Sober October Spotlight: Oceano Zero

Born into wine, Rachel Martin took over her family winery Boxwood Estate in 2002, and grew it a boutique size of 400 cases, into a booming business of 5,000 case production. In 2012 Rachel applied for the Middleburg AVA in Virginia as the sole petitioner, showing dedication to the things for which she holds strong conviction. In 2018 she left the family business to found a winery in California's Central Coast, Oceano Wines. As a true bicoastal, Rachel lives between winery operations in the San Luis Obispo Coast, and The Upper West Side of New York City. As the growing to-do lists mounted, Rachel found herself drinking less and less, which inspired a close look at what it would take to make a luxury non-alcoholic wine from some of the top fruit on the Central Coast. She knew the niche of luxury was missing in the non-alc space after tasting every option she could get her hands on, which left her no choice but to craft one herself.

It all begins with the raw material, and Rachel let me know the only reason she felt so compelled to co-found Oceano Wines in the first place, was the beauty and quality of the Spanish Springs Vineyard. Located about 1.5 miles northeast of the Pacific Ocean, the site is nestled into the hills of Price Canyon near the city of Pismo Beach. Its proximity to the ocean allows for a large diurnal shift in temperature, from warmish days that top out around 80 degrees, to cold nights where temperamental grapes like Pinot Noir find their comfort zone. Spanish Springs is becoming known for its sandy loam soils and their ability to produce lush flavors and aromas, textured mouthfeel, while keeping racy acidity that is a hallmark for great wine.

With help from a spinning column at BevZero in Santa Rosa, CA, Oceano are able to remove the alcohol from luxury Pinot Noir while keeping the aroma, texture, and acidity all in place. Oceano's winemaker, Marin Wolgamott, was born to make wine. The graduate of Enology & Viticulture from Cal Poly SLO had her family vineyard is named after her (Marin's Vineyard). She cut her teeth under the mentorship of some of the world’s most revered winemakers, working in prestigious wineries throughout California, Oregon, Australia, and New Zealand.

Oceano Zero is crafted for the educated palate who want to explore fine wine without the effects of alcohol. There's less than 1g of added sugar in the process, which comes in the form of the highest quality cane sugar. In each 5oz serving of Oceano Zero there are only 5 calories. Rachel admits, going heavy into the non-alc space feels correct, and she contends it is currently the most creative outlet within the wine industry! Pickup your bottle(s) of Oceano Zero here for $55 - and available soon, consider holiday gifting with their Oceano Wines x Stellareese Wine Tote Gift Pack: includes two bottles of Oceano Zero with the stylish & waterproof carrying case, featuring genuine leather trim and an insulated interior that keeps 2 bottles of your wine perfectly temperature-controlled. The Gift Pack will be available for $295.