Testalonga I Wish I Was A Ninja 2023

A champagne method wine, sold like a pet nat. Lemonade for grown ups!

Colombard

$57.00

Quantity

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Floral, Stone Fruit, and Citrus Fruit, Toasted

BODY: Medium -
DRYNESS: Neutral
ACIDITY: Medium +
TANNIN: Light
ALCOHOL (%): Moderate (9-12%)

Origin: Coastal Region (Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Swartland, Constantia & More), South Africa

Grape Varietals:

Colombard

Winemaking:
Natural, Biodynamic, and Organic
Petillant Naturel

Maturation: 13-18 Months Bottle Ageing

Awards:

WESTERN FOOD PAIRING
Baked salmon, seafood linguine, Mediterranean salad, charcuterie platter

ASIAN FOOD PAIRING
Sushi and sashimi, Sio bak, Spicy prawn fried rice

Testalonga

The wines of Testalonga defy convention in a lot of ways. Started in 2008 in Swartland, Craig and Carla Hawkins have become one of South Africa's leading natural wine producers

Description

Testalonga I Wish I Was A Ninja 2023

Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Colombard from Swartland, South Africa. Vines grow on decomposed Granite, west facing and 257m above sea level

Taste Profile: Vibrant yellow with floral & fruity aromas. Refreshing acidity with flavours of peach, apricot, and citrus. The wine has a complex finish that lingers on the palate for a while

Winemaking Process: Hand-harvested and then fermented in fibreglass tanks at a temperature of 8 degrees. It was racked 9 times during fermentation to remove the sediment. At a sugar of 55g/l it was bottled under crown cap where it was left to finish fermentation and build up a natural pressure of carbon dioxide. After 10 months the bottles were riddled and disgorged and topped with the same wine (from other decanted bottles) and crown capped again. No SO2 was ever added to the wine and neither was any settling or fining agent

Spritzy & Sweet Sparklings

Nectar-like sparkling wines, ranging from aromatic Moscato to rich, demi-sec Champagnes. Generally, they are lower in alcohol, and have honeyed, floral naunces

Ancestral Method

Also known as Petillant Naturel, it's the oldest version of sparkling wine making, and involves bottling the wine before fermentation has finished. A single fermentation is applied, trapping carbon dioxide to create natural carbonation.
This results in a little less control, and wines can sometimes come across a less refined compare to the traditional champagne method, and sometimes tends to have a slightly more beer-ish or cider-ish taste