# Natália (2023)

- **Producer:** Strekov 1075
- **Colour:** rosé
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Merlot
- **Region:** Južnoslovenská, Slovakia
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 6–8 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, strawberry, stone fruit, herbaceous, biscuit, bread

## About this wine

Strekov 1075 is led by Zsolt Sütő in Southern Slovakia. The producer name honors the year 1075, marking the earliest written record of winemaking in the village of Strekov. Farmed under organic certification, the estate focuses on low-intervention practices and traditional techniques. Natália is an unusual expression of Merlot crafted into a naturally sparkling pét-nat from a single 0.6-hectare parcel planted in 2018 on clay-loam and calcareous loess soils.

## Interesting facts

- The number 1075 references both the first historical record of wine in Strekov and the winery street address.
- While Merlot is typically associated with full-bodied dry red wines, here it is transformed into a sparkling pet-nat rosé.
- The wine is made with zero added sulfites and bottled naturally without fining or filtration.

## Food pairing

The energetic effervescence and high acidity of this sparkling pét-nat cut effortlessly through rich fats found in charcuterie and pork, while the pure berry fruit profile complements fresh tomatoes, soft cheeses, and mild spice without overwhelming the food.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested Merlot grapes undergo spontaneous primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks driven exclusively by ambient native yeasts without temperature control. Before primary fermentation completes, the wine is gravity-bottled under crown cap in September 2023 with natural residual sugar to finish fermentation inside the bottle via the ancestral method. Unfined and unfiltered, the wine was disgorged in January 2024 with zero added sulfites.