Summer just got more fun thanks to wine popsicles

Love an ice-cold glass of bubbly on a hot summer’s day? With the recent launch of Pierre Jourdan wine Popsicles, there’s no need to worry about fitting those fragile champagne flutes in the picnic basket.

Alcohol-based Popsicles have been a runaway success overseas, but the PJ Pops mark the first time a locally produced wine Popsicle has hit the shelves. The fact that they’ve been created with the much-loved wines from Franschhoek estate Haute Cabrière is all the more reason to celebrate.

When the PJ Pops launched last month it was with two unique Popsicles: one made from Pierre Jourdan Méthode Cap Classique, and another from Pierre Jourdan Tranquille, the cellar’s popular blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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The family-owned estate “has a strong track record of being a pioneer in the South African wine industry… We felt Pierre Jourdan was the perfect brand partner for our product,” says Natasha Alomia, who created the Popsicle concept with business partner Jon-Marc De Carvalho.

“We don’t want the Popsicles to detract from the bottled product at all; this is just a natural progression,” adds De Carvalho. “What we’ve done is to take all of the flavour that you enjoy in the bottle, and position it in a form that is contemporary and stays true to the Pierre Jourdan wines.”

Fans will certainly still recognise the much-loved wine in the Popsicles, and although the wines are slightly sweetened with natural fructose before being flash-frozen to create a delicate sorbet texture, they retain all the fresh acidity and complexity of the wines. And if the Popsicles happen to melt, they can easily be refrozen at home.

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“We’ve used a younger vintage of the Méthode Cap Classique to maintain freshness in the PJ Brut Popsicle, while the more prominent fruit flavours from the Pinot Noir in the Tranquille make it ideal for those looking for something a little sweeter,” says Takuan von Arnim, cellar master at Haute Cabrière.

The Popsicles also look as good as they taste, packaged in an elegant recyclable tube that mirrors the branding of the wines: dark-green for a Brut Popsicle, and a blushing pink for the Tranquille. Whether you pop them in your picnic basket or enjoy them around the braai they look set to be a fun addition to summer 2016.

This article was originally published in one of the Sunday Times Neighbourhood: Property and Lifestyle guides. Visit Yourneighbourhood.co.za, like YourNeighbourhoodZA on Facebook and follow YourHoodZA on Twitter.