The Sauce Subscription - August '25
Don't cry because it's nearly over, smile because it happened. August is the last full month of Summer, so we wanted to highlight the last of the Summer wines.
For the August edition of the Whole Bunch Wines Sauce Subscription, we’ve scoured the globe and covered five continents to find wines that we feel are quintessentially summery. Packed full of fresh flavours and often a lingering acidity to provide a palpably refreshing quality. Make hay while the sun shines!
Many of these wines aren't regulars on our shelves, so if you'd like to see some of these in the future, please let us know! We always make sure that our subscribers receive new and exciting wines each and every month.
Red Wine
Trinity Hills Hawke's Bay Pinot Noir [£31]
Trinity Hill Hawke's Bay Pinot Noir is still wonderfully acidic, with limited yet velvety tannins. It is also still bursting with red fruit flavours. However, the high percentage of gravel soil has really aided ripening which provides the wine with strong black fruit and spiced flavours.
Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage [£18]
Ken Forrester Vineyards are an icon of the South African wine industry that have been going since 1689. The Petit range emphasises the fresh and fruity. To further accentuate the vibrant fruit flavours, it remains unoaked. Although, you'll still get hints of smoke and spice integrated into this wine.
Plantagenet Three Lions Pinot Noir [£28]
The Plantagenet winery owns 126 hectares of vineyards in the Great Southern wine region. Their Pinot Noir delivers an abundance of bramble fruits with a touch of toasty oak to give a bit more body, complexity and texture.
Bogle Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel [£30]
An icon in the world of American wine. Bogle has established a reputation for expertly crafted and reasonably priced wines, particularly when compared to the rest of California. This old vine Zinfandel is rich, ripe and will certainly keep you coming back for more.
Chateau du Coudray Montpensier Chinon [£23.50]
A classic Loire Valley Cab Franc from 10 year old vines in the esteemed Chinon appellation. Bright and vibrant, full of notes of cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry, along with touches of blackcurrant leaf and liquorice.
Kanakaris Agiorgitiko [£27]
Michalis Kanakaris founded his eponymous winery in 1979, in the Aigialeia region of north-west Peloponnese. All grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted, before arriving at the winery in small crates. Look for notes of coffee, tobacco, dark chocolate and black fruits.
Frédéric Berne Beaujolais Lantignié [£25.50]
Classic Beaujolais - need we say more? Light, approachable and absolutely mouth-watering. This is delightfully crisp and can benefit from 30 minutes in the fridge. You'll note the affects of whole bunch fermentation in this wine, as it has some notes of bubblegum. Beyond that, you'll also get a plethora of red fruit flavours.
White Wine
Giustiniana Terre Antiche Gavi di Gavi [£23]
Another Piedmontese classic - Gavi di Gavi. The grapes are gently pressed, before undergoing fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel. The lemon yellow colour will imbue you with notes of lime, lemon, bergamot, underripe white peach and a mineral finish.
Pacheco Pereda Estirpe Chardonnay [£21]
Whole Bunch Wines loves Chardonnay, but Burgundy is played out, so we're off to Mendoza. Malbec move aside. Fresh and fruity, but around 15% of the wine does go through oak ageing, in a combination of 500 litre French oak and 3500 litre foudres for four months which adds a lovely, rich texture to this really exciting and vibrant wine.
Weingut Sattlerhof Südsteiermark [£32.50]
Austria may be Grüner country, but so many premium white wines exist in this fine country. For this wine, we're shining a light on Austrian Sauvignon Blanc. Once the grapes reach the vineyard, they undergo a 12 hour period of maceration on their skins prior to gentle pressing and fermentation with indigenous yeasts, in large stainless steel tanks, which preserve delicate floral notes. Yet, you'll also note flavours of yellow bell pepper, white pear, white grapefruit, lemon juice and red apple.
Kaiken Método Tradicional Brut [£23]
Did someone say Traditional Method fizz from the Mendoza icon Kaiken?! We did! This blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is simply sensational. A cool fermentation occurs for the base wine, before the wine is bottle-fermented, (the same process is used for Champagne), for 30 days and left on the lees for two years which really pushes up the complexity and structure of this elegant, racy and thoroughly delicious sparkling wine.
Amalaya White Blend [£18.50]
Last up, an Argentinian classic. No, it's not Malbec. This white wine, which is a blend of Torrontés and Riesling, punches well above the price-tag. Grown at altitude, this wine maintains a palpable freshness and crisp acidity. Fermentation is carried out slowly and at low temperatures, with selected yeasts, to preserve the varietal notes of the Torrontés and Riesling grapes. The wine then just spends 3 months in stainless steel and 2 months in the bottle before being released. Fresh and pure fun.
Kanaan Winery Ningxia Riesling [£40]
Kanaan Winery sits in close relation to the Ningxia Helan Mountains in China. It is a wonderfully refreshing example of this much-loved grape variety. It delivers a full-bodied punch that provides you with notes of juicy citrus fruits, white flowers, green tea and a hint of petrol, (as good Riesling tends to do).
Don't Miss Out!
Make sure to check out our wine tastings and monthly wine club, if you want to try great wines like the ones mentioned in this blog post. Links below:
- Manchester Wine Tastings & Events
-
Sauce Subscription (Monthly Wine Club)
- 50% Off Your First Box