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Villa Maria Private Bin Lightly Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2010

With Christmas just around the corner and the celebrations that go with it well into the planning process, the wine featured is one that will go well with celebrations. It comes under the intriguing label of lightly sparkling. I am sure many are wondering right now how it is lightly sparkling. Is it just a Sauvignon Blanc with a couple of bubbles or is it lighter in body? The answer is that its made in a Frizzante style.

Frizzante is the Italian name for wines that have small bubbles that offer a refreshing tingle while helping to mask the wine’s sweetness. They tend to be slightly less effervescent than Champagne, so are a good choice for those who find Champagne too fizzy. It is not a style to be confused with Spumante as while Spumante wines are fully sparkling wines that are typically made with the traditional Methode Champenoise, Frizzante are semi-sparlking wines that get their bubbles from a partial second fermentation. In Spain the style is known as Vino de Aguja, in Germany it is Perlwein and in France it goes under the name Petillant.

Villa Maria has made their version entirely from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc fruit. The fruit was sourced from vineyards across the Wairau and Awatere Valleys, where typically warm days and cool nights provide perfect conditions for growing Sauvignon Blanc with intense flavour and concentration.

The fruit for this wine was harvested at varying levels of ripeness over an intense three week period, resulting in an array of flavours and blending options for the winemaker. The fruit was crushed, pressed and settled for 24 hours before the juice was racked clean. The winemaker used both neutral and aromatic yeast strains in fermentation. The fermentation took place at low temperatures to ensure maximum retention of the delicate flavours in the fruit. Rather than use a second ferment, Villa Maria opted to infuse the wine with a fine bead of bubbles post blending and prior to bottling.

This is a fun and enjoyable sparkling wine for those who may prefer something a little sweeter or with less bubbles than the usual Methode Traditionelle. I found this wine to be bursting with those typically Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc flavours of gooseberry, citrus and nettle with the added flavour of passionfruit, while the bubbles add extra zest. Also on the palate there is a hint of tropical fruit. It has a clean, crisp finish.

This style of wine is best consumed young, and the 2010 Villa Maria Private Bin Slightly Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc is drinking well, making it perfect if you want to try something different over this season’s celebrations. This wine is sealed under a screw cap which means that you can reseal the bottle and taken anywhere.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (22/11/2010)

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