Wild & Wilder, The Courtesan Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, 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

Fruit was sourced from one vineyard in the Southern end of the Valley, close to Auburn. Mature vines and a moderate season combined to ensure that the yields were very low and fruit concentrated.

Winemaking

Vinification, as one might expect with good fruit, is very simple. The grapes are picked in the cool of the morning and rapidly transported to the winery where they are lightly crushed and sent to press. For the Courtesan, we retain only the purest, free-run juice. The wine is fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel to retain fruit profile and the finished wine is aged on its lees for 2-3 months before bottling.

Tasting Note

Capturing all the mouthwatering lime and elderflower character one expects from great Riesling, the Courtesan has a voluptuous palate hinting at grapefruit, ripe melon and quince.

Food Matching

White fish, asian food that include ginger, lemongrass and coriander.