Estate Red Blend

This wine perfectly complements red meat, poultry and casseroles and is excellent served with charcuterie and mature cheeses.

2017 was a smaller but exceptional harvest in the Stellenbosch region. The dry conditions resulted in very healthy vineyards and smaller berries with good colour and flavour concentration. These conditions along with cooler weather during harvest formed the perfect combination for an exceptional quality harvest. This wine is made from grapes of north-facing vines, between 11 and 25 years old, that grow in decomposed granite soil situated at altitudes of 135m to 500m above sea level. The vines on the higher slopes are fanned by the cooling maritime breezes from nearby False Bay. A seven-wire Perold trellising system is used, which yielded an average of 8 tons per hectare.

Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, racked once and matured for 18 months in 70% new barrels.

The 4 grape varieties used to make up this blend ripen at different times and were harvested at 24° to 25° Balling. Each varietal was vinified separately and fermented on the skins for 7 to 21 days at 24° to 26°C in closed stainless-steel tanks. The fermenting mash was pumped over several times a day.

Alto is a historic Stellenbosch wine estate dedicated exclusively to red wine, with vineyards planted on the elevated slopes of the Helderberg since 1919. Best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and its classic red blends, Alto has built a century-long reputation for structured, full-bodied South African reds with impressive ageing potential.