Elim Shiraz 1.5L

A great match is pork shoulder where you’ll have a richer umami driven piece of meat. Spice it with pepper and cumin to bring out the fruit-flavours in the wine. Another firm favourite is slow-roasted Springbok shanks with creamy mashed potatoes.

The season presented a cold winter with good rainfall that ensured a terrific growing and ripening period during spring and summer. Due to a few small heat spikes and rain showers in January, the vines were exposed to stop-and-start conditions. This complicated determining the accurate stage of ripeness which required viticultural expertise, experience and patience. The 2020 crop size was average. Virgin land in Elim, with a unique and sought-after Rotundone characteristic reminding of delicate black pepper, was sourced and allocated specifically for the production of Shiraz. A combination of a cool maritime climate, careful vineyard management and soil ranging from shale and koffieklip to decomposed granite and clay, result in a remarkable growing region which produces our Rotundone-style Shiraz.

The wine was matured for 13 months in second and third fill French Oak barrels.

A small volume of carefully selected fruit was brought to De Grendel in the early hours of the morning. The fruit, 30% of which was left as whole clusters, was open fermented in stainless steel tanks. The fermenting cap was punched down four times a day to produce more robust tannins with excellent structure and concentration of fruit.

De Grendel is a Durbanville wine estate where cool-climate vineyards and careful site selection shape a broad range of South African wines. Known for Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and red blends, the estate combines coastal influence, varietal clarity and a strong sense of Cape Town wine country.