Beaut day for harvest
Saint Clair winemakers are quietly optimistic for a superb vintage, with excellent quality fruit showing good fruit concentration and lower cropping yields.
The first load of sauvignon blanc grapes were harvested yesterday, destined for Saint Clair’s low-alcohol, lower-calorie Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc Bright Light.
Saint Clair White Winemaker Stewart Maclennan says at 9.5 per cent alcohol, the fruit used in the Bright Light range is harvested some three weeks earlier than most.
Stew gives our new interns the run down at the winery
Sauvignon Blanc is the ideal variety to make a low alcohol wine, due to its characteristic flavours developing well before it’s fully ripe, says Stew.
“There’s already really strong, green capsicum flavours at this stage of ripening, really grassy stuff,” he says.
“Sauvignon Blanc is well suited to low-alcohol wines because of the strength of flavour earlier in ripening.”
Saint Clair has been producing low-alcohol, lower-calorie wines for about three years now, due to growing demand from people who want to enjoy the flavour and mouthfeel of wine, without feeling too heavy afterwards, he says.
Grapes in the hopper – the smell is incredible!
“The challenge for us is to find that balance between a lower alcohol wine while capturing the expression, flavour, aroma and palate weight we’re accustomed to.”
We also produce Pinot Gris, Riesling and Rosé in the Vicar’s Choice Bright Light range, so if you’d like to know more about our low-alcohol, lower-calorie wines, click here, or leave a comment in the field below.
And stay tuned for more vintage 2015 news!
The post Saint Clair Harvest A Go-Go! appeared first on Saint Clair Family Estate.
