TN: Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

[mark e]

Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

This Swedish sparkler, made using the champagne method, is a blend of 95% Solaris and 5% Souvignier gris. Both of these grapes are PiWis (Pilzwiderstandsfähige), fungal resistant hybrids that are also early ripening, which is key when you are growing wine grapes in Scandinavia. The data: 11% ABV, 9.6 g/l acidity, and 9.8 g/l RS.

Lovely aromatic nose of green apple and citrus, quite reminiscent of Müller Thurgau (in a good way). The wine definitely needs a bit more RS to achieve balance, yet the long finish makes it more enjoyable. Using Solaris (that's the grape we are growing in Oslo) as a sparkling wine base makes perfect sense.

I have read quite a bit about making sparkling wines in the UK, particularly before global warming really kicked in, to understand where we may be going with our wine grapes.

Interesting, but a bit thin and tart.

Added later: I decided to make a tabouli salad with a citrus dressing (w/o vinegar) that made the wine seem considerably less tart; it was quite enjoyable with the salad.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by mark e:
TN: Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

This Swedish sparkler, made using the champagne method, is a blend of 95% Solaris and 5% Souvignier gris. Both of these grapes are PiWis (Pilzwiderstandsfähige), fungal resistant hybrids that are also early ripening, which is key when you are growing wine grapes in Scandinavia. The data: 11% ABV, 9.6 g/l acidity, and 9.8 g/l RS.

Lovely aromatic nose of green apple and citrus, quite reminiscent of Müller Thurgau (in a good way). The wine definitely needs a bit more RS to achieve balance, yet the long finish makes it more enjoyable. Using Solaris (that's the grape we are growing in Oslo) as a sparkling wine base makes perfect sense.

I have read quite a bit about making sparkling wines in the UK, particularly before global warming really kicked in, to understand where we may be going with our wine grapes.

Interesting, but a bit thin and tart.

would more dosage help?

 

[mark e]

originally posted by robert ames:

originally posted by mark e:
TN: Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

Arilds Vingård Bubbel Brut

This Swedish sparkler, made using the champagne method, is a blend of 95% Solaris and 5% Souvignier gris. Both of these grapes are PiWis (Pilzwiderstandsfähige), fungal resistant hybrids that are also early ripening, which is key when you are growing wine grapes in Scandinavia. The data: 11% ABV, 9.6 g/l acidity, and 9.8 g/l RS.

Lovely aromatic nose of green apple and citrus, quite reminiscent of Müller Thurgau (in a good way). The wine definitely needs a bit more RS to achieve balance, yet the long finish makes it more enjoyable. Using Solaris (that's the grape we are growing in Oslo) as a sparkling wine base makes perfect sense.

I have read quite a bit about making sparkling wines in the UK, particularly before global warming really kicked in, to understand where we may be going with our wine grapes.

Interesting, but a bit thin and tart.

would more dosage help?

absolutely.

 

[Steve Edmunds]

Mark; curious about whether Solaris pH can rise high enough to permit malo, and whether that might make a difference in potential pleasure in the glass. Any info?

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Mark; curious about whether Solaris pH can rise high enough to permit malo, and whether that might make a difference in potential pleasure in the glass. Any info?

I have no information on that, alas. But I suspect the pH is too low. You would definitely have to heat the cellar (never a need to cool it around here). I would probably never try to block malo (Oswaldo, hope you appreciate that) but getting it to go, well, hmmmm . . . . I guess I would much prefer to achieve balance with RS than ever considering deacidification.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Mark; curious about whether Solaris pH can rise high enough to permit malo, and whether that might make a difference in potential pleasure in the glass. Any info?

I have no information on that, alas. But I suspect the pH is too low. You would definitely have to heat the cellar (never a need to cool it around here). I would probably never try to block malo (Oswaldo, hope you appreciate that) but getting it to go, well, hmmmm . . . . I guess I would much prefer to achieve balance with RS than ever considering deacidification.

Indeed appreciated. Couldn't malo happen spontaneously when Summer comes around and temperatures reach their apogee? Or are cellars too cold even then? A reduction of the malic harshness might be just the thing to bring about balance.

In any case, all very interesting.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Reminder of Mark's intro to solaris: click