Innocent Bystander Watermelon Spritz 750mL Sparkling Wine

Winemaking Notes
The Innocent Bystander Watermelon Spritz is made with perfectly ripened grapes and a naturally derived watermelon flavour, showcasing the winemaking team's commitment to creating refreshing, approachable wines that don't compromise on quality. Harvested in the cool of night to preserve freshness and aromatics, the fruit undergoes six hours of skin contact to aid colour retention before being chilled and crushed with a long, slow ferment in 100% stainless steel to maintain the vibrant fruit characters. A small addition of watermelon flavouring enhances the natural fruit expression, creating the burst of aromas including freshly cut watermelon, green grapes, and lemon rind that define this sparkling wine. The wine undergoes Charmat tank fermentation to retain bubbles, ensuring the full sparkling character is balanced by naturally retained sweetness, before being chilled, filtered, and immediately bottled at 0°C to lock in the crushed ice watermelon slushy taste with a touch of sweetness and great balance. The winemaking philosophy at Innocent Bystander is simple: take the fantastic grapes they've harvested and let their exceptional qualities mature through careful nurturing, with the bottom line being that they don't overwork their wines, treating them gently to ensure their bright fruit characters shine through, and the Watermelon Spritz perfectly embodies this approach with its refreshing taste and delightful flavour.

Production Philosophy & Style
Whilst the Yarra Valley is Innocent Bystander's home and where it all began—with a wine history that dates back well over 100 years and a reputation cemented in the last 15 years largely thanks to the fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay produced there—the team also embraces innovation and creativity in their portfolio, creating wines like the Watermelon Spritz that offer immediate enjoyment and versatility for casual gatherings and summertime celebrations. The soils, climate, and combination of cool mountainside vineyards and warmer valley floor sites that provide the diversity and complexity of flavours and aromas in their Yarra Valley wines also inform their approach to crafting this sparkling watermelon spritz, with the same attention to quality fruit selection and gentle winemaking techniques applied throughout. The perfectly ripened grapes harvested in the cool of night, combined with the long, slow ferment in stainless steel and the Charmat tank fermentation to retain bubbles, result in a wine that is the perfect drink for summertime, with its refreshing taste matched by its delightful flavour. This is a wine designed to be shared with friends, offering mouth-watering fizz that is perfect for cooling down on a hot day, with the crushed ice watermelon slushy taste, touch of sweetness, and great balance creating an irresistible drinking experience that showcases Innocent Bystander's ability to create wines that are both fun and well-crafted.