# No Alibi (2024)

- **Producer:** Kapitel Zwei
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner
- **Region:** Niederösterreich, Austria
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, pear, peach, lemon, grapefruit, blossom, ginger, bread, brioche, butter

## About this wine

Kapitel Zwei is an innovative Austrian wine project focused on pushing boundaries and redefining traditional regional styles. Based in Niederösterreich, the estate embraces low-intervention, natural winemaking philosophies. The 'No Alibi' bottling represents a daring, unconventional blend of Austria's signature Grüner Veltliner with Chenin Blanc—a grape variety rarely seen in Austrian soils. This project highlights a new chapter of modern Austrian viticulture, focusing on biodiversity, soil health, and stylistic freedom.

## Interesting facts

- Chenin Blanc is highly unusual in Austria, making this blend an incredibly rare experimental offering for the Niederösterreich region.
- The name 'No Alibi' playfully asserts that this unconventional, rule-breaking blend stands entirely on its own quality without needing an excuse.
- Kapitel Zwei translates to 'Chapter Two', representing the winemakers' personal and professional evolution into low-intervention natural wines.

## Food pairing

The high natural acidity of both Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc cuts effortlessly through rich, fatty dishes like pork belly or fried schnitzel. Meanwhile, the subtle yeast-derived texture from lees aging allows the wine to stand up to creamy risottos and soft cheeses without being overshadowed.

## Wine making process

The grapes for No Alibi are hand-harvested from sustainably managed vineyards in Niederösterreich. In the cellar, the winemaking team practices minimal intervention. The grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation using native yeasts in a combination of stainless steel tanks and neutral oak casks. To preserve the vibrant fruit character and natural texture, the wine is aged on its fine lees for several months before being bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal sulfur additions.