The pH ladies are at it again with their second release - the Vino pH Bukettraube Méthode Ancestrale 2022! 🎉 This sparkling wine is the result of the collaboration between Pauline, Hanneke, and Adi Badenhorst, who worked together to create a wine that truly captures the essence of this unique grape. Bukettraube is a muscat-like grape that is no longer grown in Germany, but it has found a home in South Africa where it is planted in over 217 acres. 🇿🇦
The wine is made using sustainable, dry-farmed grapes from the Kalmoesfontein vineyard in Paardeberg, Swartland. The fruit is hand-harvested, fully destemmed, and fermented in 29hL concrete tanks and old barrels without any additions. After 5 days, the grapes are pressed and fermentation continues in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for another 5 days. The wine is then bottled to finish fermenting, resulting in a méthode ancestrale sparkling wine. Over five months, Pauline, Hanneke, and Adi take turns riddling the bottles before disgorging them in the early spring. A small addition of wine and sulfur is added post-disgorgement. 😋
But what sets méthode ancestrale sparkling wines apart from pét-nat? 🤔 While both involve bottling before primary fermentation is complete, the difference lies in what happens next. Pét-nat is typically disgorged to remove sediment, while méthode ancestrale finishes fermenting in the bottle, resulting in a cloudy appearance and more complex flavors.
The Vino pH Bukketraube Méthode Ancestrale 2022 has a beautiful golden hue with aromas of citrus and stone fruit. On the palate, it is lively and refreshing with flavors of grapefruit, apricot, and a hint of spice. With a residual sugar of 3.4 g/L, it has a slightly sweet finish balanced by a total acidity of 5.3 g/L and a pH of 3.39. This wine has an alcohol content of 12.5% and a total production of 317 cases.
So if you're looking for a unique, sustainable, and complex sparkling wine to try, look no further than the Vino pH Bukketraube Méthode Ancestrale 2022. Cheers! 🍾🥂
Stats
~Grapes: 100% Bukettraube
~Vineyard: Kalmoesfontein (Paardeberg, Swartland)
~Vine Age: 45 years old
~Soil Type: Decomposed granite
~Viticulture: Sustainable – dry-farmed
~Fermentation: Native – started in 29hL concrete tank and used barrels, continued in stainless steel, and finished in the bottle
~Skin Contact: 5 days
~Aging: 5 months on lees in bottle
~Alcohol: 12.5%
~Residual Sugar: 3.4 g/L
~pH: 3.39
~Total Acidity: 5.3 g/L
~Total SO2: 37 ppm
~Total Production: 317 cases