Otter & Fox has always been about following curiosity wherever it leads. Sometimes that means working with a grape most people haven’t tried. Sometimes it means looking past the obvious regions and finding something remarkable in a place no one was paying attention to. The best bottles tend to come from those kinds of decisions, and the Otter & Fox Fiano is a perfect example.

Fiano is one of Southern Italy’s most ancient white varieties, grown in the hills of Campania for centuries, prized for an aromatic complexity and waxy richness that you simply won’t find in Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. It occupies its own lane, and once you’ve had a good one, you tend to remember it.

Now, take that grape and plant it in California’s Sierra Foothills. This is rugged, elevated country with real extremes. Hot days, genuinely cold nights, and the kind of terrain that forces vines to work for everything they produce. It’s an unlikely home for an Italian varietal, but the conditions here turn out to be remarkably well suited to Fiano. The heat develops generous fruit character while the altitude preserves a natural freshness and tension that gives the wine its backbone.

Behind the bottle is David Edelman, one of Napa Valley’s most respected kosher winemakers, who made a choice here that says everything about his approach: 100% neutral oak. No new barrels, no added flavor, no winemaker fingerprints on the fruit. Neutral oak simply provides a gentle environment for the wine to develop texture and depth on its own terms. It’s a quiet decision, but it’s the reason this wine tastes like Fiano and not like oak.

What you’ll find in the glass is genuinely distinctive. There’s an immediate lift of honeyed pear and white blossom, followed by stone fruit, citrus pith, and a thread of something almost nutty and waxy that lingers on the palate. The texture is rich without being heavy, the acidity is present without being sharp, and the finish stays with you in a way that keeps pulling you back for another sip. It has enough substance for the last stretch of winter cooking and enough brightness to pair beautifully with a cheese board, risotto, or rich fish dishes.

This is the kind of wine that was created to share: genuine, a little offbeat, and much more interesting than it has any right to be. We think once you try the Otter & Fox Fiano, you’ll want to tell someone about it. And that’s always a good sign!

And speaking of Purim, if your table does call for a showstopping red, David Edelman’s Otter & Fox Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is one of the finest kosher Cabs coming out of Napa right now. Rich, structured, and built for a celebration. Ask us about it. Limited quantities available.