The elegant flower-adorned bottle is a prelude to the fresh ripe fruit aromas of strawberries and citrus, as well as Turkish delight, rose petals and candy floss on the nose. The mouth-feel is refreshing with ripe berry flavours and invigorating grapefruit and candy floss. The wine is made for summer and although gorgeous on its own, it pairs perfectly with mixed berries and cream, fresh oysters, smoked salmon, sushi or sticky barbeque ribs, and sunsets.
Winemaker Ricardo Cloete says since the launch of the Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc three years ago, they have been inundated with requests from consumers for a Sparkling Rosé.
“Globally the trend has been spiking in recent years and we are answering to South African consumers interest with our latest release which is also a first for the sparkling wine category at its price point. Gone are the days when Rosé is automatically perceived to be sweet – the drier, fruitier versions are driving the demand. In addition, consumers are moving towards enjoying sparkling wines all year round, not just in summer or for special occasions, and especially Rosé expressions, which are incredibly versatile and food-friendly.”
Although the wine is a blend of 50% Shiraz and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, the winemaking team will select different red varietals each year to ensure only the finest grapes are used for this delightful sparkling wine.
“The cool climate terroir of the Durbanville area with it’s close proximately to two oceans, swirling morning mists and endless variety of hills, allows the grapes to develop leisurely for optimal structure and flavour. We have plenty of sunshine, ideal for our red grape varietals and the elevated topography with different slopes, allows us to select grapes from vines best suited for each cultivar.”
The Shiraz grapes were sourced from a block on the lower foothills in the middle of the cool inside of the valley. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were selected from a block on the western side of the valley where day temperatures are higher and night temperatures cooler than inside the valley. In both instances the grapes were picked early in ripeness to prevent the development of too much flavour and colour as the carbon dioxide tends to exaggerate fruitiness.
“We harvest the grapes by hand and immediately separated the juice from the skins to capture the captivating Coral Pink colour. The juice was settled overnight and racked, and the two batches were fermented separately for 21 days. Once blended, the wine was filtered two weeks before bottling.”
Available nationwide the Durbanville Hills Sparkling Rosé retails for about R90 a bottle.