Milan Nestarec
Juicy Fruit Chardonnay Pinot Blanc
Morava, Czech Republic
Good fun here. As the name suggests, the wine is suppose to evoke memories of Wrigley’s iconic “Juicy Fruit” gum and while I can see how, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. The gum usually has a synthetic exotic fruit character to it, which I can’t quite identify (jackfruit comes close), while this wine sported more natural passion fruit and mango exoticism. Other notes include dried apricot, orange zest, ginger, spice, and apple cider vinegar. Frankly, it’s all notes quite typically found in orange wines, especially on the nose, but it’s the palate that took a rather unusual turn for me here - instead of being soft, fuzzy, gripping, and cider-ish like in many orange wines, this was bright, zesty, light, and salty. Yum! While the hallmark orange wine softness and light bitterness was still present in the finish, I felt it just helped to round off the wine, making it so easy to drink for the group, who are mostly accustomed to bigger reds. Finished in no time at all. A one on the binary scale for me!
NB: Introducing the wine gang in Kuching to some skinsies! A pat on the back for me on this choice - not too funky or challenging, while still capturing all the idiosyncrasies of orange wines. Plus it’s a win when everyone enjoyed it.
Good fun here. As the name suggests, the wine is suppose to evoke memories of Wrigley’s iconic “Juicy Fruit” gum and while I can see how, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. The gum usually has a synthetic exotic fruit character to it, which I can’t quite identify (jackfruit comes close), while this wine sported more natural passion fruit and mango exoticism. Other notes include dried apricot, orange zest, ginger, spice, and apple cider vinegar. Frankly, it’s all notes quite typically found in orange wines, especially on the nose, but it’s the palate that took a rather unusual turn for me here - instead of being soft, fuzzy, gripping, and cider-ish like in many orange wines, this was bright, zesty, light, and salty. Yum! While the hallmark orange wine softness and light bitterness was still present in the finish, I felt it just helped to round off the wine, making it so easy to drink for the group, who are mostly accustomed to bigger reds. Finished in no time at all. A one on the binary scale for me!
NB: Introducing the wine gang in Kuching to some skinsies! A pat on the back for me on this choice - not too funky or challenging, while still capturing all the idiosyncrasies of orange wines. Plus it’s a win when everyone enjoyed it.