Sweet late harvest wine with rich flavours of melon, cinnamon and apple cake. Made from Gewürztraminer and Moscato grapes

Aruna is an enchanting sweet wine. It combines the most delicious flavours from two noble aromatic grapes –  Gewürztraminer and Moscato. These two grapes are famous for their vibrant aromas of tropical fruits. As this wine is made in the passito method, the grapes are dried to concentrate the flavours even more to create an almost magical taste.

Late harvest

Gewürztraminer grapes ripen fully by late September. Othmar Donà, the Kellermeister (winemaker) at Kurtatsch, harvests his in the first week of December – leaving the grapes to dry on the vine for just over two months. During that time, the grapes lose two thirds (!) of their weight, as the water evaporates and the juice becomes concentrated. His Moscato grapes are also kept on the vine for as long as possible, but are picked earlier as they have a thin skin and are susceptible to rot. Harvest takes place in mid-November, after which the grapes are dried for two to four weeks under the winery’s roof.

Winemaking

The grapes are crushed and the free-run juice is left in contact with the skins for twenty hours to extract more delightful flavours and add texture. The wine is then fermented in stainless steel vats. The length of the fermentation depends on the vintage, and how concentrated the level of sugar in the berries is. If the concentration is very high, Othmar ferments for up to 45 days to convert sugar into alcohol. If the concentration isn’t too high, he stops fermentation after 25 days; when the level of sugar and alcohol is optimal. Once the level of alcohol reaches 12-13%, Othmar chills the wine to stop fermentation, and puts it into barriques for ageing.

The wine is aged for twelve months in four year old 225-litre French oak barriques. In here, its colour deepens to a rich gold, and the wine develops complex flavours and aromas of dried fruit.

Tasting notes

Vivid golden colour. The wine has prominent aromas of pear, Galia melon, elderflower and quince, interlaced with notes of apple cake, cinnamon, and dried apricots. In the mouth, this wine is lusciously sweet, with a pleasant texture and a medium body, medium acidity, a low level of alcohol and a long finish. A true delight!

Wine Geek’s verdict: this wine is out of this world. What more can I say?

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2018 – Bronze Medal (2016 vintage) | Robert Parker – 92 pts (2016 vintage) | Luca Maroni – 98 pts (2016 vintage) | I Vini di Veronelli – 3 stars (2017 vintage) | Falstaff – 90 pts (2016 vintage) | Mundus Vini – Gold Medal (2016 vintage)