De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2018 Is The Perfect Wine For Summer

De Krans Wines, traditionally well-known for their port-style wines, has successfully made a name for themselves in recent years with producing exceptional Portuguese dry wines (including the Tritonia Calitzdorp Blend, which recently won the Trophy for Best Red Blend at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show for the second time). In addition, they have also produced innovative wines such as their Premium Moscato Perlé and their classic varietal range, which includes a Free Run Chenin Blanc, Wild Ferment Chardonnay, Pinotage Rosé and Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon.

While Chenin Blanc is the fastest growing cultivar in SA, The ABC (anything but chardonnay) movement seemed to have slowed down as wine producers have been experimenting with many different styles of Chardonnay. It is important to remember the versatility of the cultivar and that instead of giving it a skip altogether, rather find a style of chardonnay that suits your palate – be it drenched in oak, sur-lie, unwooded, fruity, lighter in style, or very crisp with high acidity.

The De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2018 is one of these wines. The name ‘Wild Ferment’ not only gives the wine a boutique feel, but also highlights the specific winemaking process. No yeast is added to the wine and the spontaneous fermentation allows for a slower fermentation process, which in turn results in a more complex wine. Once the fermentation is completed, the wine is racked and kept on its fine lees for a further 6 months before bottling. This unwooded Chardonnay has lovely notes of citrus and butterscotch on the nose and boasts, with full mouth flavours of lime, grapefruit and creamy butterscotch on the palate. The wine also has a refreshing acidity, which is well balanced with the fruit flavours.

The De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay was also recently awarded a spot in the Top 5 Chardonnay’s at the inaugural 2019 Best Value Chardonnay tasting, convened by Christian Eedes and as published on Winemag.co.za. The competition aimed to find the best quality chardonnay between the price points of R60 and R100. At R73 (RRP) per bottle, the De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay is the ideal everyday white with the creamy and fruity character allowing for a smooth transition between spring and summer. This wine is ideally paired with most kinds of pasta and pizzas, with firm fleshed fish such as tuna and yellowtail, or a Sunday braai Chicken.