A chillable, gulpable, really, really delicious red wine with an interesting backstory. 

Valdiguié may not roll glibly off the tongue like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon, but this underdog grape has a charm all its own—and a bit of an identity crisis to boot. For years in California, it masqueraded as Napa Gamay until some snooping ampelographers (the best ones are, of course!) in the 1980s finally exposed the ruse. Originally hailing from southwest France, Valdiguié once basked in the limelight as Languedoc’s everyday drinking wine, but that eventually faded to Grenache, Cariganane, and Syrah.  Valdiguié caught its second wind on the Central Coast of California, where folks loved the joie de vivre it presented, what with its bright acidity, juicy purple fruit, low alcohol, and the kind of glou‑glou drinkability that makes you wonder why only trendy, pronounceable grapes get love from the masses.

The Outward Valdiguié comes from Shell Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles Highlands District: this historic site, first planted in the early 1970s, is among San Luis Obispo County’s pioneer vineyards. It sits on limestone terraces dotted with marine fossils and is farmed organically by the Sinton family,. They grow Valdiguié (still often labeled as Napa Gamay by other, less-scrupulous wineries), alongside Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet, and Chenin Blanc.

Outward Wines bottles small batches of 100% Valdiguié from Shell Creek, fermented via carbonic maceration to emphasize the grape’s light, juicy, strawberry‑watermelon character, then aged in neutral French oak, unfined and unfiltered, with low ABV of 12%.  This is a good example of the way meticulous vineyard management works with focused winemaking to make a fun wine that appears effortless to make. The only effortless thing about it is drinking it!