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 Huw and Dale Morris are partners in a winemaking venture called Wild Hogge. Huw lived in Bermuda for almost 27 years, and worked as an anaesthetist at the King Edward VIIth Memorial Hospital. For the last 25 years on the Island he was the president of The Bermuda Wine Circle, a wine tasting group which started off with about 35 members and grew to over 200 members meeting once a month to taste wines from around the world. Wild Hogge came into being in 2005 when they moved from Bermuda to the east side of Paso Robles on the Central Coast of California. They live in an area surrounded by vineyards and decided to make wine from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on a south facing hill nearby. The vineyard produces about 3 tons per acre of grapes, which result in a wine with concentrated fruit flavors, and soft tannins. Local conditions during the ripening phase result in afternoon temperatures in excess of 100 deg. F, but cooled by Pacific Ocean breezes, to the mid 60s F at night. These conditions are ideal for producing ripe fruit with high sugars, resulting in a wine with about 15% alcohol content. The label is based on a watercolor by the American artist Winslow Homer who visited the island of Bermuda on several occasions at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The painting on the label here is called 'Bermuda Settlers 1901', and depicts the wild pigs that originally inhabited the Island. Bermuda lies in the Atlantic ocean about 650 miles east of North Carolina and is surrounded by coral reefs. In the 1500s, some of the sailing ships traversing the Atlantic got too close to the island and became shipwrecked on the reefs. The pigs they had on board, as a source of fresh meat, were able to swim ashore and became the first 'residents' of Bermuda. The Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez first sighted the Island around 1505, but considered it too insignificant to explore. Subsequent mariners who sailed by were frightened away by the footprints of the cloven hoof made by the hogs, and Bermuda was for some time called the Isle of Devils. The English Admiral, Sir George Somers, on his way to Jamestown Virginia in 1609, was shipwrecked on the Island during a hurricane, and the survivors became the first colonists of Bermuda. The news of Sir George Somers adventures reached London, and in 1610 Shakespeare wrote his play 'The Tempest', based on the Island. Today, the one cent coin of Bermuda depicts the head of Queen Elisabeth II on one side, and the 'Wild Hogge' on the other. It is known on the Island as a hogpenny, and a version of it is depicted on top of the capsule of Wild Hogge wine. 2005 WILD HOGGE The weather conditions in 2005 were close to perfect, with warm days extending into mid October when the grapes were harvested at optimum ripeness. Fermentation was carried out in one ton bins and lasted 10 days, after which the grapes were pressed and the wine matured in French oak barrels (40% new oak and 60% neutral). After 2 yrs. in the barrel, the wine was bottled, and will be ready for release in August 2008. This first vintage has a deep, red colour with a powerful bouquet reminiscent of berry fruit and forest floor. It has a great texture with soft, rounded tannins and plenty of rich flavours. This full body should last well into the next ten years. 2006 WILD HOGGE After a very hot summer, the fall was rather cool and the sugar levels didn't reach ripeness until October, allowing plenty of time for the tannins to mellow out. The wine spent 18 months in the barrel before bottling in April 2008. At bottling, the wine showed good colour, slightly more acidity than 2005, giving it a bright quality that enhances the fruit flavours. It should be ready for release at the end of 2008. Copyright© Wild Hogge 2008 Design by Gayle Force Design |
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