2018 La Violetta Patio Nat Cult Wine

This is pét nat made from the black-skinned muscat, getting to the heart of this ancient variety and its singular delights. Takes me back to those splendid days I spent shovelling moscato skins in north-west Italy, the delicate, refreshing wines of that region providing a stepping-off point for this more freewheelin’, farmhouse expression. Hand harvested for natural acidity by the industrious gnomes of Geography’s cool Ferguson Valley. Skin contact overnight in the press, before sending to tank and barrels to ferment slow and wild over nearly 7 weeks, then to bottle without fining or filtration, sealing in the last frothy sigh of fermentation. A dash of riesling juice went in at the last minute to get the balance right and leave a hint of residual fructose. 

It’s fresh and fermenty, cloudy, with a meringue-like froth. All the perfumed grapiness of moscato, a little citrus, notes of cidery complexity; mineral phenolics, a light touch of residual sweetness, but finishing dry. Out on the patio we sip.