Icy Liu
Saint-Germain-Nuelles, Beaujolais, France
Icy Liu
Originally from Taipei, Icy Liu abandoned a more classical career path in the NYC finance world to follow her budding passion for wine (much to the chagrin of her parents). Her ever-inquisitive nature and thirst for knowledge eventually led to her relocation to Burgundy, first to obtain an MBA in wine and enology from the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon and shortly after, in 2019, landing at Becky Wasserman & Co. in Beaune, where she works today, overseeing social media and developing Asian markets.
Her varied harvest experiences across Burgundy, New Zealand and the USA further fed her fascination with viticulture. However, she never thought making her own wine was possible until 2022, when her friend Bastian Wolber, offered to share some organic old-vine gamay from a grower who used to sell his grapes to Ganevat.
Inspired by her experiences working with Chanterêves and Claire Naudin, she’s aiming to follow their approach: undogmatic, with decisions guided by feeling and taste, yet grounded in science. We are thrilled to help introduce her inaugural vintage, which includes two wines, a rosé and a red, from the same plot located in Southern Beaujolais in the village of Saint-Germain-Nuelles. Go Icy go!
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After moving from her native Taipei to NYC to study engineering at Columbia University, Icy Liu was quickly disillusioned by her soul-crushing post-grad experience working in finance. She decided to leave it all behind and lean into the wine and culinary world that she so cherished. She immersed herself in many different wine experiences from working retail to distribution to organizing wine-focused charity events.
In 2018, against her parent’s wishes, she moved to Burgundy, where she enrolled at the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, earning an MBA in wine with distinction and a diploma in enology. Since 2019, she has worked at Becky Wasserman & Co, overseeing social media and Asian market development.
Numerous rich viticulture and vinification experiences at top estates throughout Burgundy, New Zealand, and the United States further inspired a dream of someday making her own wines.
In 2022, her friend Bastian Wolber, offered to share some organic old-vine gamay from Southern Beaujolais and she knew the time had come.
She vinified these grapes in Chris Santini’s winery in Auxey-Duresses where many others young talents got their start including Basti (Laisée Tomber), Domaine Dandelion, Vin Noé, and Arnaud Lopez.
Her inaugural vintage include two wines, a rosé and a red, from the same plot located in Southern Beaujolais in the village of Saint-Germain-Nuelles. The grapes are farmed organically by vigneron, Fred, who has owned the plot for years.
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Both wines are sourced from the same old-vine Gamay plot, called Apinost located in Saint-Germain-Nuelles in Southern Beaujolais.
The vines were planted in 1935 and 1972 on soils of clay, limestone and granite with a southwest exposure.
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Fred is the vigneron who owns this plot. He used to horse plow for other growers and his own Beaujolais parcels. He lives in the Auvergne but when he’s in the Beaujolais, he stays in his caravan next to the vines. Vines are farmed organically but not certified.
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Wines are all pressed whole cluster, and made with as little added sulphur as possible. All the grapes purchased are organic and she hopes to have a close relationship with each growers as her project expands.
In 2022 the wines were made in a cellar in Auxey-Duresses.
Wines
La Caravane Rosé
100% Gamay rosé from a single-plot of old vines grown on clay/limestone/granite soils with a southwest exposition. Vinification: Direct pressing in vertical press then direct to barrel without any sedimentation. Élevage in used 228L barrel for 8 months SO2 added during vinification and before bottling. No fining or filtration.
Apinost
100% Gamay from a single-plot of old vines (planted in 1935, 1972) on clay/limestone/granite soils with a southwest exposition. Vinification: Whole cluster fermentation with daily pump overs with buckets; no punch downs. Pressed after 12 days in a vertical press Élevage in 2/3 used 228 L barrels and 1/3 in stainless steel tanks for 8 months. SO2 added during vinification, none before bottling No fining or filtration.