by Thistledown, Cloud Cuckoo Land, Greco Fiano Zibibbo, Riverland, South Australia, 2023

Producer Profile

by Thistledown is all about good, clean fun. Working hand-in-hand with their merry (in a good season) band of growers, they craft wines of supreme quality without taking it too seriously.

Their ethos is great fruit, grown by great people and made with love in the sure knowledge that wine is about the good times – delicious food and great memories. Founded by Giles Cooke MW and Fergal Tynan MW, who also make the Thistledown wines, ‘mundane’ is simply not in their DNA: being involved in every stage of the winemaking process, from bud burst to bottling, means that every bottle from by Thistledown is an experience you’ll want to savour again and again.

Viticulture

Trellised and spur pruned, minimal irrigation to reduce vigour and some shoot thinning to control yield.

Winemaking

Hand-picked before gentle de-stemming and crushing. Greco & Zibibbo were held on skins for 24 hours. Cool fermented separately followed by maturation on lees.

Tasting Note

Cloud Cuckoo Land is an imaginary state of absurd over optimism – something that all those at Wild & Wilder are often accused of. Indeed, not so long ago, if they had said that we wanted to make high quality, low intervention wines made from Mediterranean varieties in the Riverland, Cloud Cuckoo land is exactly where people would have said that they lived! But, they believe that anything is possible if you don’t see the obstacles, you challenge the “received wisdom” and resist the naysayers. Cloud Cuckoo Land is for everyone who feels the same. A vibrant, textural white with hints of almond blossom, quince and ripe pear. Tangy, almost exotic but pithy and delicious.