Have you had the pleasure of meeting Martha? Martha Stoumen is a go-getter, rockstar natural winemaker in Sebastopol, California, who decided on a surefire prescription for a lifetime of happiness: creating wines that taste like Californian sunshine. In her words, “At the end of the day, I just want people to enjoy these wines and have some delicious pleasure in their lives.” 

After nearly a decade of working worldwide with other wineries, including Broc Cellars in Berkeley, California and COS in Sicily, Martha started her very own project in 2014.  Martha has an effortless knack for making layered and balanced wine, and her minimalistic winemaking philosophy practices as little intervention as possible. The majority of her work takes place in the farm and vineyard, as opposed to mostly in the cellar, where she entrusts her fruit to do its thang; her wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation with all natural, indigenous yeasts, with long, extended macerations.  

Today, we’re excited to announce that Martha’s exciting annual release of Post Flirtation has landed at The Cheese Shop! These wines are purposefully very light and are meant to be consumed poolside and chilled. Post Flirtation Red is all about balance; the Zinfandel grape brings juicy blackberry notes while Carignan summons savory rhubarb and hibiscus notes. Martha and her team hand harvest these grapes from 65-year-old vines, and age the wine for 5 months in neutral oak barrels. Minimal sulfur is added at bottling and no filtering nor fining is employed. Drink this red slightly chilled for a full-on glou-glou red wine experience, and pair to arugula salad with cubed watermelon and Tomme de chève cendrée. It is DIVINE.

Post Flirtation White is a fantastic conversation starter; this intriguing blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Muscat Blanc and Colombard has notes of kiwi, sunflowers, and honeysuckle. Aged for 5 months in stainless steel tanks, this white is also unfiltered, unfined, and has just a small amount of S02. Drink chilled and pair with roasted chicken seasoned with lemon and thyme, or for a cheese pairing try the delightful love bug of a goat cheese Chabichou.  

For more about Martha, read this fabulous interview in Bon Appetit!

And cheers to Martha and all the strong, talented women out there making REAL wine!