Frequently Asked Questions
Do you add sugar to your wines?
We don't add sugar to our wines. Our wines are made in the common dry style, and are especially dry, so carbohydrate (sugar) levels are extremely low. Our wines have around 3 or 4 grams of carbs per 5 ounce glass. Nearly sugar-free!
The bottles used to be green. Why are some brown now?
The brown-colored bottles are due to supply chain issues that most of the world is facing. We were unable to source the usual number of regular "champagne" green bottles, and had to switch to "antique" brown-hued bottles. It is the same situation for the corks: some of them are plain corks without anything printed on them.
Is Frey Wine gluten-free?
Yes! All of Frey Wine and Pacific Redwood Wine are gluten-free. The main ways conventional wine can come into contact with gluten is through the use of micronized wheat as a filtering agent, and the use of wheat paste to seal oak barrels. At Frey Vineyards we fine our white wines with bentonite clay (all of which later sinks to the bottom of the tanks or is filtered out) and we ferment all of our wines in stainless steel tanks, not oak barrels, eliminating the potential for cross-contamination. You can rest assured that all Frey Wine and Pacific Redwood Wine is gluten-free.
What is the best way to store Frey Organic & Biodynamic Wines with no sulfites added?
1. It is best to store non-sulfited wines in a cool, dark place at room temperature or cooler.
2. Lay the bottle on its side so the wine has contact with the cork.
3. Choose a place with a minimum of daily temperature swings.
After de-corking a bottle to enjoy one or two glasses, how can I preserve the wine for several days longer?
There are many ways to prolong the good taste of the wine after first opening the bottle. The simplest is to pour the wine you want to drink, then seal it again with the cork or a vacuum seal, and put it in the fridge or a cool place.
Contact with oxygen in the air will change the taste of any wine within a day. A big step up from the above methods is to displace the oxygen in the bottle by using a wine preserving inert gas, then seal it in with the cork. There are many such wine preservers on the market.
What's the difference between organic wine and biodynamic wine?
In the vineyards: Biodynamic farming standards include the standards for organic agriculture but go beyond the USDA organic standards. The goal of a fully functioning biodynamic farm is to create as much on-farm fertility as possible and to minimize inputs. We use the grape leftovers (stems, skins, seeds) after winemaking to make composts to nourish the soil. Animals are incorporated into the farm system as well. There are also limits to how much outside compost or fertilizer can be used.
In the cellar: To help start the fermentation for our organic wines, we add certified organic yeast. The Demeter Biodynamic wine processing standards do not allow added yeast; instead, the fermentations are carried out by resident yeasts in the vineyard and cellar. This makes our biodynamic wines more nuanced and variable year to year. Each yeast strain brings subtle flavors and aromas to wine. When yeast is added, the added strain dominates. When native yeasts carry out the fermentation there are usually several strains of yeast working together so the wine is more complex and site specific.
Do you have a list of ingredients for your wines?
We don't have an ingredient list for our wines as wine is considered an ingredient in itself, similar to the way pure apple juice is just one ingredient. All of our wines, including our Pacific Redwood label, are made with no additives. We do use two processing aids, both of which sink to the bottom of the tank or is later filtered out. The first is bentonite clay, used for our white wines only. This is a natural earth clay that helps clarify the wine. When it clarifies, all of it sinks to the bottom of the tank. The other is certified organic yeast that we add to the grape juice. It helps kick start the fermentation to turn the juice into wine. This process is not used for our biodynamic wines, which ferments from contact with natural grape yeasts from on the grape skins – it's just a slower fermentation process. All the yeast later sinks to the bottom of the tanks or is filtered out. No other processing aids are used, and no additives are used, such as sulfites.
How does the organic and biodynamic winemaking process contribute to the quality and nutrition of the wine?
Frey wine is made from 100% organic grapes and processing aids are limited to yeast, oak chips and bentonite clay. Our low-impact, gentle winemaking process allows the full flavor and chemistry of the grapes to be preserved. Grapes are packed with phytonutrients, including phenols, polyphenols, resveratrol, carotenoids, B vitamins and vitamin K. Wine has been widely studied and is noted for its high concentration of potent antioxidants like flavonoids, resveratrol and quercetin. High fruit quality and gentle handling through the winemaking processes lead to the most nutrient dense wines.
Is Frey Wine Kosher-certified?
Sorry, we do not make Kosher-certified wine.
How do you pronounce "Frey"?
It is pronouced "fry," not "fray."