Mielie Green Chenin 12% (750ml)
Testaglona
South African, Organically grown Chenin. The grapes are harvested by hand and straight-pressed as whole bunches. The harvest from the two vineyards are co-fermented in 5000-litre concrete tanks for 6 months, before being racked off the gross lees and returned to tank. The ferment, as always, is natural, with native yeasts and without inoculation (malo occurs naturally) or temperature control or additions – with just a small amount of sulphites added before bottling (the total being around 20 ppm). A light clarifying filtration is done, but no fining. What’s in a name? A Mielie is a corncob in Afrikaans. A staple food in South Africa, it’s so common that people actually think that it originated in Africa as opposed to South America. You would do well to convince a South African otherwise! A really appealing wine, reflective of the vintage, this Chenin displays ripe apple and mellow pear fruit and almost soft acidity with a hint of cinnamon on the finish.
