What could be more appropriate? Venerable kiwi winery Selaks Wines is celebrating its 75th birthday with the launch of its first Methode Traditionelle bubbly since 1996.
Chief winemaker Darryl Woolley says the new drop - full name 2006 Winemakers Favourite Methode Traditionelle - is a tribute to Mate Selak's dedication to the style.
He's not kidding. It’s unlikely any vintner would have given more for his vintage than Mate Selak, who virtually put himself in the firing line for his sparkling wine cause.
It was 1973 and Mate had been experimenting with a methode wine for some time.
The experimentation was not without mishap. The Auckland Star newspaper reported that at one stage the Selak winery was like a battlefield of exploding bottles and that Mate severely cut his arm.
Mate‘s experimentation resulted in the release in December 1973 of Selak's first sparkling wine, produced from grapes harvested two years earlier.
The equipment required to make the style didn't exist in New Zealand at the time. Consequently Mate spent a great deal of time perfecting his own systems, adapting corking machines, creating temperature controlled aging rooms and generally getting the secondary fermentation technique perfected.
Originally named ‘Champelle’, the wine was renamed Methode Traditionnelle in the 1990s.
The new 2006 vintage is a sparkling blend of Marlborough Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and reportedly shows bright crisp fruit characters with a rich creamy finish.
Cheers.
