Le Rosé de May

Chicken or niçoise salad, salmon, feta and spinach tartelettes

Following harvest 2021 the conditions were cool and dry, leading to later leaf fall than usual. Budding was even but occurred 7 days later than for the previous vintage. Continued low temperatures in spring, meant that flowering was delayed by 10 days. Significant rainfall had a challenging effect on flowering and berry set. Moderate temperatures throughout the early summer ensured a balanced growth. January and February were marked by dry and hot weather spell, with multiple heat spikes occurring over this period. However, even with those spikes, we did not see a significant acceleration in ripening. The yields were small but of high quality, and picking had to be timed carefully to ensure freshness in the resulting wines.

The grapes are gently, whole-bunch pressed at low pressure to achieve a lighter colour. The juice is transferred to a stainless-steel fermenter. Spontaneous fermentation (wild ferment/indigenous yeasts) takes place with no other additions and at a moderate temperature. Post fermentation, addition of Honeybush tannins is made to protect the wine and act as an antioxidant. The wine will go through partial malolactic fermentation before being left on its lees until bottling takes place to enhance the mouthfeel. There is no addition of sulphur at any stage of the process.

Winemaker Dirk and assistant Lehandri endeavour to make Glenelly wines as naturally as possible with wild yeast fermentation and little to no acidification. The team follows a minimal intervention approach to winemaking yet intensive sorting and care is taken when receiving the grapes. We use France’s most recognised coopers (mostly from Taransaud, Boutes and Sylvain) to ensure a gentle and precise elevage, preserving the identity of the terroir of Glenelly. Hygiene is of utmost importance in the cellar and a combination of both hot water and ozonated water is used for cleaning.