Stoneleigh releases wild-fermented wine range

Pernod Ricard’s New Zealand wine brand Stoneleigh is releasing a new range of wild-fermented wines into the New Zealand and Australian markets this month.

The Stoneleigh Wild Valley 2015 Sauvignon Blanc and 2014 Pinot Noir are fermented by yeasts indigenous to Stoneleigh’s vineyards in the Rapaura sub-region of Marlborough.

Jamie Marfell, Stoneleigh winemaker, explains: “While the winemaking intervention for this new range may be minimal, the care and dedication that goes into the wines is anything but. Stoneleigh Wild Valley uses naturally-occurring micro-flora to ferment the fruit, which gives the resulting wines the purest expression of our terroir. It is like capturing the essence of our Marlborough vineyards in a bottle.

“Stoneleigh Wild Valley celebrates the lifted, fruit-forward flavour profile that is characteristic of wines made on our sunstone-studded vineyards, then overlays this with the added texture, palate-weight and flavour complexity that comes with the use of wild yeasts that are native to our vineyard eco-system.”

Pernod Ricard Winemaker’s New Zealand wine brand Stoneleigh is releasing a new range of wild-fermented wines into the New Zealand and Australian markets this month.

The Stoneleigh Wild Valley 2015 Sauvignon Blanc and 2014 Pinot Noir are fermented by yeasts indigenous to Stoneleigh’s vineyards in the Rapaura sub-region of Marlborough.

Jamie Marfell, Stoneleigh winemaker, explains: “While the winemaking intervention for this new range may be minimal, the care and dedication that goes into the wines is anything but. Stoneleigh Wild Valley uses naturally-occurring micro-flora to ferment the fruit, which gives the resulting wines the purest expression of our terroir. It is like capturing the essence of our Marlborough vineyards in a bottle.

“Stoneleigh Wild Valley celebrates the lifted, fruit-forward flavour profile that is characteristic of wines made on our sunstone-studded vineyards, then overlays this with the added texture, palate-weight and flavour complexity that comes with the use of wild yeasts that are native to our vineyard eco-system.”

The wines have a RRP of AUD $21.99.

24 August 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor