Mommenpop

With two wine brands already under her belt...

(Poe, which makes vineyard-specific, terroir-driven wines rooted in Napa; and Ultraviolet, a line of exuberant everyday wines using organic dry-farmed grapes sourced in Ukiah), Samantha Sheehan decided she wasn’t busy enough and founded Mommenpop in 2017. She was looking for a low-sugar, high-quality alternative to classic European aperitifs, something that celebrated her roots in Northern California’s fertile Napa Valley by using local ingredients. She started tinkering in her garage, and before long what started as a small, personal project meant only for friends and family soon grew into one of our favorite modern aperitif brands.

Sam infuses a base of her own Chardonnay with thousands of pounds of fresh, never-waxed northern California citrus–utilizing the flesh, peel, and leaves for maximum aromatic complexity

To make Mommenpop, Sam infuses a base of her own Chardonnay with thousands of pounds of fresh, never-waxed northern California citrus–utilizing the flesh, peel, and leaves for maximum aromatic complexity–before fortifying the mixture with neutral grape brandy (distilled, naturally, from wine she makes herself). The result is a decidedly modern West Coast beverage that nevertheless pays homage to classic Mediterranean spritz culture, something a bit more fun than wine that calls out for sipping, spritzing, and sharing.

Mommenpop’s core lineup now features bottlings of juicy Blood Orange, tart & pithy Ruby Red Grapefruit, and complex Seville Orange, with rotating seasonal flavors like Kumquat, Makrut Lime, and Meyer Lemon (a personal favorite). It turns out that Sam’s instinct that other people would love her modern, citrus-forward aperitifs was right on, and thankfully they’re now available even if you don’t live down the road from her garage.

All photos are via Nicola Parisi and @mommenpop