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What we love about Wenzel is ...well…everything! First and foremost is that he makes pure, delightfully clean natural wine. Second is his story, that of a passionate, successful winemaker who had a philosophical revelation. A natural winemaker’s job is to cultivate vitality he says. “I call natural wine the product of pure, unadulterated fermented grape juice. Organic farming is simply the prerequisite.” Michael stopped using any synthetic pesticides and began to rely entirely on native yeasts. “Natural yeasts are - and it took me a long time to realize this - the real winemakers. My responsibility as a winemaker is to respect nature.” They removed all metal from their vineyard. Each vine now has wooden support tied with a natural, biodegradable hemp ribbon. They began to prune their vines short, lower to the ground, so nutrients travel more easily into the vine. Their vines are densely planted to foster healthy competition increasing phenolics and keeping sugar levels low. Michael says this creates a more “harmonious” and balanced wine. “Good natural wine is not filling. There are many wines that you have had enough of after one glass. Natural wine ... has to be light and drinkable.”
Wenzel's pale gold, lovely Furmint shows all the historic characteristics of this indigenous grape: fresh-picked apples, ripe quince, and a hint of lemon. Succulent with a refreshingly crisp and mineral finish. The Furmint comes from 3 sites dotting the Ruster hill chain above Lake Neusiedl in the historic town of Rust in Burgenland. The vineyards were replanted 30 years ago and their easterly orientation means ripening is slow and continuous and results in desired sugar levels with impeccable phenolics and complexity. The soils mainly consist of slate crystals and gneiss particles with quartz. The grapes were hand-picked over time in several passes and put straight into the press without crushing or destemming. The free run and lightly pressed juice was cold-settled for 48 hours before being racked and inoculated with a neutral yeast strain selection from a biodynamic treated habitat. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks on the fine yeast lees until bottling. Minimal sulfur use.