In March 2020, when lockdown first hit London, Oriane Rosner didn't know that she'd be relocating to Gaillac shortly after, and two years later, bottling her first vintage as Ori Vin.
Prior to 2020, Oriane had already developed a love for natural wine whilst living in London and on visits to see her family in New York, but considerations of it being an alternative career path had sat firmly in the 'pipe dream' category.
With their parents staying at a family home near Toulouse when the pandemic hit and deciding to stay the course, Oriane and her sister upped-sticks and swapped locked-down London for the bucolic surrounds of France's south-west. Oriane counts herself extremely lucky to have chanced upon Laure & Pierre Fabre of the nearby biodynamic Domaine Gayrard, volunteering her services in the vineyards and cellar, learning everything she could.
Bitten by the winemaking bug and keen to learn more, as restrictions lifted briefly, she also spent time pruning with Fiona Beeston in Chinon, and learning further with Alessandra Bera in Asti, before returning to Domaine Gayrard to help in the vineyards.
In 2021, jumping at the opportunity to make some wine of her own, given a little space in their cellar, Oriane took over a few rows of vines at Gayrard over clay-limestone, among them varieties that they rarely used (Gamay, Muscadelle) and the crop from their youngest Syrah vines. Farming is pristine and biodynamic, and whilst Oriane is technically negocé, she knows these vineyards deeply, and farms them as if they were her own.
"They really took me in like family, and have been incredibly generous and helpful, I simply wouldn't have been able to do what I'm doing had they not taken me under their wing, I feel very blessed."
A labour of love, completed with utmost dedication and the hugely-appreciated support of family & friends; Oriane's first vintage is a brilliantly bright, dynamic expression of Gaillac, focused on the fun wines she likes to drink best; to share with friends, paying homage to those first eye-opening bottles that started her on this journey.
Available Now
With Domaine Gayrard being so generous with their time, space, and vines; Ori's sister helping at harvest, her friend helping press, to her parents sitting with her on a stone-cold floor during bottling in April, Oriane has not taken for granted the support she's had getting her debut vintage into bottle:
"It literally takes a village. The solo winemaker thing is incredibly difficult - I consider myself very lucky that whilst it's completely my project and responsibility, I am not alone."
SPARKLING
NEW - 2021 - Que Shira Shira - Shiraz
"This was the debut vintage for these 5 year old Syrah vines - their first and my first! I was very keen to make pet-nat, but Gayrard don't make one, Fiona doesn't make one, and in Italy Bera had a different method. So - this was my steepest learning curve."
"I pressed directly to stainless steel, for a long slow fermentation until bottling at what I thought- was the right time. But I'd miscalculated, and bottled it with 10 bar of pressure. I'd basically filled the cellar with bombs. So I had to drive the wines down to the cold-room at the local co-op to stall fermentation, then disgorge it all by hand, let it continue fermentations and then finally, re-bottle it and let it continue. I lost a-lot of volume in the first disgorgement. So: lesson learned. I'm very pleased with it now though. It was worth the lesson."
SKINS
NEW - 2021 - Mambo Mai Mai - Muscadelle
"This one is named for my sister, who had also escaped to France alongside me and was a big help during harvest! I picked the Muscadelle early as there was quite a bit of rot developing, so lots of careful selection whilst picking. It was de-stemmed and macerated for a month, then aged in an amphora for eight months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered on April 1st 2022."
RED
NEW - 2021 - Gamay a GoGo - Gamay
"My friend Margot helped me with pressing, so this one is for her. I was really neurotic in the cellar because I'm working at such small volumes there's no room for anything to go wrong - you don't have quantity to absorb mistakes!"
"I didn't want this to feel stemmy, so I de-stemmed before foot-crushing. macerated it for three days in a fridge to stall fermentation, then pressed it to large barrels for fermentation and ageing, bottled on April 1st with no additions."
