Knapsekêrel

Pair with venison pie or ostrich fillet.

Only seven rows of biodynamic Cabernet Franc from the Oudeberg Estate on the south facing Polkadraai hills are used to make this wine. Soil health is maintained by a mixed cover crop of legumes and oats as well as the farms trusty waddle of ducks.

The wine was aged in 225L French oak barrels for 18 months.

Kept modest, to allow the site to express itself, the grapes were handpicked, sorted, destemmed and whole berries were fermented naturally in open-top fermentors. 20% of the fruit was whole bunch fermented with punch downs (pigeage). The grapes were gently pressed and drained to barrels for malolactic fermentation.

Thistle and Weed is a collaboration between the Terblanche and Wiid families established in 2015, led by Etienne Terblanche (Viticulturist) and Stephanie Wiid (Winemaker). Inspired by the encroaching weeds found amongst the vines grown in the Cape, Etienne and Steph draw parallels between thistles and weeds and the uncompromising tenacity and survival skills of grapevines. Together, they set out to discover the best of the Cape’s hidden gems, intent on crafting honest wines that are made with a deep connection to nature and offer the most simple expression of the terroir from which they come.