Eaters Digest: Birichino’s 2022 Pétillant malvasia bianca in a can

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Welcome to the Friday Eaters Digest column. Each week, Eaters Digest does three things for you. First, I’ll highlight a single dish or drink worth seeking out. Second, I’ll share the most important food and drink events in the area — and our growing list of area food guides on everything from farmers markets to the Corralitos wine trail. Third, I’ll catch you up on Lookout’s and other food stories that you may have missed.

Drink This: Birichino 2022 Pétillant malvasia bianca in a can

You can count on Birichino winemakers John Locke and Alex Krause for two things. One — they will consistently create delicious and thoughtful wines, frequently bucking convention by using lesser-known varietals from unique vineyards with big personalities. Two — they will have a lot of fun doing it.

Birichino’s growing list of pétillant naturel sparkling wines is an expression of this fizz for life and wine. Last year, I shared how much I adore these natural sparklers, which are created by adding a bit of the sugary grape juice from the initial pressing back into the wine at bottling. The yeast eats the sugar and the resulting carbon dioxide bubbles are trapped in the bottle.

Locke and Krause’s family of pét nats, as they’re often called, already includes bottles of malvasia bianca; skin-fermented malvasia bianca; zinfandel; and carignane. Now, a new family member has joined the pack: 2022 pétillant malvasia bianca — in a 250-mL can.

Decorated with Birichino’s trademark carnivorous plants, the can is downright cute and small enough to fit in your back pocket on the way to a summer picnic. (Please note that alcohol consumption is not allowed at state parks and beaches, but “birichino” does mean naughty, after all.)

The wine inside is made exactly the same way as the wine in the bottle, Locke tells me — although the 2022 vintage has not yet been released by the bottle. Cloudy and pale yellow in the glass, this wine boasts an intensely floral nose of jasmine and honeysuckle, a juicy core of tropical fruit with ruby red grapefruit and tangerine on the finish.

Malvasia bianca is one of Locke and Krause’s favorite varietals. “The reason Birichino was created was to make a malvasia bianca, the still version,” Locke tells me. These grapes were harvested near King City, an area long favored for aromatic varieties, Locke notes.

Cans are $9 at Birichino’s tasting room in downtown Santa Cruz, and can also be found at Shopper’s Corner and AJ’s Market.

204 Church Street, Santa Cruz. birichino.com.

Best of the Weekend

Here, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.

Fruition Brewing in Watsonville is celebrating its fourth anniversary on Saturday, July 29. The all-day party will take place at its brewery and taproom in the East Lake Village Shopping Center from noon to 10 p.m. Enjoy live music and vinyl spinning all day; Beanie Baby corn hole; sweet treats from Vegan Donuts 831; and beer slushies. Fruition will also release a special collaboration beer with cidery Mission Trail made with California pluots on draft and in cans, and a session hazy IPA with an ABV of 4.4%.

Celebrate local food and wine while supporting farmers and farmworker families this Sunday, July 30, at the Farm to Fork Gala in Pajaro. Hosted by Community Bridges and Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this event raises funds for local farmers and farmworker families who suffered as a result of this winter’s storms. Guests will enjoy a wine tasting featuring local wines followed by a family-style dinner prepared by chef Brad Briske of Home Restaurant in Soquel. Keynote speaker Juan Hidalgo, Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner, will discuss the impact of the floods and storms on the local economy.

Friday, July 28

• Food Truck Friday | 5 - 8 p.m. @Skypark, Scotts Valley

Saturday, July 29

• Fruition Brewing 4th Anniversary | 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. @Fruition Brewery, Watsonville
• Brazilian Carnival at Mission West | 3:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. @2405 Mission St. Santa Cruz, CA
• BRUTTA pop-up | 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. @Madson Wines | $25

Sunday, July 30

• Meridian Brothers! | 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. @Woodhouse Blending & Brewing | $25 - $40
• Farm to Fork Gala Dinner | 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. @417 Salinas Road Pajaro, CA | $175

Monday, July 31

• Pizza Bones Pop-up | 5:30 p.m. - 9:05 p.m. @Madson Wines
  

News from the Week

ICYMI — Here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.

➤ Trestles pop-up offers sneak peek of Cavalletta, chef Nick Sherman’s upcoming Aptos restaurant (Lookout)
➤ Five star dive bars: Max Turigliatto is breathing new life into Santa Cruz’s watering holes (Lookout)
➤ Santa Cruz icon Marianne’s Ice Cream opens new Westside location (Lookout)

Thank you for reading!

Send me your story ideas or tips at lily@lookoutlocal.com.