Richly entwined in Persian folklore, Genies are best described as free-willed spirits formed from smokeless fire. Capable of using their power to create either magic or mischief, Genies were popularised in the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Traditionally, Rosé Champagne is made from two red varieties, namely Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. With Silverthorn The Genie we broke the rules. Embracing the free-willed spirit of the Genie, we opted for something far more daring and exotic, and used Shiraz, an ancient grape variety, originating from Persia.

Cultivar: Shiraz (100%)

Colour/appearance: Bright onion skin – fine twirling bead of bubbles.

Nose: Exotic bouquet of Turkish delight and rose water.

Palate: Fresh raspberries and sherbet flavours supported by a velvety texture, fine mousse and lengthy finish.

WINEMAKING

The Genie was hand harvested in mid February in the early hours of the morning at 19 degrees balling. The grapes were whole bunch pressed with a very low recovery rate of only 500 liters per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted and leaves the juice with a beautiful light purple colour. The colour gradually evolves into a salmon pink. Fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank at 15 degrees Celsius. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent a minimum time of 15 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and degorged.

FOOD PAIRING

Salmon gravadlax on crisp rye toast

Parma ham and red figs

Strawberries macerated with black pepper

ANALYSIS: Alc – 12.0%   |   RS – 7.0g/l   |   pH – 3.01   |   TA – 6.3g/l