Pilgrim Wines Viura 2024
R1,140.00 CASE OF 6
These 200 vines sit on ancient riverbed of about 4 meters deep. Combined with the rich, fertile silt deposits of this old-world flood plain which is the Breedekloof Valley, the vines are robust and thrive, producing fruit that perfectly accents their heritage and terroir.
Tasting Notes
Viura is a white wine grape that has its origin in Spain, where it is well known and widely planted varietal in mainly the regions of Rioja and Catalonia. It is also known as Macabeo and also widely planted in the southern regions of France.
The vines yield generous amounts of big grape clusters, bigger berries with a thicker tough skin. Viura tends to manage drought stress extremely well, which makes it well suited for drier, warmer climates.
Known for its versatility in still, sparkling (think Cava), dry and sweet wines, the taste of Viura is seen universally as a fresh, floral and aromatic wine when harvested early and aged without oak. When harvested late, aged in oak, it tends to be weighty, honeyed and nutty.
The 2024 growing season offered a diverse mix of weather patterns. We experienced a particularly wet spring (September 2023 was the wettest September in 50 years!), which kept us on our toes managing vine health and mildew prevention. As summer arrived, warm and dry conditions prevailed, allowing our grapes to ripen beautifully. This combination of weather has resulted in exceptional grape quality, with an ideal balance of sugars and acidity.
After a combination of whole-bunch and freshly destemmed grapes, the press was initiated to separate the skins from the juice immediately. A very important difference from earlier years is – no extended skin contact.
Fermentation began and concluded naturally, and maturation took place in those same barrels for 3 months in total, after which the wine was racked and bottled, with minimal intervention.
Bottled on the 30th of May 2024
Color: Light golden hue with a green tinge
Nose: Sweet Jasmin and lemon blossom perfume present, with more saline, tilled earth notes waiting in the background.
Pallet: Light, elegant and focused, with a big flinty mineral-like appearance, linear and present. Some sweet fruit, with supporting earthy, wet stone development. We purposely picked early, as we wanted more focus being put on the saline, minerally focused aspect of this wonderful light Mediterranean grape, and to highlight the flavor expressions that are different from the norm in this very exciting variety called Viura.
Alc: 11.5 %
RS: 1.6 g/l
pH: 3.22
TA: 5.8 g/l
VA: 0.35 g/l
Sesame crusted trout on rice noodles with an Asian broth
Recipe, food preparation and text: Ilse van der Merwe.
Photography: Tasha Seccombe.
Styling: Nicola Pretorius & Tasha Seccombe.
