Shiraz

The winemaker recommends serving this wine with poultry, veal and red meat dishes or savouring it on its own

The grapes for this wine were sourced from trellised, south- facing vineyards planted in Malmesbury shale, some 60m to 300m above sea level.

After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged in a combination of new, but mainly second and third-fill French oak and a few new American oak barrels.

The grapes were harvested by hand at between 23° and 26° Balling towards the end of February, when the tannins were ripe but the berries still firm. Each block was vinified separately. The grapes were fermented on the skins in open tanks at 25° C for five to seven days and left on the lees for four months to impart intensity of colour and flavour as well as to ensure the wine sufficient structure to age well.

Allesverloren, situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Kasteelberg near Riebeek West, is the oldest estate in the Swartland Wine of Origin district and is renowned for its red wines and Fine Old Vintage. The farm, which dates back to 1704, began producing wine exactly one century later. Current Owner Danie Malan and his late father, Fanie, were among the wine pioneers of the Swartland, ably demonstrating the outstanding wine-growing potential of what was once considered the breadbasket of the Cape.