Wild Child

Enjoy with pancetta risotto topped with shaved parmesan and a side of green asparagus.

Approximately half of the wine is fermented in small French oak barrels for a period of 4 months, just coating the acidity that is so typical of Durbanville Sauvignon blanc, and rounding it off.

What sets this wine apart, is "wild" yeast. This means that we do not add any commercial yeast to the wine to facilitate fermentation. Fermentation thus occurs naturally, but may take quite a while longer to get going. Etienne had never worked with natural fermentation before, and when two weeks had passed without fermentation starting, he contacted our previous winemaker to find out when this Wild Child would get going! Upon receiving some reassurance from Danie, Etienne waited a little while longer and was rewarded with a wine that hits the sweet spot every time. It does, however, remain the wine that gave Etienne a few extra grey hairs.

Although not intentionally award driven, there is no denying the status of this tiny family-owned Durbanville cellar. Strategically we are following a very traditional but personalised approach to making wine. In line with our brand honesty, we don’t try to be clever or practice contrived marketing jargon. We pick by hand, allowing us to leave the less perfect bunches for the soil to enrich itself – and before pressing, we again sort the individual grapes by hand. “We completely believe that beautiful wines come from day to day thoughtful management in the vineyards.” Our bottom line is that to be part of the Nitida family requires commitment, passion, and a desire to be involved. Our punch through system, while automated, was designed by the engineer in Bernhard to closely emulate a traditional hand-punch method. Of course, we do use modern technology for pressing and pumping, but always seek out the gentlest methods.