Fedele Pinot Grigio
-
COUNTRY - Italy
-
REGION - Sicily
-
GRAPE - Catarratto, Pinot Grigio
-
FOOD MATCH - Aperitif, Seafood
-
ALCOHOL - 12.5%
PRODUCER: TWP Wines is run by Stefano Girelli, whose family has been at the heart of Italian winemaking for three generations. Stefano’s portfolio stretches the length of Italy, from the Veneto, to Tuscany, to Puglia and Sicily, and places a strong emphasis on Stefano’s passion for organic methods. Many of the wines are certified organic (and vegan!) and all are made in an eco-friendly way, with a long-term commitment to the environment.
TASTING NOTES: The blending of these two grapes creates an enjoyable, everyday drinking wine that offers intense aromas of both citrus and tropical fruit flavours.
DRY & LIGHT
Gran Cerdo Viura
DRY & LIGHT
-
COUNTRY - Spain
-
REGION - Rioja
-
GRAPE - Viura
-
FOOD MATCH - Anti Pasti, Aperitif, Pasta
-
ALCOHOL - 12.5%
PRODUCER: 12 years ago they began producing wines using Gonzalo’s family grapes in an old style underground bodega in Fuenmayor. They also use grapes from Olite in Navarra. They do not age wines in oak (too expensive to use barrels and to store wines) and they still sell grapes to other bodega in the area, so the best grapes are kept for Gran Cerdo.
WINEMAKING: Most of the vines were planted by Gonzalo’s father 40 years ago. For white varieties (Viura) they still use bush vines. As the local varieties are very productive, hydric stress is important to have more concentrate grapes, they never water this vineyard. Manual harvest, aged in steel vat, indigenous yeasts and no malolatic fermentation.
TASTING NOTES: Pale colour, very fresh with good acidity, like a crisp green apple from the Viura. The slightly floral nose comes from the myriad of experimental white varieties in the blend.
Clos Des Orfeuilles Muscadet Sur Lie
-
COUNTRY - France
-
REGION - Loire Valley
-
GRAPE - Melon de Bourgogne
-
FOOD MATCH - Crab, Lobster, Scallops, Goats Cheese, Seafood, Shellfish
-
ALCOHOL - 12%
PRODUCER: The tower of Clos des Orfeuilles looks out over 18.5 ha of exceptional vineyard, certified organic since the 2012 vintage. Clos des Orfeuilles is all about minerality, with a unique terroir made up of schist, mica schist, gneiss and quartz bringing a quite extraordinary precision and energy. This is a true Loire Valley gem, showcasing the very best that the Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur Lies appellation has to offer.
TASTING NOTE: Clos des Orfeuilles is a clear, straw yellow in colour. Intense and complex, the nose offers aromas of exotic fruit, citrus and aniseed. This Muscadet maintains its characteristic freshness, exploring the upper limits of minerality.
DRY & MEDIUM
AA Badenhorst Secateurs
Chenin Blanc
DRY & MEDIUM
-
COUNTRY - South Africa
-
REGION - Swartland
-
GRAPE - Chenin Blanc
-
FOOD MATCH - Asian Cuisine, Chicken, Shellfish
-
ALCOHOL - 13%
PRODUCER: The property is owned by the dynamic and good looking cousins Hein and Adi Badenhorst. They are originally from Constantia. Their grandfather was the farm manager of Groot Constantia for 46 years. Their fathers were born there and farmed together in Constantia, during the days when people still ate fresh vegetables and Hanepoot grapes. Together these two have restored a neglected cellar on the farm that was last used in the 1930′s to make natural wines in the traditional manner.
Adi Badenhorst's Secateurs Chenin Blanc is probably the best bang-for-buck white wine we've ever sold. Why is this wine so special? Why does it win so much rapturous admiration? Because it surprises people with its quality. You just don't expect to find an organic, old-vine Swartland Chenin (yields as low as 4 tons/hectare - about the same as much premier and grand cru Burgundy), with this much character, texture and interest, at this price level.
WINEMAKING: All fruit, white, is whole bunch-handled so no crushing or destemming takes place. The whites are transferred directly to old casks (25%) with the rest into concrete tanks for fermentation and ageing - and spends 7 months on lees.
TASTING NOTE: Certainly fresher than some previous vintages, but full of zing and immensely mouth-watering! Struck rock, clotted cream and orange blossom, just ripe greengage and honeydew melon, with a lightly creamy, leesy palate and zingy, white peppery finish.
Wildsong Sauvignon Blanc
-
COUNTRY - New Zealand
-
REGION - Hawkes Bay
-
GRAPE - Sauvignon Blanc
-
FOOD MATCH - Delicate Fish, Mediterranean Cuisine, Oily Fish, Thai Cuisine
-
ALCOHOL - 12%
PRODUCER: On our search for new organic wines, we were super excited to meet Rod McDonald and even more excited when he told us all about his Estate in Hawkes Bay, Te Awanga. Rod spent nine years as winemaker at Vidal Estate in Hawke’s Bay and was awarded New Zealand Winemaker of the Year in 2006. He left later that year with a few ideas about what Hawke’s Bay wines could be like, where the great wines would come from, and started Rod McDonald Wines to prove it.
WINEMAKING: Te Awanga is a special piece of dirt! Vines were planted 25 years ago in one of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest winegrowing areas by a group of friends who dreamed of making the region’s greatest wines. The grapes were gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel and older French oak barriques to maximise fruit intensity and texture. Four to eight months on yeast lees helped create a rich palate and complexity.
TASTING NOTE: This highly enjoyable Sauvignon Blanc is filled with nectarine, grapefruit and rockmelon characters with an elegant lime zest lift. The palate is generous and flavoursome with excellent fruit intensity, beautifully structured by juicy acidity. It is long and attractive on the finish.
DRY & MEDIUM
DRY & MEDIUM
Botanica Flower Girl Albarino
-
COUNTRY - South Africa
-
REGION - Stellenbosch
-
GRAPE - Albarino
-
FOOD MATCH - Asian Cuisine, Chicken, Delicate Fish, Mediterranean Cuisine, Oily Fish, Oysters, Pasta, Risotto, Seafood, Shellfish, Thai Cuisine
-
ALCOHOL - 12.5%
PRODUCER: Botanica Wines was founded in 2009 by owner and self-taught winemaker Ginny Povall, an intrepid American who fell in love with the beautiful Cape Winelands, purchased Protea Heights farm in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley and relocated to the southern tip of Africa in 2008. Established in the late 1940s, Protea Heights was the first farm in South Africa to cultivate indigenous protea flowers commercially. Inspired by this horticultural history, it was only natural that Ginny would choose to develop her wine brands and labels with a botanical flair. The winery follows organic farming principles, avoiding synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. They embrace holistic farming methods that promote soil fertility and drought resiliency while supporting the soil’s natural ability to reintegrate carbon from the atmosphere.
WINEMAKING: The grapes were hand-harvested at 22° B, hand-sorted, destemmed, crushed and gently pressed. The wine was spontaneously fermented in a concrete egg, where it remained on its lees for 6 months before bottling. No malolactic fermentation.
TASTING NOTE: 2019 marks the maiden vintage of Flowergirl Albariño – one of only three wines currently crafted from this Iberian grape varietal in South Africa. Intense aromatics of white peach and pink grapefruit follow through on the vibrant palate. Packed with zesty acidity, the wine refreshes with its juicy nectarine flavours, backed by undercurrents of grapefruit pith, lemongrass and lime zest.