The 2021 Astro Bunny started to attract attention from mainstream press and commercial channels, being highlighted as Wine of the Week on Jancis Robinson’s website in May, who called it ‘Utterly frivolous”. and being the first Australian pét-nat brand to be listed by The Wine Society in the UK. The revolution starts here…
Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Riverland
Zibibbo 30%, Fiano 26%, Arneis 24% Nero d’Avola 17%, Mataro 3%
“A cult classic of the minimal intervention scene” – @LoveTillyDevine
HOW IT TASTES
Nectarine orange colour with explosive peachy, floral aromas. Frothy and foaming bubbles deliver mouthfuls of pink grapefruit and zingy cut-lime fruit with a smashable watermelon wetness providing great gluggability. She’s fun! Chill down, shake well before opening, serving suggestion: beach or bus, 2 people 10 minutes.
Now available in magnums! “TOO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON, NOT ENOUGH FOR TWO”
HOW WE MADE IT
The 2021 vintage in South Australia delivered near perfect conditions for growing beautifully balanced, ripe grapes,. As is often the case in exceptional vintages, yields were also good as the vines were happy and healthy. The Nero d’Avola was hand harvested on 6th March, Mataro on the 29th, the Fiano and Arneis on March 2nd and the Zibibbo on March 9th.
The Zibibbo was given 24 hours pre-ferment skin contact to extract greater aromatics, the Nero and Mataro were taken from the press after just a few hours to provide colour, then co-fermented with the Fiano and Arneis. Interestingly the wine always goes into bottle a bright candy pink colour which transforms into the classic peachy orange over winter, a result of us not using any sulphur so the brighter red and pink colour compounds fall out of solution. After eight years of making the Astro Bunny we’re pretty happy with how it works out and don’t meddle too much with a winning recipe.
The wine is bottled with 12 g/L residual sugar and completes its fermentation in the bottle over the winter becoming fully dry and resulting in a final pressure of around 3 bar, producing a gentle foam rather than an aggressive fizz. Wild yeast, no adds, no filtration, no fining, zero sulphur = 100% natural goodness.
GEEK SPEAK
12% ABV sugar 00.0 g/lt free S02 0.00 mg/lt total SO2 3mg / l
pH 3.81 titratable acidity 4.3 g/lt
11,515 bottles and 400 magnums produced
Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Riverland
Nero d’Avola 48% Mataro 23%, Fiano 10%, Zibibbo 10%, Arneis 9%
HOW IT TASTES
Hazy rose petal pink, a riot of cherry aromas with a frothy palate bursting with pomegranate, blood orange and spice. The palate is tangy with the snap, crackle and pop of Nero acidity and a mouthwatering freshness from the Arneis and Fiano. Serve cold, no need to shake before opening, made for park drinking and pizza.
Now available in magnums! “TOO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON, NOT ENOUGH FOR TWO”
HOW WE MADE IT
The 2021 vintage in South Australia delivered near perfect conditions for growing beautifully balanced, ripe grapes,. As is often the case in exceptional vintages, yields were also good as the vines were happy and healthy. The Nero d’Avola was hand harvested on 6th March, Mataro on the 29th, the Fiano and Arneis on March 2nd and the Zibibbo on March 9th.
All the fruit was harvested in the cool of the early morning to retain freshness and the fruit was transferred immediately to Lodestone Winery in the Adelaide Hills. The Nero d’Avola and Mataro were fermented with around 50% whole bunch for twenty four hours before being pressed off skins to achieve the hazy, rose petal colour. We’ve been refining the style of the Piggy Pop over the last few years and felt confident to introduce a proportion of white grapes for the first time this year. Not only does this add extra acidity and freshness but it also washes out some tannin without reducing the intense fruit flavours. By making the Piggy as a rosé blend of white grapes and red grapes we think we’ve given it even greater drinkability and a mouthwatering freshness.
The wine is bottled with 12 g/L residual sugar and completes its fermentation in the bottle over the winter becoming fully dry and resulting in a final pressure of around 3 bar, producing a gentle, frothy foam rather than an aggressive fizz. Wild yeast, no adds, no filtration, no fining, zero sulphur = 100% natural goodness.
GEEK SPEAK
13% ABV sugar 00.8 g/lt free S02 0.00 mg/lt total SO2 2mg / l
pH 3.53 titratable acidity 6.1 g/lt
11,785 bottles and 400 magnums produced