Wine Description & Tasting Notes
Vandal Wines is the side project of three Marlborough based winemakers allowing them to experiment with methods they wouldn’t usually get to bottle. But fret not, despite their experimental nature all the Vandal wines are made with the aim of being easily ‘smashable’!
Hand harvested fruit sourced from a 30 year old single vineyard in the Southern Valleys of Marlborough. Grapes gently pressed and co-fermented ‘wild’ in seasoned French barriques at ambient temperature with high solids.
At roughly 10 g/l residual sugar the wine was bottled to capture natural effervescence. Harmless yeast sediment remains in the bottle as a consequence.
What is a Pétillant Naturel aka Pét-Nat?
Pét-nats are sparkling wines made in a manner that predates the so-called “traditional method” used in Champagne (and for most other sparkling wines). Rather than induce a second fermentation in the bottle to create the bubbles, as Champagne producers do, makers of Pét-Nat simply bottle the wine before the initial fermentation has ended. The result is softly fizzy, sometimes lightly sweet from residual grape sugars, usually hazy with unfiltered yeast particles, and typically sealed with a crown cap instead of a cork.
Nose: Pears and peaches with a hint of cider apples.
Palate: Off-dry, with soft bubbles and elegant flavours of orchard fruits.
