Seifried Winemakers Collection Sweet Agnes Riesling

Wine information: Seifried was established in 1973, when Hermann and Agnes Seifried planted grapes in the Moutere Valley between Nelson and Motueka. The first 2ha of grapes planted out included 14 different Vinifera varieties which were all grafted on to phylloxera-resistant rootstock. 1976 saw the first harvest, with five distinctive varietal wines being made. At that time wine sales were entirely mail order and cellar door. Currently Seifrieds have over 180 hectares of producing vineyards, with a further 5ha too young to yet be bearing fruit. With 35 permanent employees at the winery/vineyard complex and a further 10 involved in the domestic sales and marketing of the wines, Seifrieds is a company with a strong direction on growth. The wine-producing region of Nelson offers pristine conditions and, along with specially selected north facing vineyard sites, offer a range of soils from free draining gravels to heavy alluvial clays and a climate tailor-made for growing richly varietal, elegant wines. Still, frosty winters, long dry summers, cool autumn nights combined with the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand. The fruit for Seifried's Sweet Agnes come from the Brightwater Vineyard which was planted with Riesling in 1999. These vines are grown in an extremely stony area of the vineyard, where water and nutrient levels are low. This helps to restrict the plants vigour and crop at low levels. To further enhance the aromatics we removed leaves to allow light penetration and air movement around the fruiting zone. Using 100% Riesling fruit, the grapes were hand selected at the peak of ripeness with a large portion of the fruit shrivelled and raisined, caused by natural dehydration. The grapes were then gently pressed to release a very concentrated intensely flavoured juice. The sweetness level of the juice was 38° Brix. The fermentation was initiated immediately and continued for about two and a half weeks. During this time, the wine was monitored and tasted regularly. The young wine was then filtered and stabilised before bottling in August 2010. The residual sugar in the wine is 180g/L.

Seifried are also members of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.

Tasting Notes: Seifried Winemakers Collection Sweet Agnes Riesling is a beautifully succulent and morish dessert wine. With intense blossom and citrus peel notes and concentrated stone fruit flavours, our cool climate Nelson terroir enables us to obtain tight refined natural acidity. This acidity contributes a sleek minerally-acidity backbone to cleanly finish and package this stunning wine.

Reviews: • TROPHY ‘NZ Sweet Wine over £10’: Decanter World Wine Awards, UK, 2011

• GOLD: Decanter World Wine Awards, UK, 2011

• 95 Points: Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, NZ, 2011

• Silver: Sommelier Wine Awards, UK, 2011

• Pure Silver: Air NZ Wine Awards, NZ, 2010

 
     

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