Lost Boy Cider is getting into the wine business.
Wednesday, the Eisenhower East cidery released Bernadette, the first wine under the new Lost Girl Wine label.
Lost Girl Wine is a woman-led, grape-based spin-off of Lost Boy Cider. Katie Wright, co-owner of Lost Boy, is in charge of the brand and the creative force behind all LGW image and copy. Tegan Biun is the winemaker, and Made by Lisa Marie is the graphic designer for the labels. While Lost Girl Wine has a female focus, the wine is made to be enjoyed equally by all genders.
For the first release, Bernadette, "We combined 3 different types of wine grapes, 2 red varieties: Merlot and Chambourcin, and one white variety: Vidal Blanc, all Virginia-grown," explained Alyson Foster, who heads up special projects at Lost Boy. The wine grapes were crushed, mixed together and fermented on the skins (this method is called "skin-contact fermentation" or "maceration"). Instead of adding a commercial yeast, the grapes were allowed to spontaneously ferment with flora already on the grape skins — the technique is called "wild fermentation."
The resulting wine is "young and unaderterated, so that it presents more fragrant, fresh and fruity," Foster said.
The Lost Boy Wine series will be based on women who embody the personality of the wine, including their appearance and a short bio on the back of each bottle. Bernadette is described as a girl who is "fun, young, spunky, bubbly, hip, and unpredictable; the cool girl that knows the trends."
The limited-release wine is available only at Lost Boy Cider, 317 Hooffs Run Drive. Five wines in total are planned for release in 2023.
