Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine to savour on its own, this Cabernet Sauvignon can also be enjoyed with roast beef and lamb, fillet steak with a mushroom-based sauce and hearty beef, lamb or game casseroles.

The Robertson Valley is characterised by cold winters and sunny summers, with an average annual rainfall of 350-400mm. In summer a fresh southerly breeze from the Cape Agulhas coast has a cooling effect on the vineyards, allowing the grapes to ripen evenly and in perfect balance. Nights are chilly and during summer months a mist often shrouds the vineyards until late morning. The dry climate and the bracing breeze keep pests to a minimum, resulting in sparse spraying programmes. Computerised irrigation systems linked to weather station data and the monitoring of soil moisture-content ensures the vines are given the correct amount of water needed to produce grapes of optimum ripeness and developed flavours. An abundance of free limestone is complemented by a heavy clay component ensuring excellent water-retention. This adds complexity and structure to the wines, allowing optimum varietal expression with classic red wine flavours of dark fruit, chocolate and pencil shavings. flavours of soft grapefruit and nuts.

After malolactic fermentation the wines are taken off the lees into fresh barrels for further maturation. Some 18 months after harvest, the wines are blended and prepared for bottling.

The grapes are picked in the coolness of morning, and the emphasis is on capturing powerful fruit at a full ripe stage when developed flavours of pure dark berry fruit prevail alongside soft juicy tannins. These are the characteristics needed to create a wine of structure, elegance and depth. After de-stemming, the grapes are cooled down and moved to tank for a few days' cold-soaking on the skins before fermentation starts. The wine ferments dry on the skins and after racking and pressing the young wines are moved into French oak barrels specially selected by Monsieur Christian Radoux. The fine French oak enhances the fresh fruity aromas and flavours as the wines go through malolactic fermentation.

The name De Wetshof has been synonymous with the production of fine wines in South Africa since the 1970’s. As the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley De Wetshof has become known internationally as South Africa’s eminent Chardonnay House due to the pioneering role it played in introducing this noble Burgundian grape to the country. The De Wet family’s winemaking heritage can however be traced back to 1694 when the first De Wets arrived at the Cape and immediately made a mark on the South African wine industry. Today De Wetshof is one of the few third generation wine estates in South Africa. Here Danie de Wet proprietor and cellarmaster is assisted by sons Johann (viticulture and marketing) and Peter (winemaker).