Straw Wine

Delicious with hard cheese, pate’, biscotti, lemon and orange rind cake, various nuts and slightly tart fruit desserts. Or a dessert all on its own - a real treat after the meal!

Winter rainfall was higher than previous two vintages, but about average and slightly warmer than average. Bud break was rather uneven and required additional attention to foliage management during the growing period. A relatively cool wet spring, which continued throughout much of the growing season. The high fungal pressure required adhering diligently to a suitable spray programme throughout the season. Regular rainfall and low day and night temperatures during the ripening period meant there was no water stress and ripening was gentle and slow. A challenging, but exciting vintage with good acidity and a more elegant style. Harvest date: 31/1/19 to 19/2/19 @ 20,6 – 24,5 balling

Fermented with natural yeasts and matured for 19 months using 50% new 225L French oak barrels. Racked while in barrel to remove heavy sediment.

The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness and laid out on drying racks in 70% shade for about 3 weeks. This allows the grapes to concentrate sugars, acids and flavours, before re-harvesting in the cool mornings.

A small family winery at the end of the Upper Blaauwklippen Road in the mountains above Stellenbosch South Africa. Established in 1992 by architect David Trafford & artist wife Rita with the focus on high end red wines of great intensity & longevity using minimal intervention production methods.