The call of the wild draws some to don hiking books and head into the wilderness; for others, it’s hunting wild animals. Other wine-makers eschew this approach and opt for "wild yeast" fermentations. Left to their own devices, the wild (natural) yeasts in the environment will initiate fermentation of grape juice, with many, many different yeast strains being part of the process. I recently had the opportunity to taste through "Seven Wild Years" of Greywacke wild sauvignon with wine-maker Kevin Judd, who many will remember from his long career with Cloudy Bay. Kevin makes a range of stylish wines under his Greywacke label, but early experimentation with wild yeast techniques at Cloudy Bay led to a passion for his Wild Sauvignon (blanc), which offers a completely different take on the variety from what we are used to.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 04, 2017 18:11 UTC