Easter Treat: Natural Selection Semillon Eggs
Happy Easter to all!
This Little Barfly would like to wish you all a wonderful weekend- full family, feasting, and of course, several bottles of wine to enchant your senses ;)
From the Goodie Basket…
In light of this special occasion, which is a very strange celebration of both Religious History and Chocolate-Bearing Bunny Mythology, I’d like to delight you with another seemingly absurdist egg-related bit of wine knowledge.
Short Drum Roll please…
I’d like to introduce you to Natural Selection Theory Semillon Eggs, ’The Egg’ Project of 2010, the brainchild of 4 renowned Australian winemakers – Sam Hughes, Tom Shobbrook, James Erskine & Anton Von Klopper. This project truly challenges both traditional modern methods of winemaking, with the aim of allowing the grape to truly ‘speak’, uninhibited by the influences of the winemaker.
In An Eggshell…
This entrepreneurial process of fermentation involved placing litres of Hunter Valley Semillon into 9 large ceramic large ceramic eggs. The eggs were buried in 3 different types of soil, according to where each of the grapes grew:
- 3 in Quartz Sand
- 3 in Red Clay
- 3 in Limestone
Why eggs you say? According to the winemakers, the egg is the perfect shape, because unlike the barrel, they have no sharp edges which impedes the natural, cyclical motion of the fermentation.
Music also played an interesting role in this process. As the eggs of wine sat fermenting, they were serenaded with different sounds and harmonies, again based on the soils they were buried in. You can ‘listen in’ to these sounds, via the Natural Selection Theory website. (This site also offers an very esoteric description of the Project, which makes for an entertaining read :)
Into the Carton…
When the wine was ready to be ‘hatched’, so to speak, it was bottled in 900mL ceramic eggs, a smaller, corked version of the large eggs. These eggs are available to purchase for a whopping $161.80 each, or a pack of 3 for $399.80. If you’re crazy for Semillon and would like to acquire some, you can order online.
Taste Test…
Not having tried them myself, I can’t personally comment on the taste, but from all accounts these wines are fascinating, energetic, and wildly full of flavour. Hopefully some day I’ll get to try a glass.
Cracking it Open…
The Natural Selection Egg Project, is without a doubt one of the most eclectic winemaking wonders I’ve ever heard of.
Some might say it’s a little too crazy, but I take my hat off to these winemakers who have dared to try something different. My only regret is that these wines are not readily accessible, though I guess this is what contributes to the mythology surrounding the idea.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on these 4 winemakers to see what they come up with in the future!
