NAPA VALLEY, CA, U.S. – Molinari Private Reserve (MPR), an extraordinary new wine-infused coffee brand, is pleased to announce that it has officially launched.
MPR – the creation of Napa-based Molinari Caffe owner, Rick Molinari – initially started as an experiment between Molinari and Wild Card Roasters, LLC’s Master Coffee Roaster, John Weaver.
Weaver worked closely with Molinari to combine the Bay Area’s two most beloved beverages, wine and coffee.
The regular and decaf coffees start with hand-picked Arabica green coffee beans that are rehydrated to a specific liquid percentage using a special house-made red — created exclusively for Molinari by local Napa wineries. The wine soaked beans are then dried and hand-roasted — the result is an alcohol-free, rich, full-bodied coffee with an interesting blueberry note.
The process took Molinari over two and a half years to perfect. “Though the idea of combining wine and coffee is not altogether new, MPR is the first Napa-based company to successfully infuse coffee beans with wine,” says Molinari.
The finished product is a labor of love for Molinari. “I was intrigued to see the way wine would interact with green coffee beans and ultimately how my roasting would affect the final product,” says John Weaver, Master Roaster at Wild Card Roasters, LLC.
“Using incremental changes in load size, time, temperature and airflow I was able to discover unique and distinctive notes in the flavor profile, which were enhanced with minimal changes throughout the roasting process.
It is a new experience, to say the least, when you hand-roast these wine soaked beans. I am delighted with the finished product,” Weaver explains.
MPR is sold at Molinari Caffe, Robert Mondavi Winery, Franciscan Estate Winery, JCB Wines, and online.
Beginning in April 2017, it will also be available at Feast it Forward, the forthcoming first experiential estate in Napa which combines food, wine, art, music, philanthropy and MPR under one roof http://www.feastitforward.com. It will soon be served on several major cruise lines and in hotels.
