Babiana

This serious and complex wine pairs well with rabbit in white wine sauce and shallots or simple, aromatic Asian dishes and rich seafood.

Made predominantly from Chenin blanc, picked from a single block of old vines (planted in 1987). Their age and low yield ensure consistent quality and concentration, which is why it form the backbone of our blend. The fullness of the Chenin is tempered by the verve and high aromatics of the Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Roussanne.

The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and is matured 12 months on the lees before being racked, blended, and bottled.

All grapes are hand-picked at optimum ripeness and refrigerated for 24hrs before being processed. The Chenin is whole bunch press and no Sulphur added to promote wild yeast development. The unsettled juice is then rapidly transferred to barrel for natural fermentation. Although a nerve-racking process, this method lends structure, complexity, and longevity to the wine. The Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Viognier are destemmed and cold fermented for 8 days on the skins before being basket pressed directly to barrel to complete fermentation.

Vondeling meaning ‘foundling’ lies on the slopes of the unspoilt and undiscovered Paardeberg mountain approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Cape Town. It was granted to Swedish immigrant Oloff Bergh in 1704 and a three-centuries-old winemaking tradition began. Today an environmentally sensitive approach to farming and minimal intervention during the winemaking process ensure wine with a distinct fingerprint of origin. Vondeling’s flagship wines Vondeling Babiana and Vondeling Monsonia are named after rare species of fynbos that are endemic to the Paardeberg mountain the home of Vondeling Wines.