Shiraz

A beautiful wine to enjoy on its own but is excellent with red meat dishes that include spicy lamb or grilled sirloin It also pairs well with Venison dishes like Springbok carpaccio.

2019 was a remarkably cool harvest season, a hot spell early in the year resulted in energic ripening producing balanced and elegant wines. The grapes for this wine came from vineyards planted in deep, decomposed granite and clay soils on a north westerly slope, situated some 100 m to 150 m above sea level. The vines are grown under optimum conditions and are trellised on a seven wire trellising system. They yielded 8 to 12 tons per hectare.

After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged in wood for 18 months, using a combination of first, second and third fill French oak barrels.

The grapes were harvested by hand at 24 5 to 26 Balling in mid March. After destalking and crushing, the juice was fermented for 10 days on the skins in stainless steel tanks at 25 to 27 C. A small portion of about 10 of the grapes are whole bunch fermented. We use a pump over system.

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.