The delicate bubbles of sparkling wine have throughout history inspired people to greatness and no less in the production and launch of a de-alcoholised brut-style sparkling wine.
It certainly is no small task to find purposeful innovation and develop it creatively into a selection of wines that portray the complexity, elegance and finesse of a premium wine, without the restrictions of alcoholic content. Since its launch in 2017 with the Savvy White, Lautus has developed a Savvy Red and Rosé to the selection of no-guilt wine that is big on flavour yet low in calories (52 kJ per 100ml) and with less than 0,5% alcohol by volume.
With the most recent development and launch of a sparkling wine, Lautus remains true to its original vision. “The inspiration for creating Lautus is found within wine experience. As much as it is about vineyards, grapes, yeasts and science, the ethos of Lautus lies in the magic of unique wine moments without being restricted by choice, by alcohol content or side effects the next day,” says Reg Holder, creator and owner of Lautus wines.
The inspiration for the fourth addition to the Lautus De-Alcoholised selection echoes through the creative celebration of what is popularly referred to as “bubbly”. It is the bubbles that made Dom Perignon exclaim, “come quickly, I am tasting the stars” and these bubbles still enchant us visually in a combination of abundance and joy.
The Lautus Sparkling showcases pure aromas of white peach, citrus blossom and fresh apple. It is produced in a brut (dry) style and the added sparkle delivers fine lively bubbles that contributes to an elegant finish. This sparkling addition to the Lautus premium selection encapsulate the wonder, significance and creative power of sparkling wine low in alcoholic volume.
“Other than with our still wines, the Charonnday base is left on the fermentation lease for four months prior to racking. During this time, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation that will both add complexity and mouthfeel to the wine. A small portion is then aged in oak for added compexity and a slight toasty, caramelized aroma,” says Reg.
Great care is then taken to work as gently as possible to retain all the beautiful flavours from fermentation. The alcohol removal is done with a spinning cone at low temperatures under vacuum. This technology uses thin fill evaporation created by the rotation of cones in the removal of aroma and alcohol. Removal is done in two passes; during the first pass, 100% of the wine’s volatile flavour and aromatic essence is captured and set aside. During the second pass, the neutral alcohol is removed from the wine. After this the essence from the first pass is added back to the de-alcoholised wine, giving you all the flavour without the restriction alcohol.
Ultimately, combine creativity with cutting edge technology and techniques and you get a sparkling wine of high aromatic complexity and balance. So, pop the cork and toast the approaching silly season with a brut style, de-alcoholised sparkling wine; the guilt-free way.