Dave Potter, longtime winemaker and proprietor of three wine labels, earlier this year launched a white and red non-alcoholic “tea” made from chardonnay and grenache grapes, herbs, roots and botanical ingredients.
In a news release and subsequent July interview, Potter detailed how January Drinks came about: “My wife told me, ‘we drink too much (wine).’”
The label’s name is a play on “Dry January,” the month during which some consumers abstain from alcohol following their holiday celebrations.
Potter continued: “We soak grape skins for three to four days to create the building blocks of a complex flavor that’s then enhanced with aromatic infusions. Then we roast, smoke, steam and sous vide fruit, aromatics and herbs, which are steeped in hot water like a huge cup of tea with herbs and spices.”
The result, he said, is a cross between the process of adding hops to beer, and then straining it, and the traditional way vermouth or aperitifs are made by macerating ingredients in a base wine.
While the two January Drinks are based on chardonnay and grenache grape skins, they did not go through fermentation, so legally, they are not wine, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB.gov.
The Juniper Grenache is a “chillable” red made from Santa Ynez Valley grenache grapes, juniper berries, bay laurel leaves, black tea, sumac, angelica root, smoked sea salt and black peppercorns. The black tea adds tannin and structure, Potter noted.
The Juniper Grenache bottling offers “a rift on a light-bodied, whole-cluster-style grenache,” he told me. “It’s fruity, earthy, savory.”
January Drinks’ first release also included Manzilla Chardonnay, an aperitif made from austere, citrus-driven Sta. Rita Hills chardonnay, and infused with chamomile flowers, Meyer lemons, elecampane, gentian, cinnamon sticks, and red peppercorn.
Potter suggests adding January Drinks to soda water with a slice of mango for a refreshing late summer drink. Unfortunately, the Manzilla is completely sold out, as he produced just 30 cases of it compared to 80 cases of the Juniper, which is still available. He envisions making more of both this year.
Potter’s “real” wine brands — Municipal, Potek and Nowadays, launched in 2007, 2013 and 2019, respectively — feature clever label designs and names such as You Got This and Good Job Bright Red.
Potter opened a winery and tasting room inside The Mill on East Haley Street in 2015, and he’s never looked back. He sells most of his wines out his Santa Barbara and Los Alamos tasting rooms; only Potek is distributed, Potter noted.
If Muni Wines are progressive and fun and the Potek label traditional, from single vineyard sources, the Nowadays line features organically farmed, unfiltered wines.
I sampled a few across the labels: The 2020 Muni You Got This, a dry riesling from Kick On Ranch Vineyard in Los Alamos that’s super fresh and vibrant because Potter started picking in stages when the grapes’ brix level was just 17 — very low for a still wine.
Potter sources for all three wine labels from some of the county’s top vineyards, among them Bien Nacido Vineyard, where he crafts a Potek chardonnay from a block planted in 1971, and Tiera Alta Vineyard.
Good Job Bright Red is a blend of red grapes sourced from across the Santa Ynez Valley. It’s bright and savory with a lower-than-average ABV for reds, 13.7 percent.
The Nowadays Nault Rieslin is a co-fermented cinsault-riesling blend, another refreshing choice. Nowadays is Potter’s fastest growing brand of the three, which total 5,000 to 6,000 cases; of that number, Muni is 4,000 and Potek just 1,000, he said.
Where to Taste Municipal, Nowadays and Potek Wines
» Municipal (Muni) Wine Santa Barbara, 22 Anacapa St. in the Funk Zone. Hours: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
» Municipal (Muni) Wine, The Alamo Hotel, 423 Bell St., Los Alamos. Hours: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
» Muni, Potek and Nowadays Wines at The Mill at 406 E. Haley St. #1. The tasting room has inside space and a shared courtyard with Third Window Brewing. Food available from the Third Window Kitchen. Hours: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
— Laurie Jervis tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.