2021 Rainbow Berg

This is our first PIWI wine in the book. Souvignier Gris is a cross between Seyval blanc and Zähringer. It’s highly resistant to both powdery and downy mildew, has loose foliage, fairly thick skins to protect against botrytis, and is pink skinned. It’s also really high yielding, so while it doesn’t need any spraying, it does need thinning and the high extract needs to be managed. Planted in the Breg vineyard that rolls over a hill between forested areas, it’s also where after a rain a rainbow is almost guaranteed. Macerated for 10 days on the skins and fermented and aged in acacia barrels, there’s an aromatic edge, plenty of acidity and has this uncanny hard to place but eminently drinkable quality. Ana Roš has been a fan and features it regularly at the famed Hiša Franko restaurant.