Winemaking
Chenin Blanc makes an excellent base wine for sparkling as it has good acidity. The base wine is fermented to dryness in stainless steel tanks, before blending and the addition of a little extra yeast and enough sugar for this yeast to turn into alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is trapped inside the bottle creating the sparkle. Some older, 'reserve' wines are added at the blending stage to a create a wine of superior complexity and consistent style regardless of the year in which it is bottled.