Not Pretty but they work!


The Romance of Winemaking.


For me our 2012 wines have existed as two spreadsheets on my laptop that show a series of chemical analysis and wine making steps. Once the grapes are delivered and pressed we issue instructions based on the initial readings as to how the juice should be handled. After that unless there's a proble, there is really not much point tasting the wines as it's easy to make snap judgements on something that is changing so quickly. Eventually no amount of analysis will compensate for getting some of it and having a great slurp to see how it tastes. The result is that yesterday in between meetings I called into the winery and was standing in a lab in front of two cheap plastic jugs that represent the better part of a years work. One a tank sample of 2012 sparkling wine and the other our still wine. Always a nervous moment. As we are now three years in, we have a much better idea of the context of how wines will develop and I am pleased to say that I am pleased! The numbers had looked OK but you never know. The guys at the winery said that the still - which will be a very light rose colour, is one of the best if not the best through there this year and the sparkling base wine is really good. We were worried that it would be light and without a distinctive character but really not so. Shame that there's so little of it! Laura and I are going to have to be on strict rations for personal consumption which is not going to be easy.
We also have some reserve wines in barrel from the last two vintages kept for a rainy day ( well that could be any day) and these are superb - I am really trying to be objective! They have gained richness and depth that on their own would make for something that could be over powering. We will use these as top dressing as the whisky folks call it or maybe sometime we will bottle some up on its own - a super Smith and Evans.
Watch this space.

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