Spitting Spider is actually the name of the Chardonnay I consumed this weekend. Another joyous bottle from Twelve Green Bottles! I find that if I’m not sure which wine to go for, I will choose by the label or name, wine extraordinaire that I am. I honestly don’t know what compelled me to buy spitting spider, I mean really? I’m not a huge white wine drinker anyway but call it something the majority of the country is scared of and you’re sure to be wary. The description on the website is what convinced me, it said something about being buttery and smooth and great value and into the basket it went.

Before serving its purpose as a refreshing cool drink while house sitting this weekend (I’m currently sat in the garden with two Labradors and a naughty teckel) this wine bottle made the perfect rolling pin. I’ve been experimenting with making my own healthy wraps recently and turns out I’m lacking in quite a few essential kitchen tools; a rolling pin, scales and a mixer would be handy, must go shopping.

Anyway, here’s the description from the back of the Spitting Spider bottle to give you some sense of where they’re coming from:

“There are around 170 species of Spitting Spider worldwide, but just one species, Scytodes thoracica, is found in both Australia and Southern Britain, lurking in dark corners of houses and doubtless in your wine cellar. Syctodidae is the only spider family known to capture prey by spitting. It is a nocturnal wanderer: a slow  hunter that emerges only at night and sneaks towards its prey using ‘hearing hairs’ to pinpoint the location. At a distance of up to 20mm, it ejects 2 streams of sticky silk in a zigzag pattern to cover its prey and cause complete immobilisation before moving in for the kill. There’s no need to panic, however, as it’s harmless to humans…”

Spitting Spider

Unoaked Chardonnay

2016

South Australia, 13%

I’m still not 100% sure why they called it Spitting Spider because sadly I was not immobilised after drinking it, perhaps after three bottles, speech would have been a difficulty.

It smells really Christmassy, sort of spicey I suppose but it’s completely different to drink. Very smooth, like the website said; buttery and really quite an interesting white wine, no sharpness at all. After learning the word Caudalie…I’m not sure if it applies to white wine too but this wine in particular leaves a lengthy note of flavour on the tongue.

There was no terrible heart burn afterwards (the reason I usually hate white wine) and I woke up feeling great. An all round 8/10 solid white wine for any occasion!