Viognier

This bold food wine would complement a wide range of spicy dishes which include Indian, Malay and Thai curries.

The vineyards used in this premium niche wine are planted on 3 different sites with aspects ranging from East to NorthEast, each contributing complexity and character to the final blend. The vine canopies are moderate in vigour to allow sunlight onto the bunches and aid the development of beautiful ripe sun-kissed flavours.

The various component fractions were matured separately for 9 months before a final blend was created using only the very best barrels.

All bunches were hand-picked into small lug boxes with the respective components selected according to bunch size and colour where the smallest, ripest bunches were harvested first. During a period of 7 days the various styles were isolated and harvested a fraction at a time and destemmed in the early morning without crushing the berries. The juice was settled for 48 hours, then gravity fed to 31% new 400 litre French oak barrels. All barrels started natural fermentation before being inoculated with a commercial yeast strain to ensure a clean ferment to dryness.

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.