“I’m cool in the night and crisp to taste”

Australian actress Naomi Watts launched the Cool Harvest range from Jacob’s Creek in London last night with a sexy analogy.

Speaking at the event in Holland Park, she joked, “I like the idea that I epitomise Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest: that I’m cool in the night and crisp to taste.”

The new range of wines use grapes harvested at nighttime to preserve the aromatics and give a lighter style of wine with slightly lower abvs than the rest of the range.

The range includes at Vermentino at 9.5%, Sauvignon Blanc at 10.8% and a Shiraz rosé at 11%, as well as a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc at a similarly low level of alcohol.

The lower abvs are achieved not only using nighttime harvesting but also using free-run juice and low fermentation temperatures.

A Pinot Grigio is also available in Australia, although winemaker Rebekah Richardson told the drinks business that she believes the most successful results for this lighter wine style come from the Vermintino grape.

She also said that she would like to add further Italian grapes to the Cool Harvest range, including an Arneis and Fiano.

Speaking of the latter grape, she said that it takes on a flavour profile similar to Sauvignon when harvested early.

As for adding a red wine to the Cool Harvest range, she point out that the tannins in red wines make this lighter style harder to make, but she identified the Dolcetto grape as a possible base.

As previously reported by the drinks business, the wines are not being positioned as a low or lower alcohol range, but “light and fresh.”

Cool Harvest brand ambassador Naomi Watts was born in Britain and lived here for the first 14 years of her life before moving to Australia.

The actress has starred in the remake of King Kong and received an Oscar nomination for her work in 21 Grams, while she is to portray Princess Diana in a new film.