Wine52 Case Review: The Winemaker’s Way

Wine is often considered mystical, with many drinkers just enjoying the taste and using it in its traditional social lubricant role. However, this Wine52 case can begin to change all that for you.

The reality is, that whilst there are a plethora of winemaking techniques that can seem daunting, they are actually very easy to understand. If you just put a few minutes of googling into use before diving into your glass, it will really open up your understanding and appreciation of what it is that you can taste and truly like about the wine. Or of course, what you don't like and can avoid in the future!

Winemakers must consider many things from the outset before they even begin to make their wine, particularly around harvest dates and grape selection. When they finally have picked the grapes, they must then consider things like temperature control, oxygen levels, sugar levels, the intensity of the pressing, the type of yeast, fermentation and maturation vessel size and material and much much more. Fortunately, you don’t need to make these decisions – but understanding what they do when used in the final product will shape your understanding and give you the knowhow to confidently pick a bottle off the shelf.

Wine52’s Glug magazine for this edition is very informative, helping pin down exactly what the winemakers have done to make their wines shine. I’ve written about it here myself, but the magazine has plenty more info to digest and build your wine knowledge up.

The Wine Tasting

Finezza Millesimato Chardonnay

It’s not often you see a fizz in a Wine52 case, particularly a vintage Blanc de Blancs – What a way to start! This one is all about showcasing the tank method, often known as the Charmat method, the way that the vast majority of Italian sparkling wine is made including Prosecco.

The Charmat method is a fantastic way of generating fizz in large volumes of wine and quickly too. Rather than in bottles as with traditional sparkling wines (Champagne etc), the juice undergoes a second fermentation in pressurised tanks until the desired product is met. This method is all about control: temperature, flavour and sugar are all precisely managed throughout. Temperature is kept low to retain fresh, floral flavours, the stainless steel tanks prevent any oak and oxygen flavour impacts, again maintaining purity, whilst sugar can be managed to any level the producer really desires.

So, how is the wine? On the nose, you’ll find a slight honeyed note suggesting ripe grapes, alongside floral, blossomy notes, tangerine and orchard fruits. To taste, it is a well refined, wonderfully quaffable Italian fizz that has a mildly creamy texture for a bit of pizzaz. Overall, it really showcases the purity that can be achieved from the Charmat method and careful winemaking choices behind it.

Il dono di Minerva

This wine showcases two key winemaking decisions. The more simple is the decision to blend Negroamaro with Primitivo (Zinfandel) grapes - the Negroamaro brings in richer texture thanks to its higher tannin, and savoury and herbal notes that combine brilliantly with the lusher, riper red fruits of Primitivo. Primitivo also brings a rounded, silky body to make it go down that bit smoother. Just by blending these two grapes, the winemaker has elevated the wine already.

But, where this really shines is with the appassimento method, whereby the grapes are dried off the vine before fermentation. This classic Italian method removes some of the water content from the grapes and concentrates all other components such as acidity, sugar and flavour.

The end result is a much richer, more intense wine with dried fruit notes also added by the process. Think ripe raspberry and cherry encased in a plush, hearty body.

Aorkai Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough Sauvignon has been a popular style for many years, and it looks like many more to come too. It can and is made in all sorts of styles, from lees stirring, to extended skin contact. This one is all about getting to grips with the classic winemaking methods that the industry thrives off over there.

In Marlborough, it is not only the winemaking, but also the environment that has a pronounced effect on the grapes that stands out clearly compared to other Sauvignon regions. The environmental influences come from a combination of the intense Marlborough sunshine coupled with a relatively dry growing season allowing them to pick their grapes later in the season. In essence, this creates extremely intense fruit with tropical flavours that are noticeably more obvious than other parts of the world.

To preserve this natural beauty, winemakers most commonly choose to ferment the wine in inert stainless-steel vessels. These not only preserve the purity of the fruit but also allow for temperature control during fermentation so the winemaker can further influence what flavours develop. The cooler it is, the more crisp and refined the wine as more of the fruits primary flavours are retained.

With all that knowhow in this wine, the result is a pure, clean Sauvignon with lime, passionfruit, gooseberry and a little herbal element that suggests a portion of the grapes came from a cooler part of the region. Delicious for Sauvignon drinkers all over.

The Verdict

Follow The Winemaker’s Way and get to grips with wine in a fun, approachable way. Wine52’s latest case does this very well and will help you develop your knowledge so you can talk with genuine authority about wine – no more bluster. Their magazine will also fill you in on winemaking philosophies and all sorts of other interesting techniques to look out for yourself next time you find yourself staring at a wall of wine. Enjoy!