Bermuda's Grape Expectations write up on our
Wild Hogge wine 'Moongate'; a blend of Primitivo,
Cab Franc and Syrah.
Jade Moon's "Odyssey" is the same blend as our Wild Hogge's "Moongate".
We Haven’t Zinned for a While
Robinson, Michael. "Grape Expectations: We Haven’t Zinned for a While" The Royal Gazette [BDA] 18.09.15 Print
Crljenak Kastelanski is... Zinfandel
Of course I could have said that we haven’t Primitivo-ed (Italian) or Crljenak Kastelanskied (Croatian) for a while, as both are considered the DNA match for the grape that Californians call Zinfandel. Today I will not be writing about the pink version that resulted from a “stuck fermentation” back in 1975 or how it has made rather a fortune for the lucky folks involved. You see, sometimes the process of fermentation will just stop as it did in this case, while quite a bit of sugar remained in the juice, and it had also not absorbed enough tannins from the skins to turn a true red. The winery decided to bottle it as it was and the rest is history!
Wild Hogge Wines
When Huw and Dale Morris left Bermuda a few years ago they settled in Paso Robles, that is now one of the fastest growing wine areas in California and the wines that they make exclusively for our Island are called Wild Hogge. The production, as you can imagine, is very small and only one hundred and sixty eight cases of their 2010 Moongate were made. This is a blend of 75% Primitivo, 12.5% Cabernet Franc and 12.5% Syrah. Primitivo (Zinfandel) gives rich, ripe fruit, Cabernet Franc adds a little black pepper and the Syrah just balances the overall richness.
The wine spent two years maturing in American oak and then another two in bottle before being released. The earthiness, dark berry fruit and blackberry jam would be so good with any lamb dish or rich Italian fare. $39.95 and be sure to check out the Winslow Homer water-colour label of wild hogs on our South Shore and also the foil top with an impression of our hog penny.