Wild and Wilder, Cloud Cuckoo Land, Nero Montepulciano, Aglianico, Riverland, Australia, 2022

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

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.

Winemaking

Co-fermented using wild yeasts with gentle hand plunging twice daily before pressing and ageing in older oak for 3 months prior to bottling.

Tasting Note

An unusual blend of varieties but this wine has the characteristic energy you’d expect from Italian reds. Deliciously succulent with smoky, dark cherry fruit, subtle spice and a mouth-watering finish.

Food Matching

Steak and venison, or autumn casseroles