2009 Kalyra Verdelho Sticky Wicket

Verdelho is one of the old world varietals, having it origins on the island of Madeira and in the Duoro regions of Portugal. It has, since the early 1980’s become, increasingly popular in Australia. A few years back, winemaker Mike Brown planted some of thse vines on the property of the Viña de Santa Ynez. This is the first harvest of this fruit. Rather than making a traditional white tale wine, we have made an Eiswein-style dessert wine. As with previous “Sticky Wickets”, the wine is made from frozen juice/grapes. During the freezing process, ice crystals are separated from the juice resulting in rich sugary/syrupy grape juice. This is the starting point for these rare wines.

The finished product is a richly decadent wine, that shows off bright tangy citrus fruit flavors, with subtle notes of honey on the finish. We suggest pairing this with soft cream-based desserts, or just enjoying a glass on its own. Best served chilled.