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In a 300 square foot shipping container in West Oakland, Aaliyah Nitoto makes aromatic, elegant and memorable wines from flowers. Following the ancient traditions of garden winemakers, Nitoto wines are dry, complex and aged expressions of lavender, marigold and hibiscus. And their quality is shaking up the world of wine.
Nitoto, a health and nutrition educator for Healthy Black Families Inc., a Berkeley nonprofit, came to flower winemaking after years of working as an herbalist and studying the potent properties of flowers. With her partner Sam Prestianni, she launched Free Range Flower Winery in 2018 with 15 cases of artisanal wines in small batches. Production is expected to reach 1,000 by the end of the year and double by 2022.
Until then, pre-order now to see Nitoto’s wines, which are selling fast. Her latest addition, a crisp, highly drinkable rosé made from the blossoms of pineapple and guava, will make a splash when she debuts in September with members of the wine club (she only made six gallons). In the East Bay, you can also find the wines at Oakland’s Alamar Kitchen & Bar, Portal, Agave Uptown, Alkali Rye, and Piedmont Grocery. They are also available at Total Wine & More stores in Almaden Ranch and Stevens Creek in San Jose.
We recently spoke with Nitoto about the process, history and potential of flower winemaking. Here are his words.
Q: How are flower wines made?
A: The process is no secret. What I do is boil some water, turn it off, and pour it over some dried flowers. Kind of like making tea. The other way to do this is to take some fresh flowers, steep them, and pour cold water over them. There is a source of sugar, for alcohol content, and yeast. Depending on the wine, there is also some citrus. The initial fermentation lasts about two weeks and the wine can rest for four to six months in stainless steel vats before being bottled.
Q: Where do you get your flowers from?
A: My flowers are locally sourced and organic, with the exception of feijoa, which I use to make my new new rosé wine. I invented this myself. It grows in Oakland and Berkeley, so I went to my friend’s garden and picked the flowers myself. Fresh flowers are hard to come by as there aren’t a lot of farms that are mass producing them in the quantities I would need. No one thinks of them that way.
Q: Why isn’t flower wine making more popular? Can you tell us the story?
A: Flower wines have been made for as long, if not longer, than grape wines. Looking at the history, which is sparse, part of the reason is that they were mostly made for the home by women, middle and lower class women, who did not own land or tractors. and did not have the power to dictate what was popular wine. . But the traditions are old. Chinese chrysanthemum wine dates back to the Han Dynasty. Dandelion wine has always been produced in Northern Europe and the British Isles. And I recently discovered a Japanese wine made from cherry blossom and cherry bark. These wines are not unknown, they are just relegated to the backwoods.
Q: Feijoa, your new wine and first rosé, is inspired by Lady Gaga. Can you explain?
About a year ago I did an interview with I Like This Grape and one of the questions they asked was what type of wine I would make for certain celebrities. One of them was Lady Gaga. I thought of her as that bright and uncontrollable woman, in your face but still really feminine and herself. So I chose the pineapple guava flower for her and she planted the seed in my mind.
Q: Finally, what is your goal as a winemaker?
A: I want to make these wines ubiquitous. I want people to know about these wines. If you think of the hundreds of edible flowers that there are in the world and all the recipes I have found in my research, the possibilities are endless.
Four flower wines
Much like grapes, flowers have aromatic compounds, complex flavors, and give bold, jewel-like colors. Here are the four of the Free Range Flower Winery portfolio. The wines have an alcohol content of 12 to 14 percent by volume and start at $ 23; www.freerangeflowerwinery.com
Worry: Golden in color with a medium body, like the liquid sun. Honey aromas with a little brine. Reminds of an old chardonnay. Pairings: Baked fish or chicken in a creamy sauce.
L (Lavender): Depending on the batch of flowers and the length of time the wine is aged, this slightly effervescent and slightly sweet drink can vary in color from gold to powdery pink. It has strong floral aromas and flavors of citrus and anise. It’s begging for a flute and brunch. Pairing: Berry waffles.
RoseHybiscus: Pinot, meet your match. This bright ruby-red wine is light with velvety tannins, aromas of sandalwood and white pepper and tons of fruit, especially raspberry. Pairings: Cheese and cold meats.
Feijoa: Made from the blossom of the guava pineapple, this dry rosé wine is reminiscent of traditional rosé, with aromas and flavors of watermelon and strawberry. Pairings: Sushi, fries.
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