Harvest

Hand harvested on April 29th , 2008. Selected fruit only. All clusters had significant botrytis. Hand sorted and whole cluster pressed using a very long press cycle.

• Brix: 47

• TA: 9.75g/l

• pH: 3.11

Yield was very low but as the fruit was selected we don’t know how low – total yield from that block was 4 T/ Ha or 1.6 T/ac.

Cellar & Bottling

Fermented very slowly in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts for ten months. Chilled. Sterile filtered.

Bottled on April 4th, 2009.

• RS: 306 g/l

• TA: 8.2 g/l

• pH: 3.29

• Alcohol: 6.6%

Wine

A spring frost in October gave us some concerns but a warm summer gave a good fruit set. Autumn rains meant there was significant botrytis in our Riesling. As a result of the botrytis this is the highest brix level we have ever recorded at Muddy Water.

We rarely move our wine and when possible movements are by gravity or pressure to reduce the effect of pumping. This wine will benefit from decanting about half an hour before serving.

To ensure quality and uniformity this wine is a single batch bottled under a screw cap closure. We regard bottle and batch variation as unacceptable “things of the past”.

Organic – Since 2007 Muddy Water’s estate vineyards have been farmed organically – we will achieve full organic certification in 2010.

The Riverina Winemakers Association Inc. is proud to present Muddy Water Wines with the GOLD AWARD for its exhibition of the 2008 Muddy Water Sugar Daddy Riesling in the 2009 INTERNATIONAL SWEET WINE CHALLENGE.

"Controlled decadence,"  I jotted down after tasting the 2008 vintage of the Waipara winery's first 'fully botrytised' sweet wine.  Hand-picked at 47 brix and fermented with indigenous yeasts for over 10 months, it has just 6.6% alcohol.  Pale gold/slight amber, with a richly honeyed bouquet and intense, apricot-like flavours, it has a powerful botrytis influence and enough acidity to balance its advanced level of sweetness  (306 grams/litre of residual sugar).  Already delicious, it should be long-lived."  *****

Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines,  2011

"A nerve-wracking name for any middle-aged wine reviewer! Muddy Water's first 'sticky' is sweet, unctuous and utterly indulgent. This wine is golden in colour and oozes honey, caramel and candied fruit. We matched it with a Black Boy peach crumble and I can't think of a better winter/spring pairing."

Avenues, September 2010


"Nose: Sweet apricot and apple conserve with creamy white honey and light marmalade notes. Palate: Sweet and juicy with potent acidity and honeyed stone fruit flavours. Delightful balance, sweet and mouth-watering finish."

Cameron Douglas, July 2010 - Hospitality Magazine


"This is the Grand Daddy of sweet wine with a whopping 300 g/l of residual sugar. The bouquet is beautifully perfumed displaying honey, roasted nut, beeswax and marmalade characters. It's exceptionally concentrated and sweet on the palate with creamy texture, lovely weighted mid palate and well balanced acidity. The finish is almost endless with luscious sweetness and a textured mouthfeel. My goodness, this is one of those life changing experiences. 5 Stars out of 5. 97/100 - Exceptional quality exhibiting highest level of concentration and complexity."

Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit


"Lusciously golden, this sweet wine suggests pure lime and citrus with background notes of dried apricots, honey and raisings from the botrytis. It's concentrated and unctuously sweet, but with a lovely purity and a clean finish. It will develop with a few years bottle age."

Charmian Smith, August 2009 - Otago Daily Times


"A super sweet and very rich dessert wine showing masses of honey and caramel botrytis characters that all but swamp varietal influence. A concentrated wine from grapes the composition of which was nearly 50 per cent sugar at harvest. 95/100."

Gourmet Traveller Wine, July 2010