Dye Bleeding Skin Contact Grenache Gris

Whats this then? SKU is a casual band of happy ferments. A circus tent of the Capes stranger grapes and blends.

We will champion the unfashionable, experiment with the known and express the found before it gets lost. Mistakes are likely, fun certain.

Welcome to Strange Kompanjie, a Kultivar Club for the Underdog.

Strange Kompanjie Unlimited wines are certified as part of South Africas sustainability accreditation, the 'Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.

Grenache Gris,

Harvested from Grenache Gris. Skin fermented (naturally) until dry. The wine was then pressed and matured in 400 litre Ceramic eggs for 7 months.

Considering the skin contact fermentation here, it takes a great deal of skill to produce a wine with such clarity and brightness. Beautifully pale pink in colour, the palate is initially one of fresh strawberries before a very smart pithy finish.

Pairs beautifully with a sunny evening in the garden but if you want food to go with it pork with a fennel crust would be a delight.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight On The White Wines of South Africa blog.

The Dye Bleeding is another fun and singularly unique wine from the ever experimental Strange Kompanjie, SKU. This time the grapes are sourced from the historic ward of Paarl. Paarl is one of the most famous wine regions in the country alongside Stellenbosch and as such, is home to some of South Africa’s oldest and most highly regarded wineries. Many of these wineries are more traditional in terms of their output, but Paarl has a hugely varied topography and terroir and so is becoming somewhat of a playground for experimentation by the younger generations.

Despite the huge variance in terroir around Paarl, as a generalisation, the region is warmer than the coastal areas of Stellenbosch and has soils of poor nutrient content, the result being added concentration in the grapes grown here and a slightly higher focus on “Rhone” varietals such as Syrah and Grenache.

Dye Bleeding is made with a natural mutation of Grenache. This is Grenache Gris, rare and obscure, having very little research done to determine where the grape from or when the natural mutation even occurred. It is safe to assume that Grenache Gris first appeared in the South of France as that is where the majority of it is grown. The grape itself has pinky-grey skins, very similar to Pinot Gris/Grigio, “gris/grigio” meaning grey.

For this wine, SKU have made a skin contact example, the same wine making processes as used for red and orange wines, letting the grape juice ferment in contact with the grape skins. This skin contact leads to colour, tannins and flavour being extracted from the grape skins. Due to the pale pink colour of the grape skins though, this wine sits somewhere between an orange wine and a rose in terms of style and colour. If you have a look at the bottle you can see the exact colour of the wine on the label. When the team at SKU saw it, it reminded them of the disaster when you leave a red sock in your white washing load, this they have leant in to for the wine, “Launderama Drama. Rogue sock. Pink pants,” is your sole description of the wine on the back label.

Beautifully pale pink in colour, the palate is initially one of fresh strawberries before a very smart pithy finish.

Pairs beautifully with a sunny evening in the garden but if you want food to go with it salmon or pork with a fennel crust would be a delight.