Top of the Pops
Our 2020 vintage spontaneous idea (just like BumBumCha was in 2019 – I love to be reminded by the universe that winemaking isn’t about meticulously aligned plans). I was tasting the grapes freshly harvested from our Sahary plot, then my imagination struck, and voilá, an impromptu red sparkler was born.
To be honest, it was probably secretly hatching somewhere in my mind for some time, fuelled by my penchant, or rather obsession to buy Lambrusco each and every time I spot it in Italy. (Full disclosure: even the cheap gas station ones. Can’t help myself.) Not that I’ve always loved their taste – I had some incredible ones and a fair bit of bad bottles too – but I really enjoy the idea of a wine that’s at the same time sparkling, aromatic, and red.
So here we go, say ciao to Senza, our unlikely sparkling blend! First, we carb-macerated Cabernet Sauvignon & Franc grapes, pressed them before the fermentation finished, then we added a bit of Moravian Muscat and Pálava must to get the extra aromatics and local touch, so important to me in all my wines. Bottled under crown caps while still fermenting to keep the fizz and pizzazz, undisgorged and un-anything of c. Red bubbles aren’t an easy gig as one has to work in the tannins, but I hope you’ll second my opinion that this one is quite… sensational?
The name Senza is a nod to the Italian inspiration and the joyful Italodisco vibe I get when I drink the wine. It’s also a multi-lingual pun: it means “lit” in colloquial Czech, and “without” in Italian, referring to both this wine’s no-additives pedigree and its no-worries merry character. To capture all these references, our graphic designer Klára Zápotocká of Studio Breisky came up with an amazing flashy-trashy label that’s part Malibu (when I first saw it, it immediately threw me back to my 90s childhood, afternoons spent watching Lorenzo Lamas in Renegade – very fond memories!), part Bibione (we lovingly call it “the beach towel a weird guy next to you would have in a cheap holiday resort “).
To enjoy this whole so-bad-it’s-good Italo vibe even more, please indulge yourself in this special 5+hour Senza playlist, an eclectic selection of vintage bangers and modern disco versions alike. Tailored for hot summer nights spent drinking ice-cold red bubbles in abundant quantity while dancing to your fave guilty pleasure songs and talking shit with the people you love the most. Senza worries, senza make-up, senza solfiti agguinti.