‘Willow’ Perlant-Natural “affordable housing for yeast and bacteria”
As with our menu, our wine list at Published is constantly evolving; we focus on sourcing low intervention wines that tell the story of a passionate winemaker. This month we’re welcoming onto our list the delicious Willow from Guelph Ontario’s “ibi”, a wine project by the team at Revel Cider. Willow is a lightly sparkling, glittery pét-nat that is based on 75% Seyval Blanc, 25% Muscat Ottonel and 5% pear juice. Both grapes are fermented on their skins for 5-7 days to pull out beautiful colour and aromatics, then the pear juice is added at bottling to create a small amount of natural bubbles through in-bottle fermentation. Bottled without any sulfur additives, this beverage brings the funk, alongside notes of Meyer lemon, Bosc pear, dried pineapple, apple blossom, elderflower, and fresh sea air.
Revel started as a cidery in 2014 born from a love of fermentation (something we at Published are also big fans of, whether in the kitchen or behind the bar). Founder, Tariq Ahmed is making some of the most exciting wines in the country. He started his journey into cider and wine making by experimenting with native yeast fermentation, allowing everything to ferment with the organisms indigenous to the fruit and within the cidery. The characterful native yeast fermentations found in ibi wines explore the endless flavours Ontario has to offer. Ibi’s winemaking combines farm-grown and foraged fruits, discovering what the fermentation process yields, and aiming to bring out the best of each ingredient.
These wines are untethered, and wild! With an expansive and diverse menu like ours, we’re often looking for wines that can be adaptable. We’ve added Revel’s Willow to the list because it fits that notion.
When you join us next, try it with the torched yellowtail, iceberg wedge salad or fried maitake mushrooms. While many of the flavours of our dishes are wildly different, this wine holds up to a diverse array of dishes and brings out the best in our cuisine.
