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Old Westminister

You Are My Sunshine 2019

Price: $23.95
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Tasting notes

This is one of the earliest commercial piquettes made in the New World, and it shows real intention: the verjus component sharpens the acidity without making it harsh, and the salmon color and cranberry-raspberry nose are genuinely pretty. At 5% ABV it is more honest about what it is than most low-alcohol wines that pretend otherwise.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
CranberryRaspberryLemonWildflowers
  • Style: Sparkling piquette; bright salmon; cranberry, raspberry, lemon; 5% ABV; 750ml
  • Grapes & Terroir: 55% Verjus, 35% Piquette Blanc, 10% Piquette Rouge; all Maryland-grown; Carroll County, 800ft elevation, channery loam over greenstone schist
  • Winemaking: Pomace rehydrated with water; spontaneous native yeast fermentation; bottled near end of fermentation for natural carbonation; no added sulfites; unfined and unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 38-42F; drink young; no decant needed
  • Pairing: Fried chicken, fish tacos, ceviche, fresh chevre, cheese plate
  • Similar To: For fans of dry sparkling rose and low-ABV natural wines who want something genuinely different

You Are My Sunshine is a sparkling piquette from Old Westminster in Carroll County, Maryland. The blend is 55% verjus, 35% piquette blanc, and 10% piquette rouge. Piquette is made by adding water to freshly pressed grape pomace, allowing the residual sugars and native yeast still present in the skins to kick off a second spontaneous fermentation. The result is a low-alcohol, effervescent beverage that is technically not wine but shares its DNA entirely with the grapes it came from.

Old Westminster began making piquette after encountering one in 2018 and recognizing it as a natural outlet for their leftover pomace. They were among the first producers in the New World to release piquette commercially. This version is bottled near the end of fermentation to capture its natural carbonation, then disgorged with no dosage. No sulfites are added; the wine is unfined and unfiltered.

The color is bright salmon. On the nose: cranberry, raspberry, and lemon. The palate follows with crisp acidity, low tannic grip, and a light, almost frothy texture. At roughly 5% ABV, it drinks more like a high-quality sparkling beverage than a conventional wine, which is exactly the point.

Old Westminster farms its Home Vineyard in Westminster, Maryland at 800 feet elevation on channery loam soils over a bedrock of greenstone schist. All vineyard work is done by hand. Their farming program is primarily organic and incorporates biodynamic preparations 500, 501, and 508, though they use synthetic inputs selectively when they are less intrusive for Maryland's humid climate.

Its high acidity and low alcohol make it a natural match for fried foods that need a palate reset: fried chicken, fish tacos, and ceviche all work well. A cheese plate with fresh chevre or a rind-washed soft cheese is a reliable low-effort pairing. Drink cold and soon after opening.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Verjus, Piquette Blanc, Piquette Rouge
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 5%
Country:, USA
Region:, Maryland
Appellation:, Maryland
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Placed an order. What next?

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2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Old Westminister

Old Westminster Winery was founded in 2010 by three siblings: Drew Baker, Lisa Hinton, and Ashli Johnson. The winery is located in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, on the family's farm. After two years of research, they planted their first vines in 2011, starting with Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Albariño at their Home Vineyard, which sits at 800 feet elevation on channery loam soils over greenstone schist bedrock. Drew Baker manages viticulture, Lisa Hinton handles winemaking, and Ashli Johnson oversees documentation and communications.

In addition to their 10,000 estate vines, Old Westminster sources fruit from neighboring Maryland vineyards including Cool Ridge Vineyard on South Mountain (Grüner Veltliner, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot), Links Bridge Vineyard on the Monocacy River (Cabernet Franc), and Birchview Vineyard (Barbera, Pinot Grigio). All vineyard work is done by hand. Their farming program uses primarily organic inputs, incorporates biodynamic preparations 500, 501, and 508, and relies on diverse cover crops to promote beneficial insects. Synthetic sprays are used selectively when they are judged to be less harmful than organic alternatives in Maryland's demanding humid climate.

Lisa Hinton ferments all wines with indigenous yeast and uses gravity rather than pumps in the cellar. Wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Old Westminster began making piquette after tasting one from another producer in 2018 and became one of the first New World wineries to release piquette commercially. Their piquette program uses leftover grape pomace rehydrated with water, which undergoes spontaneous fermentation driven by the residual sugars and wild yeast in the skins. No sulfites are added to the piquette line.

Wine region

Maryland, USA

Carroll County sits in Maryland's Piedmont Plateau, roughly 40 miles northwest of Baltimore. The region is part of Central Maryland's main wine-growing concentration, where soils eroded from Paleozoic and Pre-Cambrian metamorphic rocks produce channery loam over greenstone schist bedrock. Elevations in the area reach 800 feet or higher, providing drainage and air circulation that help manage the humidity Maryland vineyards contend with. Constant breezes reduce mildew pressure on the vines.

Maryland has three federally recognized AVAs: Linganore (established 1983), Catoctin (1987), and Cumberland Valley (1985), though most producers, including Old Westminster, label their wines under the state Maryland appellation. The Piedmont Plateau supports Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Albariño, Syrah, and a range of hybrid varieties. The maritime influence of the Chesapeake Bay moderates temperature swings across much of the state, though Carroll County's inland position gives it a more continental character with cold winters and warm, humid summers.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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