After much anticipation, our Purlai Gold has now been released.
Our Purlai Gold was originally the brainchild of Piers Greenwood, who had always wanted to produce a Tokaji/icewine style since his winemaking apprenticeship days in Alsace.
Icewine is ordinarily produced in wine regions which are prone to experience frosty conditions after grape maturation. Grapes are left on the vine, and with luck, a frost will occur before the remaining fruit succumbs to rot. Water in the berry freezes, resulting in the extraction of highly concentrated juice and intensified sweetness after pressing. Given that our UK autumns are quite mild with little chance of frost, our fruit was whole-bunch pressed and the juice was concentrated by freezing instead.
Given the high loss of water during the process, potential alcohol increased, and therefore Purlai Gold is classified as an 'aromatised wine-based product'.
We selected two intensely aromatic varietals for Purlai Gold; Bacchus and Schonburg. Bacchus provided the tropical and stone fruit notes, while Schonburg added intense floral and slightly spicy elements. The resulting wine was aged in custom-made chestnut barrels commissioned by a leading Portugese cooperage. The result is a rich, intensely fruit-driven digestif with poised acidity to balance the sweetness.
Purlai Gold is 12% abv and has residual sweetness of 110g/l, which is roughly in-between a typical Tokaiji and Icewine.
Bottled in sleek, heavy bottomed 37.5cl bottles and sealed with branded corks, Purlai Gold makes a great addition to the dinner table with a lovely English cheeseboard or fresh fruit salad.
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