The wines we're working with right now are bases for our sparkling wines - each one is destined to add richness and texture to future bubbles. All fermentation is happening in barrel, and the wines have been resting on their lees, undisturbed since harvest.
I’m always cautious about opening the barrels too often, preferring to give them some uninterrupted time until after Christmas. By mid-January, the wines have settled enough to taste, and it's the ideal moment to top them up to fill the gaps created by the natural settling process.
When we first fill the barrels for fermentation, we intentionally leave some space. This is to accommodate the CO2 released during active fermentation, as the bubbling process requires room to expand. Now that fermentation has settled down, the headspace in the barrels needs to be filled.
So, what do we top them up with? All of our barrels contain wild ferments, and we also have wild ferments of each variety in stainless steel. We’ll taste through each wine and assess where they’re at, then match them with a wine from the tank to top up the barrels accordingly.
Once this process is complete, the barrels will be left undisturbed for another three months to continue developing.
One wine that’s standing out is our Chardonnay. It has a vibrant, lively character, and we’re considering it might even become a unique bottling on its own. We’ll let you know!
