It’s been a big week…
… for me!
Not only is it school holidays but we’ve just moved back into our newly renovated home after moving out over 8 months ago.
So, while I’d like to say my head is totally into writing the blog this week… that wouldn’t be completely truthful.
I do have a couple of things I would like to chat to you about this week though (albeit briefly)…
The first is…
Rob’s Vintage Update
Sauvignon Blanc
The ferment is almost complete on our 2023 Sauvignon Blanc. It has gorgeous lifted aromas and very nice flavours even though we picked it quite early. It is very typical of our Somerled Sauvignon Blanc!
Chardonnay
All of this vintage’s CHardonnay is in barrel now and ready for the malolactic bugs to be added. This will happen later this week.
Pinot Noir for Sparkling
This one is very close to dryness (which means the ferment is nearly finished). It has lovely “champagney” aromas and flavours already.
Pinot Noir/Tempranillo Rosé
Our brand-new Rosé blend has a very nice colour and is nearly dry. It has really attractive aromas and flavours, and is very soft.
Pinot Noir Dry Red
Our 2023 Pinot Noir Dry Red has been taken off skins and is quite dry. It will go into barrel in the next day or so. Attractive floral notes, fairly light in colour but nice long palate.
Tempranillo/Pinot Noir LDR
Another new blend for us! It has lovely lifted fruit and a strong hint of savoury spice. Very fresh acidity will be calmed down by the malolactic fermentation.
Tempranillo/Graciano Picnic Races Red
Our newest Picnic Races Red has wonderfully lifted pepper/spice/fruit both on the nose and the palate. It has a very deep colour. It’s still on skins but will be pressed today.
Rob forgot to look at the Fumé this time around, but it will be going into barrel this week!
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The second is this headline I saw the day I published last week’s blog post…
“Law academics say EU’s prosecco region is ‘dodgiest claim’ to geographical indication”
You can read the whole article here but in short…
A law professor who knows a lot about intellectual property law surrounding geographical indications along with a heap of Academics from Monash and Macquarie Universities looked at historical records dating back to the 1700s. They have always referred to the name “Prosecco” as a grape variety.
So, for the EU to now argue that “Prosecco” should be protected because it’s a region… Well, let’s just say it seems very much like they’re doing it for commercial reasons.
Surprise, surprise!
And before I go…
What is Prosecco??!
I know we don’t make one, but it often gets confused with traditional Sparkling wine (and we have an amazing one of those), so I thought I should just quickly finish with a definition.
Simply put, Prosecco is made with a different set of grapes and a different winemaking method.
Prosecco is a sparkling wine that originates from the Valdobbiadene region in Veneto, Italy.
The wine is made with Prosecco grapes (also called “Glera”) and made into wine via the Charmat sparkling method or tank method. This is a much more cost-effective way of making sparkling wine where the second ferment is conducted in a big stainless-steel tank instead of in individual bottles (like Champagne and traditional method Sparkling wines).
I think that’s enough about Prosecco for now. Unless of course, you have more questions. Send them through via email or in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them!