Folktale winemaker Nat Wong produces a fresh but dry Orange Muscat under his own label.

“Sweet” is a term that typically accompanies a wine like an Orange Muscat. But for Nat Wong, winemaker for Folktale who produces under his own label Blade & Talon, he pushed to challenge that norm – and he succeeded, with a dry, crushable vintage through a single fermentation in the bottle, creating a balanced wine suitable for any time of day.

“You have your portfolio that you depend on for brand recognition,” Wong says, “and then it’s always nice to have, like, a weird, fun side project.”

There’s no real breakfast category when it comes to wine, but Wong framed that for his experiment. He used a Pétillant Naturel method, along with disgorgement – the removal of yeast sediment from the neck of the bottle – and four days of skin contact.

It has no sulfur, no additions. The 2022 vintage is fresh and bright. Wong was going for a wine that would evoke a mimosa but be less sweet, with the right level of dryness and versatility to pair with breakfast. He enjoys it with a breakfast burrito – “any kind,” he says.

Most of Blade & Talon’s wines use varietals grown in San Benito County, but for this white wine offshoot, he experimented with grapes grown by friends in Paso Robles.

“It’s super clean. How many other zero-zero wines have you tried that doesn’t taste like a foot?” he says, chuckling. “I think it’s a good example of where you can pull off not using sulfur that will continue to age with good acid and tannin.”

More information at bladeandtalon.com