A cider/wine hybrid from Anders! The base here is Red Winter apples from a friend’s organic farm, which were pressed directly and fermented in cuve, with the juice finishing fermentation in bottle. The bottles were disgorged at the beginning of April, at which point the cider was topped up with a little Viognier from last year’s harvest at Le Mazel (this juice will become Cuvée Mias, one of the Mazel wines Wayward imports directly). The result is a vinous and delicate take on the genre with fine bubbles and a gentle varietal perfume. A wonderful drink, so suited to spring.
Anders and his family have now settled in the beautiful village of Valvignères in the Ardèche, a beautiful spot amongst a wide, open valley. The many varieties grown here thrive on a perfect mix of clay and limestone and the vineyards are full of life, having been tended organically for decades. As well as his own vineyards, Anders also picks grapes with the Ousrics in Valvignères and further afield with the Bannwarth family in Obermorschwihr, Alsace. In his previous life Anders was both a chef and sommelier, working at the best restaurants in his native Denmark. First as a sommelier at Noma, later opening Manfreds and Relae. This experience informs his winemaking in that he does not seek to follow rules and doesn't feel the need to do the same thing every year. Instead, as he harvests he tastes the grapes and begins to imagine the kind of wine he might be able to make. This refreshingly logical, creative approach yields wines that are truly one of a kind.
