• Master of none - Playing with words referring to themselves not being an expert in any one varietal or wine style hence the saying: “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Clever and humble, nonetheless, their wines are at the forefront not only of South Africa but in the world with the amazing wines they are producing. If you enjoy reds on the lighter end of the spectrum such as Pinot Noir or Gamay then Pieter's 'Master of None' will definitely be up your street! It comprises a blend of 5 different grape varieties from tiny vineyard plots across 6 distinct regions; 40% Grenache from Wellington, 30% Cinsault from sites in Darling and Stellenbosch, 8% Pinot Noir from Elgin and a further 8% Syrah from Swartland. Unusually, Pieter then tops up the blend with Voor Paardeberg Chenin Blanc, adding aromatic freshness to the finished wine.  It drinks like a top-class Beaujolais – super bright and juicy, bursting with wild strawberry, cherry and with an earthy, smoky undercurrent. Enjoy at room temperature or slightly chilled – perfect for summer drinking! “In 2004, a lady came to my house to buy wine. She asked for anything but Shiraz. “I don’t drink Shiraz”, were her exact words. I poured her a glass of wine. She loved it and bought 3 cases. It was a straight Shiraz. It’s a fact – we do judge the book by its cover.”
  • Moment of Silence is a South African wine made by superstar wine maker Pieter Walser. He buys in the fruit to make this blended wine of Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. It has been aged in old oak and it is a rich, powerful wine. Some of the fruit comes from vineyards which are over 50 years old.
    Stunning, all rounder, there is nothing you can fault in this wine. Aromas of candied lemon, cooked apple and mango with a core of minerality. Soft and voluptuous, it has a lovely ripeness and a fleshy, creamy mouthfeel, which leads to a perfect tangy freshness giving some zip to its otherwise mellow feel.
  • Pieter Walser from Blankbottle has got to be one of the most interesting, inspired, and avant-garde winemakers there is. His wine background mounts to college when he drove past a winery that had bottles with no labels on offer and he could only afford 3 cases. Went back and sold the 3 at a profit. That very moment started a fascinating story that would inspire any of us. As per his own words: “Moment of Silence predominantly comes from a farm in Wellington called Twyfeling. Boberg is situated on a farm right next to Twyfeling and literally looks onto the vineyards of Twyfeling. Now Twyfeling was owned by my direct family seven generations ago. So on the label it shows 7 generations with Boberg overlooking all seven generations of the Hauptfleisch family. 2015 was the first year that I bought the grapes from this Vineyard. The Farmer calls the vineyard BOBERG, which means “on top of the Mountain”. It was a neglected little vineyard, old bush vines with no irrigation. The farmer identified it as a site with potential and started with a restoration process. The vineyard grows in decomposed granitic soil in Wellington. The site is cooler than the others in the area.
  • The El Bandito The Dark Side 2017  by Testalonga comes from Shiraz vineyards from the early 2000s - the vines are still in full bloom, but thanks to the low yield, they are already delivering phenolic grapes. The vineyards are cultivated by Craig with no herbicites, pesticides or fungicites. He also does without artificial irrigation. These measures alone have a positive effect on the quality of the grapes and keep the yield low. After hand-picking, the grapes are fermented spontaneously with the vineyard's own yeast and matured in 3000l wooden barrels. After expansion, it is neither fined nor filtered and filled with minimal sulfur. The Testalonga El Bandito The Dark Side has a deep dark color with a black core. It smells of red berries and dark stone fruits, of cloves, mocha and cocoa beans as well as tart spiciness. On the palate it has a present tannin and a fine interplay of acids. In terms of alcohol, the Shiraz is quite slim and straight, but still brings a weighty body into play. The finish is long and dominated by the heavier aromas. The El Bandito The Dark Side Shiraz demands air, so give it a few hours in the carafe before serving it slightly chilled from large glasses with roasted game, braised lamb or an oven-baked bean stew with roasted butter crumbs and thyme.
  • The Fleur du Cap approach is unconstrained. Using only meticulously selected grapes from the finest vineyards across the Cape Winelands, the winery produces a range of wines that offer diversity of choice and diversity of taste. Essence du Cap is known for exceptional quality and wines that express their true varietal character. The grapes were selected from four different vineyard blocks situated around the Bottelary Hills, which were planted in 1987, 1994, 1996 and 1997. Two of the vineyards are bush vines and the remaining trellised. The soils consist of deep decomposed shale (bush vines) and granite (trellised vines), with good water retention. Yields for the bush vines were 6 to 8 t/ha and the trellised vineyards 10 to 12 t/ha. Supplementary irrigation was given during the latter stages of the season to ensure full ripening. Pest and disease control is implemented according to South African subjective IPW standards. This wine is an ideal accompaniment to grilled lamb and poultry, pork roasts and game fish. It is perfect with classic Cape cuisine like Bobotie and Malay Curries, as well as spicy Mexican food.  
  • Out of stock
    Craig and Carla Hawkins launched Testalonga in the north of Swartland, South Africa in 2008. They are part of a revolutionary ground swell taking place in South African wine, where traditions are being challenged and brave new territory is being explored. The painfully small amount of wine that this duo produces gets snapped up in short order the world over. Known for their striking intensity and nervy energy, Craig and Carla's wines are on the cutting edge of the natural wine movement in their country.This is the lightest, daintiest version of Carignan one could imagine. It's got more in common with, say a Jura rouge or something Cab-Franc-like out of the Loire Valley than a classic Rhone red.It's fresh, racy, filled with character and seasoned with a little wildness. Great with on summer afternoon, first courses, seasoned vegetables. Enjoy        
  • The Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage 2021 shows intense purple hues with lively aromas of fresh plums, mulberries and allspice, followed by a meaty undertone. The palate displays an inherent earthy touch, with flavours of crimson beetroot and maraschino cherries. Wonderful coherent balance between the fruit and the fresh acidity, with muscular support from the tightly woven tannin structure.
  • Out of stock
    Keep On Punching is Swartland Chenin, but not in the conventional sense. No buttery oak, this is all 100% stainless steel tank to keep that citrus twang just as clean as a whistle.  Stylistically this wine fits more closely with the Chenins of the Loire valley - the fruit is apple and pear with some nice zippy white peach.  The grapes come from old bush vines that yield small clusters of grapes with great concentration and acidity year on year.  Craig's wines have a keen following, and for good reason.After travelling extensively in Portugal and Austria learning his craft, Craig Hawkins returned to South Africa and became the winemaker at top Swartland estate Lammershoek.  Craig now makes his own wines from various small, organic vineyard sites in Swartland and makes his wine naturally, with as little intervention as possible.If you like a bit of skin contact (& don't we all), try this!
  • Keermont Vineyards is a specialist wine estate set in the naturally-formed amphitheatre between the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain ranges. All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Most of the vineyard parcels grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite and are surrounded by indigenous vegetation. They lie between 250 and 400 metres above sea level at the top of the valley, and have a variety of aspects from North East to West facing. In 2001, the Wraith family moved to the Western Cape from Gauteng and in 2003 bought two adjacent farms which today make up Keermont Vineyards. Keermont Syrah is a blend of three different Syrah vineyard sites growing on Keermont Vineyards: Steepside Syrah: Growing on a North facing slope in deep, red clay-rich soils; this vineyard generally produces powerful full-bodied wines with rich, spicy flavours. Topside Syrah: An unirrigated west facing vineyard planted at 400m above sea level on rocky sandstone-based soil. Topside Syrah is usually a more aromatic wine with good structure and natural acid. Sweetwater Syrah: Situated in a rocky valley below the Fleurfontein spring, this is the coolest of the three Syrah sites and ripens the latest. Sweetwater Syrah is normally lighter and elegant in style with a herbal aroma. Only produced 12 665 bottles and 145 magnums. Maybe one of these will be yours to enjoy!  
  • Meerlust Rubicon had a great impact on the history of South African wine. First made in 1980, it essentially set the pattern for Bordeaux blends in the country. There was of course a few pioners at this front that only used Cabernet Sauvignon varietal such as Kanonkop (Paul Sauer) in 1973 but as a blend as per Bordeaux style Meerlust changed the scene. According to Hannes Myburgh, his father was inspired by Julious Cesar words “Alea iacta est. The die is cast,” leading his troops towards Rome in 49BC. As this was a irreversable moment in history as there was no turning back after crossing the Rubicon river as this profoundly shifted Roman politics. Nico Myburgh from the 7th generation of the Meerlust estate and father of the current custodian, was holidaying in Bordeaux when he discovered that the terroir in this area of France was similar to that of the Eerste River Valley. Both have a distinctive climate, characterised by a cooling sea breeze. And both have a soil structure made up of decomposed granite and clay. The red wines produced by the two regions, however, were very different. Unlike the Western Cape’s specified cultivars, Bordeaux thrived on producing blends. Nico returned to Meerlust, filled with inspiration and the desire to create a blend of his own that would match those of the French. In 1980, after several years of experimentation together with winemaker Giorgio Dalla Cia, he announced the birth of the new blend. With proportions of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, a new style of wine had been created in South Africa. Like Caesar, there could be no turning back. Nico and Giorgio had already considered a number of names for the new blend when Professor Dirk Opperman from the University of Stellenbosch, a friend of Nico’s suggested that “Rubicon” might be appropriate. The pair had, after all, crossed a new frontier – and changed the way South Africans thought about red wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vineyards are hand harvested from February through to March and each individual vineyard block is kept separate throughout the fermentation process and monitored until the moment of blending.
    In wintertime, after malolactic fermentation has allowed the personality of each vineyard to assert itself in barrel, the wines are carefully assessed to produce the most expressive, harmonious and complex wine. The blend is assembled and then allowed another year in barrel for the components to harmonise. The wine is finally bottled and left for a further 2 years before release. Rubicon is always released at four years of age and will immediately offer the distinctive character and quality of the Estate. However, further bottle maturation is advised for the intriguing complexity of this classic wine to unfold and reveal itself.
    The first vintage, the 1980, remains vivacious and very much alive, even 30+ years after vintage. Subsequent vintages all express the personality and characteristics of their specific year. All vintages of Rubicon, however, share the hallmarks of wines grown at this special place: intensity, harmony, vibrancy, complexity and individuality.
    I suppose we could use here ''Veni, vidi, vici''
     

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