Noble Estates has a South African red and a Sherry-style white made naturally without sulfur.

NOBLE TO YOUR DOOR – NATURAL WINES

There has been much discussion lately about natural wine and its characteristics. In a general sense, for a wine to be considered natural it must be also be vinified as naturally as possible. This means that after it has been cultivated organically or biodynamically, there must be minimum use of additives and technological manipulations. These additives may include sugar, acidifiers, and powdered tannins. The use of spinning cones to remove alcohol, micro-oxygenation to accelerate ageing, and the use of laboratory cultivated yeast are examples of manipulations.

The key aspects of a natural wine are:

  • No synthetic molecules in the vines
  • Plowing or other solutions to avoid chemical herbicides
  • Use of indigenous yeast
  • Handpicked grapes
  • Low to no filtering
  • Low to no sulfites
  • Winemaking that respects the grapes:
    • no pumping or rough handling of the grapes; and
    • no micro-oxygenation.

This week we present two natural wines in our portfolio.

2016 Radford Dale, Cinsault ‘Thirst’ South Africa, Stellenbosch
– Jamie Goode 91 points
At only 10% alcohol, some would consider this as a ‘dark’ rose. Grown on 30 year old vines and in sandy soil, the wine expresses cranberry, dark cherry and has grippy tannins. It is very refreshing and drinks well with salty items such as salumi and salt cod fritters

2015 Bodegas Hidalgo, Palomino ‘Las 30 del Cuardrodo’ Spain, Jerez
 – undertheflor.com 16/20 points
Bodegas Hidalgo was founded in 1792 and is one of the premier Sherry producers in the Jerez region of Spain. This wine is produced with the Palomino grape. While it’s the same grape that produces Sherry, a different method is used for production and ageing. After a gentle pressing, the wine is aged in Sherry casks where the ‘Manzanilla Pasada’ Sherry had previously aged. It stays in contact with the skins for 6 months and has a creamy, salty finish that is expressive of the chalky soils of the region.

Contact me directly to have these wines delivered to your home or office

Salute!

Joe Alberti
416-432-8059

Free delivery for 2 or more cases $15 charge for 1 case.

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