Soljans Fusion Sparkling Muscat

Probably now the best label in this wine category made in New Zealand. Winemaker at Soljans, Mark Compton was part of the team that developed Montana’s ‘Bernadino’, the first ‘serious’ commercial attempt at a genuine Asti Spumante style. Mark has brought his expertise at honing the ‘Fusion’ label for Soljans, and with great success, the wine now a regular high medal winner, in fact taking gold at last year’s Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. Dr Hogg Muscat fruit from a single vineyard on Tucker Road, near Ormond, Gisborne, was picked and processed locally at GisVin to control the all-important skin contact regime. Mark has lowered the alcohol content to 8.0% and taken great care to achieve a natural balance of the 80 g/l residual sugar with 5.8 g/l acidity and a pH of 3.4. It all works remarkably well, and the wine is a true delight. Pale coloured, this has a fineness, firmness, concentration and delicacy not normally found in Muscat wines, which tend to blowsiness. The aromas of florals and minerally-musk entice and allow one to sip without tiring. And unusually, the tightness suggests some ability to develop further in the bottle, say 3-4 years.  RC Jan 10

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