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The Curious Case of the White Wine Emoji
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If you woke up this morning, scrolled through your instagram feed, and thought about posting a picture of the seafood spread from your last night in Santorini, you may be stuck searching your character library for a white wine glass to sit beside that lobster emoji.
You see, there is no white wine emoji. And apparently, it's not without trying. Dating back to 2019, as part of an industry push for more diversity in wine (emojis), a group of not-so-diverse folks started a failed petition for the white wine emoji. Seems legitimate, right? Turns out there's an actual committee that makes decisions on emojis—aka Unicode—which is the standard informational coding for text and characters. In other words, a universal language coalition that decides what can and cannot exist.
I mean... we've got clinking champagne glasses (🥂), bottle with popping cork (🍾), and the ever-so-popular red wine glass (🍷). But what about the golden, iridescent hues of those crisp whites that we love and crave as Summer heats up? Of course we need representation in little cartoon form. How else can we humblebrag about the perfect pairings from our sun-drenched, hipster lives?
This week, we went full Lonely Planet and explored the nether regions of Austria, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain to pull some amazing white wine values for that dreamy late Summer vacay (all emojis included). Here are 7 Bright Whites That Require Duolingo.
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01 2020 Moulin de Gassac Picpoul de Pinet
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Picpoul from Languedoc, France 🇫🇷
$11.95
Moulin de Gassac’s Picpoul (which locally translates to "lip stinger") rests on its lees for 3 months, softening the acidity and providing some roundness and texture. This zippy wine shows delicate notes of lemon zest, honeydew, grapefruit, key lime and hint of minerality on the finish. This is an ideal, everyday summer sipper. A steal for the price. 8.0
www.astorwines.com
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02 2019 Weszeli "Langenlois" Gruner Veltliner
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Grüner Veltliner from Kamptal, Austria 🇦🇹
$18.95
Weszeli’s ‘Langenlois’ Gruner Vetliner manages to be fruity, vegetal, mineral-driven, and spicy all at once. The wine’s racy acidity highlights each of these components, without any one becoming overbearing. You’ll get green apple, pear, grapefruit, white peach and green bell pepper on the front of the palate, with chalk and wet gravel on the back. Notes of white pepper and fennel round out the wine, coming through on the spicy finish. Highly versatile and approachable. A true crowd-pleaser. 8.1
www.astorwines.com
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03 2018 Feudo Montoni Grillo della Timpa
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Grillo from Sicily, Italy 🇮🇹
$20.99
Feudo Montoni’s Grillo della Timpa is a fabulous expression of this Sicilian white. Grapes grow on extremely steep slopes then ferment on their skins for the first 25% of fermentation, producing a wine with zippy acidity and a smooth, medium body. Lemon, grapefruit, apricot, and orange blossom are complemented by notes of sage, bay leaf, grass, saline & wet stone to create a fresh herbal green edge. It’s as if they bottled Sicily. 8.1
www.wine.com
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04 2020 Gaintza Txakolina
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Hondarrabi Zuri from Txakolina, Spain 🇪🇸
$23.99
2020 Gaintza Txakolina (pronounced “chock-oh-lee-na”) is as crisp and clean as they come. Pale yellow with hints of green, the wine has brisk acidity and tiny effervescent bubbles that leave a slight tingle on the tongue. Tart fruit notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit & green apple precede a chalky, mineral finish. When combined with its low 11.5% ABV, you get a wine that’s refreshing, thirst quenching, and downright chuggable. Whip up some tapas and crack open a bottle (or two). You're gonna need extra supply. 8.2
www.wine.com
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05 2019 Mora & Memo Tino Vermentino di Sardegna
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Vermentino from Sardinia, Italy 🇮🇹
$18.99
Mora & Memo’s Vermentino di Sardegna is brimming with personality and citrus character. Classic notes of lemon, grapefruit and peach are brought to life with brisk acidity. Raw almond, sage, flint, honey and sea salt add complexity and depth without dominating the palate. The wine rests on its lees for a few months post-fermentation, which provides a certain silkiness to its light body. This textural element helps marry all the components together into a harmonious, balanced wine. 8.2
www.ny.eatalyvino.com
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06 2019 Eladio Piñeiro "Envidia Cochina" Albariño
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Albariño from Rías Braxas, Spain 🇪🇸
$24.95
Eladio Piniero’s “Envidia Cochina” 100% Albariño is biodynamic and undergoes spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts. The cool, wet coastal conditions of Rias Braxas provide a gorgeous, perfumed bouquet of citrus, peach, ripe pear, and pineapple. On the palate, the wine has lively acidity and a soft yet firm body. With notes of yellow apples, peaches, lemon zest, orange pith, honeysuckle, chalk, seashells and briny sea salt, it has an unmistakable maritime influence. If you really want to go full method, pair with some fresh seafood and see the magic unfold. 8.3
www.whwc.com
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07 2019 Argyros Assyrtiko
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Assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece 🇬🇷
$34.99
One sip of the 2019 Argyros Assyrtiko and you feel like you’re living your best life on the island of Santorini. Grapes here are grown on old vines (average 70 years old) and planted in volcanic soils imparting mineral waves. The wine showcases tangy acidity, a juicy body, and concentrated notes of peach, apricot, yellow apple, lemon zest and blood orange. The whole thing is oozing with seascape vibes. Herbal undertones of bay leaf, tarragon, flint, stone and sea salt round out the fruit and cast a spell. We want more. 8.3
www.klwines.com
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Madison Powers Varunok
WSET L3 w/ Distinction & Certified Wine Specialist |
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IF YOU DON'T KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW
In terms of color breakdown in wine, the 2020 numbers by % total sales volume in the US were as follows: Red Wine (46%), White Wine (44%), and Pink Wine (10%). In other words, we need a goddamn white wine emoji. Rosé too while we're at it.
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