United States of Wine

Charlie & Echo — Rainfall — San Diego County, CA — 2020

Price: $35; https://charlieandecho.com/product/2020-rainfall/

Some wines comes with corks, others in screw caps. But this is a first for United States of Wine to taste with a bottle cap. But this natural sparkling wine promised a great experience into Charlie & Echo’s urban winery.

Made from 100% Riesling grapes grown about five miles north of the California-Mexico border, this veteran-owned winery makes a variety of wines and cocktails to try. But usually recognizing rieslings to be on the sweeter side, I wanted to try this dry sparkling version.

As a regular wine drinker, I’m still slightly uneasy when I see a cloudy wine. I recognize it’s a prejudice I must overcome, or else my world of wine tasting will always be unfulfilled. So I was intrigued by the 2020 Rainfall’s cloudy amber liquid which dark orange sediment flowed freely through.

The first taste after immediately opening the cold bottle was so fizzy that I actually felt a bit of a burn on my tongue. It reminded me corn chips, rotting apples and black pepper. But as the wine breathed and warmed a little, I noticed the undeniable flavor of one of my favorite fruits: pineapple.

And not just any pineapple. Fresh pineapple, as if you’re taking a bite from a piece that was just cut off for you. I realized that’s what the burning sensation on my tongue was at first sip, the familiar sting of the freshest pineapple in your mouth.

With the pineapple the hint of corn chips stayed in the flavor. As did the sweet taste of overly ripe fruit, like apples you know you should probably throw away, but groceries are expensive, so you won’t let it go to waste.

The aftertaste had such a spice and orange flavor that I was reminded of herbal teas that support your digestive system. This is where I started to wonder if natural wines could have homeopathic benefits like natural teas. After 30 seconds of research, the short answer is “no.” Bummer.

In the end, I enjoyed this wine enough that I marked Charlie & Echo on my list of places to visit the next time I’m in San Diego. It’s a different take on how California wine is usually perceived, and I was intrigued enough to want to visit and taste some of their other wines.

Score: 7.7/10