones small lots of unique fruit on which to work his avocational magic. Many of his wines feature unusual grapes or are made with esoteric techniques. One such wine is Domo Arigato (Mr. Ramato) ($23.99) which is, as the name suggests, made in the Italian ramato style. These traditional wines from Veneto are characterized by their amber-golden hue coming from extended time on the skins of pinot grigio fruit. The flavor is rich, the mouthfeel is pleasantly grippy, and the overall impression is of dried apricot and peach with a soupçon of funky, savory tartness - a bit reminiscent of small-batch sauerkraut.