Lilya Rose

The fresh red-fruit character and dry, refreshing palate make Lilya particularly suitable for seafood, salmon, prawns, carpaccio, sushi and summer salads. It should also pair well with charcuterie, Mediterranean-style dishes and lightly spiced poultry. Seafood and carpaccio have specifically been recommended for previous Lilya releases.

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 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 bracing breeze keep pests to a minimum, resulting in sparse spraying programmes. Controlled computerised irrigation systems including the monitoring of soil moisture content ensure the vines are given exactly the right amount of water at the right time 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 and adding structure and fullness to this delicate wine. These soils have high free lime content on De Wetshof. This adds complexity and structure to the wines, allowing optimum varietal expression with classic Cabernet Franc flavours of soft floral, spicy red berry fruit.

The grapes are handpicked in the coolness of morning, and the emphasis is on capturing the natural complexities of the grape immediately for the making of this wine. Once de-stemming, and a gentle pressing and overnight settling without skin contact are complete, the juice is racked off from the sediment and pumped into stainless steel tanks for alcohol 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).