Waterkloof Astraeus Méthode Cap Classique Brut

The grapes were hand-picked at a rather low sugar level to preserve the fresh acidity in the berries. On arrival at the winery, the grapes were cooled overnight and the following morning they were pressed in the traditional basket press to ensure gentle extraction of the juice. The first alcoholic fermentation took place spontaneously in pre-loaded oak barrels, i.e. only by the yeast naturally present in the environment and on the fruit. In oak barrels the wine spent 9 months on the yeast, whereupon the wine was filled onto the bottle and the bottle was closed with a crown cap. In the bottle, the second fermentation was completed and the wine then matured in the bottle for a period of two years. After the degorgement, the wine was sealed with a cork and matured for another 6 months under cork before being released for consumption.