Shropshire Vineyard launches new white wine made from red grapes

Kerry Vale Vineyard, near Montgomery, loves to challenge convention and said they’re excited to launch their new white wine called ‘Illusion’ made using only red grapes.

When asked how the white wine was made, Vineyard Owner Russell Cooke said: “All grape juice is white, it’s the skins of red grapes that contain the dark pigment. If the juice is separated from skins after being pressed, it remains white. Only by leaving juice in contact with red skins during fermentation does it become dark."

When making their aptly named ‘Illusion’ wine, rather than extracting flavours and colours from the red grape skins, Kerry Vale Vineyard decided to limit contact with the skins, resulting in a really interesting and delicious white wine.

Russell added: “Making white wine from red grapes is not as unusual as people might think. In fact, most of the traditional Champagnes are made this way – using both red and white grapes."

The Rondo grapes used to create ‘Illusion’ make up a third of Kerry Vale Vineyards crop and are an incredibly versatile grape. They can be transformed to create not just red wine, but white, rosé, and sparkling wine. It is the winemaking methods and the production processes that determine the little red grapes fate.

“This is an exciting new product and a very welcome addition to the Kerry Vale range," Russell added.

Visit www.kerryvalevineyard.co.uk to book onto a tour or find out more.