Vanderstel

Port wine braised beef short ribs.

The 2021 vintage followed a cool, wet winter, where regular cold fronts replenished water reserves to pre-drought levels. Moderate temperatures throughout the growing and ripening seasons meant that grapes ripened slowly, retaining acidity while phenolics developed fully. The wines of the 2021 vintage show good promise, with high natural acidity and a good concentration of fruit flavours, indicating quality wines with good aging potential.

The wine was matured in 300l French oak barrels for 12 months.

Varieties and parcels were vinified separately. Fermentation was completed in open-top stainless-steel fermenters. Primary fermentation took 7 days during which punch-downs and pump-overs were performed 4 times daily. After this the wine was macerated on the skins for 14 days to ensure balanced extraction of phenolics.

Jean Engelbrecht along with his friends Dillie Malherbe and Jannie Durand set out to create a wine that would not only embody all that is Stellenbosch but that would also pay homage to this great town at the heart of the Cape winelands. Each wine in this range pays tribute to an historical landmark in Stellenbosch.