#249 Terracura SMiley White Blend NV

VIDEO CHAPTER INDEX:

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00:00 – INTRO
00:33 – WHAT IS A NON-VINTAGE WHITE BLEND?
02:24 – HOW WAS THE WINE MADE?
03:06 – WHAT IS MADERISED WINE?
03:33 – WHAT IS FLOR WINE?
03:55 – WHAT DOES THE WINE TASTE AND SMELL LIKE?
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POV: DR STRANGE IS A WINEMAKER

The Smiley NV is an absolute #winegeek institution. First vinified by winemaker Ryan Mostert just short of a decade ago, what began as a rather fringe Swartland wine project –  inspired by the hyper-oxidised wines of the Jura in France – has grown into a fascinating vehicle with which to push the boundaries of South African winemaking in a region already renowned for raging against the status quo.
While Mostert began the project, he is no longer involved, and has been replaced by winemaker Chris Groenewald of Pounding Grape Wines. HDS members may remember Grenoenwald’s Bringing Back the Joy Sauvignon Blanc – one of the more original interpretations of the cultivar – or even his odd-but-charming Fairies in the Garden blend as wines that manage to simultaneously intrigue and delight. His work with the latest release of Smiley non-vintage wines continues in this vein.
If you have yet to sign up for your Monthly HanDrinksSolo Wine Subscription then you’ll have to hunt this wine down in your own time. But until then, here are my tasting notes and some technical specs.

TASTING NOTES

👃🏼 Moderate nose of grapefruit, lemon pith, some honeysuckle florals, sea spray, and hay.
👄 Palate is an interesting mix of unripe apricot, white grapefruit, salted nuts, white pepper, and a subtle peep of sweeter peach from beneath the bolder tart and savoury elements.

TECHNICAL SPECS

The blend consists of 86% Chenin Blanc, 14% Grenache Blanc, being blended from components as old as 2016, and as fresh as 2022. Once all is said and done, the wine contains 20% skin contact wine, a small 3% maderised portion, and 1% fermented under flor.
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