Shiraz

The elegantly bold and mildly spicy nature of our Shiraz pairs well with robust flavours such as Rump or Ribeye with blue cheese and truffle.

The wine was racked twice for clarification during the maturation period. Maturation lasted for 17 months in 20% first, 67% second and 13% third-fill French oak barrels. Blending of selected barrels was followed by a light filtration before bottling.

Harvesting was scheduled to obtain optimal phenolic ripeness and to ensure the retention of the vibrant fruit flavour in the berries. The hand harvested bunches were destalked onto a sorting table where only the very best berries were selected for ferment. A whole berry component of about 30% reached the fermenter. For complexity and freshness a 5% portion of ripe stalks were added to the berries in the tank. The mash was fermented in open top stainless steel fermenters at 24-28C and ferment lasted 5-7 days. Judicious pumpovers for extraction of flavour, aromatics and tannins were carried out 3- 4 times daily during this time. The mash was immediately pressed after alcoholic fermentation was completed and the free run and pressed fractions were consolidated. The wine was then gravity fed to 225Li barrels for secondary Malo-Lactic fermentation.

Ridgeback Wines is situated in the northern part of the picturesque town of Paarl in the Western Cape, on the northern slopes of the magnificent Paarl mountain. The farm extends over an area of 65 hectares. Retaining the rich heritage of the countryside’s proteas and fynbos, which flourish in the region, is a priority that we are deeply and continuously committed to. Our vineyards are amongst the finest in the Cape, and our winery, which overlooks a small dam, is home to an abundance of water fowl which add to the beauty and peaceful ambience of this tranquil environment. A total of 35 hectares are currently under vine with the potential to increase the capacity further. In order to enable our winemaker to produce our exciting array of blends and single varietal wines, the farm has planted a wide variety of different cultivars.