Essay Red

Pairs well with duck pancakes.

A dry and relatively short growing season resulted in optimal preservation of aromatics in the wines. Cool evenings encouraged moisture retention in the soils and gave concentrated colour to the skins. Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes come from dry-farmed vineyards grown on shale soils in the Agter-Paarl region. The Grenache grows on the border of the Agter-Paarl and Swartland regions, on irrigated trellised vines.

Grapes were hand-harvested and fermented over a 7-day period in stainless-steel tanks. All components were lightly wooded in older casks for a softer mouth-feel. The wine was made in a delicate but fruit-forward style. Fining and filtration was done prior to bottling.

South Africa has an interesting national anthem—one which seamlessly weaves the words of four distinct languages (there are 11 national languages!) into a beautiful uninterrupted melody. The idea behind the wines of Essay is very similar; we identify grape varietals that thrive in our region and intentionally blend them together in such a way that the resulting wine is “greater than the sum of its parts.” We grow grapes in the Agter-Paarl (“behind Paarl”) region, where vineyards span over scenic rolling hills. The area has perfect Mediterranean conditions of cold, wet winters and long, dry summers. The vineyards are grown sustainably and predominantly dry-farmed, which yields fruit with an intensity of flavor. When blending grape varietals, the winemaker’s objective is to elevate the wines by adding complexity and balance. The winemaking team at Essay is spearheaded by cellarmasters Tyrrel Myburgh and José Conde of MAN Family Wines, together with head winemaker Riaan Moller. Essay is a play on words—“SA” being the abbreviation for South Africa.