Being born and raised in Miami, I’m only used to two seasons – hot and hotter – but this past weekend I was lucky enough to experience (real) autumn for the first time! We took a weekend trip to New York to celebrate my birthday and relish in fall festivities. It has been a warm fall and the leaves in the city are mostly green, so we trekked upstate to see the yellow, orange, and red beauties in action.

I heard the perfect place to catch the leaves change is Storm King Art Center, one of the world’s leading sculpture parks, so my friends and I grabbed some wine from a shop in Beacon and headed there just in time for golden hour. We grabbed a box (yes, a box) of 2016 FUORISTRADA Off Road Grillo, since it was lightweight and perfect for strolling around Storm King’s 500 acres of land.

The FUORISTRADA vineyard is in the heart of Tuscany has been farmed bio-dynamically since 2004. The winemaker takes pride in the environmentally conscious packaging – which uses 54% less energy, creates 80% less greenhouse gasses, produces 60% less solid waste volume, and also has 92% less package weight, compared to a 750ml glass wine bottle.

As you know, I drink a lot of Sauvignon Blanc so this was a different variety for me. Grillo is a Sicilian white grape variety most famous for its role in the island’s fortified Marsala wines. It is still widely planted on Sicily despite
Marsala’s fall from fashion, and is now used most commonly in a variety of still white wines, both varietal and blended. Grillo is also thought to have been used in one of Julius Caesar’s favorite wines.

This wine is straw yellow in color and is medium bodied with a balance of acidity, moderate intensity, and a dryness to it. You can taste notes of lemon, pear, apple, and minerals. We drank it a bit warm, but it was still good. You can find the liter online for $14. I paired it with fall leaves, friends, and fun! Not too shabby. 3.2/5.