The Next Big Release for Virginia’s Crooked Run Brewing? Low-Intervention Wine. | Eater DC

"A well-respected Northern Virginia brewery is adding low-intervention wines to its Sterling taproom, debuting a rosé and a Merlot piquette (a low-ABV sparkling wine) over Memorial Day weekend. The brewers, who already make mixed-fermentation sours and saisons using local fruit, began incorporating grapes during the pandemic and have collaborated with local farms and wineries. Co-owner and production manager Jake Endres says they prefer the term “low-intervention” to “natural wine” because they are not using certified organic grapes; the wines are produced via spontaneous fermentation with no added sulfites, which can yield much tarter, stone-fruit-forward flavors with pronounced lactic acid and bacteria-driven notes. Crooked Run will start by selling bottles for on- and off-premises consumption and offering samples over the holiday weekend, with potential to expand to wines by the glass depending on demand; the brewery has also been producing a line of seltzers." - Chelsea Cirruzzo