Pewsey Vale Prima Riesling 2008
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Prima Riesling is an early harvest style of wine made from grapes picked three to four weeks before the rest of the vineyard. Chosen for their fine citrus flavours the grapes were carefully selected when their natural sugar levels were near 10º baumé. The final wine has been made in a semi-dry style which retains some of the fruit sugars in balance with the chalky mineral acidity. The naturally lower alcohol of the wine further heightens its refreshing character.
Prima Riesling is our first use of the Vinolok closure for Pewsey Vale, a reusable and recyclable glass stopper that visually enhances the exotic nature of this wine whilst preserving its pure fruit flavours.
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Wine Spectator
Smooth and distinctive, with lovely pear and nectarine fruit that balances against lively acidity. There's sweetness, but the acidity cuts it well, and this finishes as mouthwatering. An early-harvest style. Drink now through 2013.
The Pewsey Vale Vineyard was established at Eden Valley in 1847 producing some of Australia’s first cool climate wines. The early Rieslings were exported to England where they won several awards in prestigious wine shows of the era.
Riesling is Pewsey Vale's single focus and the winemakers' undivided attention goes into making a Riesling that captures the purity of the single site vineyard in Eden Valley where nature is left undisturbed to do its thing.
Pewsey Vale Vineyard has also been formally recognized for its sustainable winegrowing credentials, being amongst the first wine labels in Australia to display the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark. Launched in July 2019, the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) program provides the opportunity for winemakers to benchmark their performance and communicate their social, environmental, and economic credentials with consumers, who are driving the increase in demand for more sustainable wines.
Pewsey Vale is where a true alliance between nature and variety exists, the need for human intervention is minimal. Gentle guiding hands and an understanding of place are all that is needed to create consistent and delicious wines vintage after vintage.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
A large, climatically diverse country with incredibly diverse terrain, producing just about every wine style imaginable, Australia has a grand winemaking history and some of the oldest vines on the planet. Both red wine and white wine from Australian are wildly popular and beloved. Most of Australia's wine regions are concentrated in the south of the country with those inland experiencing warm, dry conditions and those in coastal areas receiving tropical, maritime or Mediterranean weather patterns. Australia has for several decades been at the forefront of winemaking technology and has widely adopted the use of screwcaps, even for some premium and ultra-premium bottles. Thanks to the country’s relatively agreeable climate throughout and the openness of its people, experimentation is common and ongoing.
Shiraz is indeed Australia’s most celebrated and widely planted variety; Barossa Valley leads the way, producing exceptionally bold and supple versions. Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia's second most planted variety, can be blended with Shiraz but also shines on its own particularly in Coonawarra and Margaret River. Grenache and Mourvèdre are also popular, both on their own and alongside Shiraz in Rhône Blends. Chardonnay is common throughout the country and made in a wide range of styles. Sauvignon Blanc has recently surged in popularity to compete with New Zealand’s distinctive version and Semillon is often blended in Margaret River or shines on its own in the Hunter Valley. Riesling thrives in the cool-climate Clare and Eden Valleys. Sticky-sweet fortified wine Rutherglen is a beloved regional specialty of Victoria.