One of the more popular jewels amongst our crown is the Tramino Frizzante.
Made from a blend of cool Gewurztraminer and the sweet globes of Frontignac, the Tramino Frizzante started out as a still wine, and was very popular in the cellar door. It was not sold from any other outlet - VERY exclusive!!
With the addition of a touch of fizz, what was the "Tramino" is now the "Tramino Frizzante"!
The fruit is allowed to ripen until the berries just start to 'raisin', to ensure full sweetness of the finished juice. Any berries that are too raisined are left on the vine. It is the balance of the raisined fruit with the higher-acid Gewurztraminer that gives the 'Frizz' sweetness with a crisp and clean finish.
It is important to get the berries back to the winery and quickly reduce their temperature to about 12 degrees Centigrade. This helps to retain the delicate flavours of the white wine. Therefore, the grapes are picked by hand early in the morning.
Hand picking is used throughout all of our vineyards. By handpicking we don't use sulphur dioxide in the vineyard, and we can be selective about which berries we want to pick. In very hot weather when the leaves and berries can suffer from sunburn, individual grapes can be picked, leaving the damaged fruit for the birds.
Machine harvesters can put holes in the berries, oxidizing the juice and causing fermentation to start with wild yeasts found out in the vineyard. This is where sulphur dioxide is required to prevent these mishaps. There is also a chance of nails and wires going through the crusher.
The juice of the combined Frontignac and Gewurztraminer is now in tank, fermenting slowly to ensure the freshness and crisp vibrancy of the sweet berries are maintained.
White winemaker Christa Deans takes a sample from the tank twice a day to check the Beaume and monitor the progress of the ferment.
We expect to see this semi-sweet, slightly fizzy wine in bottle and selling from our Tasting Room by late March. Just in time for Easter parties and long liesurely lunches throughout Autumn.
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Red Wines
