This past weekend was a bank holiday, and I had a few friends come up to visit. They’d never tried natural wine before, so I figured this would be the ideal time to introduce them to it. We were a group of five, and there were plenty of vegetable sharing plates to go around. Here are some comments on each of the wines.
**Little Pomona Table Cider**; A seasonal blend of apples, released on a rolling basis. Made to be simple and pair well with food, this one went down a treat. Little tannins, a light fizz, and citrus are backed by fresh acidity. This is my go-to cider for every occasion; it’s easygoing and pairs well with a variety of foods.
**Little Pomona Somerset Red Streak**; We then switched to a single varietal cider, still from using Little Pomona. This is the 2019 vintage, which spent almost two years in ex-Chardonnay barrels. This cider was substantially more complex than the table cider, with aromas of citrus peel and spice. This cider was similar to orange wine, and it was completely still with a tannic finish. It was definitely a cider that could stand up to food (but I wouldn’t choose it if I just wanted an easy drinker).
**Little Pomona Hard Rain Ghost Perry**; Referred to as a Perrykin by Little Pomona, this bottle is created from the second pressings of three different French perry pears. The pomace was allowed to ferment naturally in barrels containing the lees from fermented damson plum juice. This one was incredibly refreshing and excellent as a palette cleanser, pouring transparent pink with vibrant bubbles (it only comes in at 2.9% ABV). Bright and fresh with light notes of damson, and blackberry. It’s really easy to drink and a great way to cool down on a hot summer day.
**Marto Wines Crazy Crazy Pet Nat**; This Pet Nat is an unfiltered and undisgorged field blend of Würzer, Huxelrebe, and Müller-Thurgau. On the nose, there’s a bouquet of tropical fruits, and the palate is full of apple, pineapple, and lychee. The low alcohol content makes it quite simple to drink, yet the sharp acidity kept us coming back for more.
**Milan Nestarec Bum Bum Cha**; Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are all co-fermented spontaneously in this red/white combination. Juicy, like a raspberry lemonade for adults. Strawberry, watermelon, and minerality were the predominant flavours I got from this wine, which had high acidity and low tannin. A lovely way to end the sparkling portion of the evening and transition into the still wines.
**Christian Tschida Brutal**; I tried to get this in before everyone got too tipsy, so the wine progression wasn’t the best. 100% Pinot Noir, picked by hand, destemmed, and crushed by foot. This wine managed to be light but nuanced along with having strong acidity. This was one of the night’s most refined wines, with minerality, bramble fruits, and a glimmer of pine. It was one of the night’s highlights, and it was definitely worth pushing it to the middle of the night so we’d all remember it the next morning.
**Andi Weigand MTH**; Muller Thurgau from a single vineyard, matured for 9 months in big German oak barrels before bottling. This wine comes from 60-year-old grapes, and it’s unlike any Muller I’ve ever tasted. With underlying tropical fruit, it’s peachy and zesty. I’m sure on its own it’d be a standout, but in the mix of the night, I don’t remember too much about this one, unfortunately.
**Bencze Birtok Autochthon**; Quite a tongue twister to say at this point in the night. Bencze’s Autochthon is a mix of native Hungarian varietals Furmint, Harslevelu, and Keknyelu. This was my personal favourite of the evening. With aromas of lime, passionfruit, and peach, this is perhaps one of the juiciest wines I’ve had in a while. Some of the grapes saw 10 days of skin contact giving the wine gentle tannins and body. Complex and fresh, Bencze is one of my top producers in Hungary currently.
**Brand Brothers Wilder Satz**; A mix of eight different white grapes are used to make this wine (Pinot Blanc, Muller, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Scheurebe among others). All of the grapes undergo varying fermentation and are blended before bottling. This tasted like cloudy lemonade. Citrusy with a sharp acidity characterise this pithy wine. Fresh acidity and tropical fruit make this a wonderful summer wine to share with guests.
**Olivier Cohen Deferlante Rose**; Syrah and Grenache dominate the mix, with Chenin and Vermentino thrown in for good measure. Friends of Olivier in Provence and Limoux provide all of the grapes for this wine. I won’t lie, at this point in the night, we were drinking and talking for the sake of having a good time so I don’t remember too much in terms of tasting notes. This wine was forest fruit-forward and easy to drink, as I recall. Darker in colour and easily mistaken for a light red, this rose is ideal for pairing with charcuterie.
**Claus Preisinger Kieselstein Zweigelt**; The night’s final bottle of wine, and you can see by my pouring that the prior glasses had had their impact. Claus’ Zweigelt is one of my go-to wines. This light red has blackberry, cherry, and raspberry in it, and it’s one of my favourites. I could easily drink this on its own, served slightly chilled. Medium acidity and tannin made this a fantastic wine to end the evening with.
SpicVanDyke
Thank you for your insightful and wonderful reviews as usual! Bum Bum Cha is an incredibly fun wine 🙂
3 Comments
This past weekend was a bank holiday, and I had a few friends come up to visit. They’d never tried natural wine before, so I figured this would be the ideal time to introduce them to it. We were a group of five, and there were plenty of vegetable sharing plates to go around. Here are some comments on each of the wines.
**Little Pomona Table Cider**; A seasonal blend of apples, released on a rolling basis. Made to be simple and pair well with food, this one went down a treat. Little tannins, a light fizz, and citrus are backed by fresh acidity. This is my go-to cider for every occasion; it’s easygoing and pairs well with a variety of foods.
**Little Pomona Somerset Red Streak**; We then switched to a single varietal cider, still from using Little Pomona. This is the 2019 vintage, which spent almost two years in ex-Chardonnay barrels. This cider was substantially more complex than the table cider, with aromas of citrus peel and spice. This cider was similar to orange wine, and it was completely still with a tannic finish. It was definitely a cider that could stand up to food (but I wouldn’t choose it if I just wanted an easy drinker).
**Little Pomona Hard Rain Ghost Perry**; Referred to as a Perrykin by Little Pomona, this bottle is created from the second pressings of three different French perry pears. The pomace was allowed to ferment naturally in barrels containing the lees from fermented damson plum juice. This one was incredibly refreshing and excellent as a palette cleanser, pouring transparent pink with vibrant bubbles (it only comes in at 2.9% ABV). Bright and fresh with light notes of damson, and blackberry. It’s really easy to drink and a great way to cool down on a hot summer day.
**Marto Wines Crazy Crazy Pet Nat**; This Pet Nat is an unfiltered and undisgorged field blend of Würzer, Huxelrebe, and Müller-Thurgau. On the nose, there’s a bouquet of tropical fruits, and the palate is full of apple, pineapple, and lychee. The low alcohol content makes it quite simple to drink, yet the sharp acidity kept us coming back for more.
**Milan Nestarec Bum Bum Cha**; Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are all co-fermented spontaneously in this red/white combination. Juicy, like a raspberry lemonade for adults. Strawberry, watermelon, and minerality were the predominant flavours I got from this wine, which had high acidity and low tannin. A lovely way to end the sparkling portion of the evening and transition into the still wines.
**Christian Tschida Brutal**; I tried to get this in before everyone got too tipsy, so the wine progression wasn’t the best. 100% Pinot Noir, picked by hand, destemmed, and crushed by foot. This wine managed to be light but nuanced along with having strong acidity. This was one of the night’s most refined wines, with minerality, bramble fruits, and a glimmer of pine. It was one of the night’s highlights, and it was definitely worth pushing it to the middle of the night so we’d all remember it the next morning.
**Andi Weigand MTH**; Muller Thurgau from a single vineyard, matured for 9 months in big German oak barrels before bottling. This wine comes from 60-year-old grapes, and it’s unlike any Muller I’ve ever tasted. With underlying tropical fruit, it’s peachy and zesty. I’m sure on its own it’d be a standout, but in the mix of the night, I don’t remember too much about this one, unfortunately.
**Bencze Birtok Autochthon**; Quite a tongue twister to say at this point in the night. Bencze’s Autochthon is a mix of native Hungarian varietals Furmint, Harslevelu, and Keknyelu. This was my personal favourite of the evening. With aromas of lime, passionfruit, and peach, this is perhaps one of the juiciest wines I’ve had in a while. Some of the grapes saw 10 days of skin contact giving the wine gentle tannins and body. Complex and fresh, Bencze is one of my top producers in Hungary currently.
**Brand Brothers Wilder Satz**; A mix of eight different white grapes are used to make this wine (Pinot Blanc, Muller, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Scheurebe among others). All of the grapes undergo varying fermentation and are blended before bottling. This tasted like cloudy lemonade. Citrusy with a sharp acidity characterise this pithy wine. Fresh acidity and tropical fruit make this a wonderful summer wine to share with guests.
**Olivier Cohen Deferlante Rose**; Syrah and Grenache dominate the mix, with Chenin and Vermentino thrown in for good measure. Friends of Olivier in Provence and Limoux provide all of the grapes for this wine. I won’t lie, at this point in the night, we were drinking and talking for the sake of having a good time so I don’t remember too much in terms of tasting notes. This wine was forest fruit-forward and easy to drink, as I recall. Darker in colour and easily mistaken for a light red, this rose is ideal for pairing with charcuterie.
**Claus Preisinger Kieselstein Zweigelt**; The night’s final bottle of wine, and you can see by my pouring that the prior glasses had had their impact. Claus’ Zweigelt is one of my go-to wines. This light red has blackberry, cherry, and raspberry in it, and it’s one of my favourites. I could easily drink this on its own, served slightly chilled. Medium acidity and tannin made this a fantastic wine to end the evening with.
Thank you for your insightful and wonderful reviews as usual! Bum Bum Cha is an incredibly fun wine 🙂
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