Lumen - 'Hey Ginger Red' - Pinot Noir, Ginger - Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, CA - 2025

@lumenwinesheygingerwine

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Made from Pinot Noir fruit from our own vineyards. Regeneratively farmed and certified organic. Stabilized with fresh, organic ginger root.

Notes on the Producer

Hey Ginger was discovered by a happy accident. Lumen Winemaker Lane Tanner discovered the powerful effects of ginger when she left a combination of wine & ginger in her fridge for months. Her winemaking partner, Will Henry, realized they may have stumbled upon a natural antioxidant that could be used in place of sulfites to protect the wine. Will's father, an icon in the industry, had always told his son that whoever found a natural alternative to sulfites would start a wine revolution. Hence Hey Ginger was born, a wine with only two ingredients: organic grapes and fresh ginger root. Viva la revolucion!

Grapes & Style

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the old noble red grapes of Burgundy, and still the variety most associated with the Côte d’Or’s ability to translate small differences in site into meaningfully different wines. It’s been known under older names like Morillon, Noirien, and Auvernat, and its history reaches back to medieval northern France. Over time, the Pinot family produced or revealed a whole set of mutations — Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Teinturier, Pinot Noir Précoce — but Pinot Noir remains the central red expression.

In the vineyard, it’s famously sensitive. It buds early, so spring frost can be a real issue, and it ripens early enough that warm climates can push it too fast, leaving thin-skinned berries prone to shrivel and sunburn. It prefers temperate climates, calcareous-clay soils, and careful yield control. It’s also susceptible to mildew, botrytis, virus pressure, and plenty of other vineyard headaches, which is part of why great Pinot has such a fragile, hard-won quality.

In the glass, Pinot Noir is rarely about sheer power. At its best, it’s relatively pale, aromatic, and finely structured, with red-fruit notes like cherry and raspberry when young, often moving toward more savory, autumnal, earthy, mushroomy, or truffle-like tones with age. The better examples are compelling because they carry delicacy without feeling thin — fruit, perfume, texture, and place all held in a lighter frame.