Even during his career as a vineyard nurseryman—the person who cares for grape vines—Field Recordings owner and winemaker Andrew Jones couldn’t escape cider or beer. When he began his own wine label as a side project in 2007 in Paso Robles, California, Jones was as interested in the ingredients and process of other beverages as he was in winemaking.
Hopped ciders—as well as the Funky Gold series from Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis—had convinced him that hops and acidity were a winning combination and one he wanted to apply to wine. All that curiosity and exploration culminates in his Dry Hop Pét Nat, a naturally carbonated, sparkling white wine fermented on hops. Its label proclaims it to be the “best experiment ever.”
“The beer world can be so traditional for every style,” Jones says. “It’s only supposed to be made a certain way in this or that category. Wine is like that, too, that it has to be done in a set way. But there’s a lot we can do that hasn’t been done yet.”