Damascene winemaker Jean Smit.
Damascene, the partnership between winemaker Jean Smit and David Curl, former owner of Bordeaux’s Chateau Gaby, appeared on the scene with its maiden-vintage 2018 wines, and has quickly established itself as one of South Africa’s very best producers. The new releases are imminent, and the overall high quality is once again astounding. Tasting notes and ratings as follows (all wines R535 a bottle):
Damascene W.O. Swartland Chenin Blanc 2023
Grapes from three Paardeberg vineyards, planted in 1971, 1973 and 1983 respectively. All white wines matured for 11 months in 1,000-litre vats. A hint of reduction before lime, lemon, peach and floral perfume. Great purity of fruit, lively but well integrated acidity and a lightly grippy finish. A harmonious wine that has substance and texture but also no shortage of vitality. Plenty of detail. Alc: 13.26%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Damascene W.O. Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2023
Grapes from three Bottelary vineyards, planted in 1972, 1981 and 1982 respectively. Subtle aromatics of stone fruit, soft citrus, ginger and other spice. Relatively rich and round with tangy acidity and a gently savoury finish. Alc: 13.67%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Damascene Semillon 2023
85% Semillon, 15% Semillon Gris. Grapes from two Franschhoek vineyards, one planted in 1942 and the other in 1962. Elusive aromatics of hay and a touch of fennel before citrus, peach and nectarine. Broad but not listless – pleasing weight and texture, soft but sufficient acidity, the finish gently savoury. Makes for especially satisfying drinking. Alc: 13.41%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Damascene W.O. Swartland Syrah 2023
75% of grapes from a Kasteelberg vineyard on schist, 25% from a Paardeberg vineyard on granite. 75% whole-bunch fermentation. All three examples of Syrah matured for 11 months in 2,000-litre oak vats. A touch of gunsmoke before rose, herbs, cherry, raspberry, orange and white pepper on the nose. Medium bodied with fresh acidity and powdery tannins, the finish very dry. Elegant and restrained. Alc: 12.93%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Damascene W.O. Stellenbosch Syrah 2023
80% of grapes from Polkadraai Hills, 20% from Bottelary. 75% whole-bunch fermentation. Evocative aromatics of red and black berries, coriander, fynbos, floral perfume and white pepper. Great fruit purity, vibrant acidity and powdery tannins. Pure, energetic and so very drinkable. Lovely composure – all of a piece. Alc: 13.08%.
CE’s rating: 96/100.
Damascene W.O. Cere Plateau Syrah 2023
60% whole-bunch fermentation. Flowers, red cherry and white pepper on the nose. The palate is light-bodied and tightly coiled – great fruit definition, lemon-like acidity and chalky tannins. A wine of pin-point accuracy. Alc: 12.58%.
CE’s rating: 97/100.
Damascene Cabernet Franc 2023
Grapes from a Bottelary vineyard planted in 2004. Matured for 11 months in a 1,000 litre vat. Red berries, rose and tomato leaf on the nose. Light bodied yet succulent with fresh acidity and fine tannins. Alc: 13.21%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Damascene Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
75% of grapes from Vlottenburg (near Polkadraai Hills) and 25% from Helderberg. Matured for 11 months in barriques, of which 50% were new, before being transferred to 2,000-litre vats for a further nine months. Initially some rubbery reduction but this blows off to reveal red and black berries, violets, fresh herbs and a hint of vanilla. The palate is rich but not overdone – dense fruit, moderate acidity and smooth, supple tannins, the finish long and dry. Alc: 14.17%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Kalmoesfontein set against the slopes of the Paardeberg has been home of A.A. Badenhorst Wines since 2008. “We have some 150ha of vineyard planted at different aspects and altitudes bringing tremendous variety to the fruit,” says winemaker Adi. Just about all winemakers insists that they want to make wines representative of place but here the resulting wines seem to have a particular aesthetic integrity and luminosity. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:
Sout van die Aarde Palomino 2023
Price: R450
From a coastal vineyard that also supplies Sadie’s Skerpioen. The nose shows some flinty reduction but is otherwise shy. The palate is lean and taut as this wine always tends to be, the finish overtly salty. Beguiling in its understatement. Alc: 13%.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Grensloos Chenin Blanc 2023
Price: R350
Grapes from seven vineyards spread across both Kalmoesfontein and the neighbouring Jakkalsfotein property, many of which used to be bottled on their own. Some struck-match reduction before pear, peach, citurs, hay and fynbos on the nose while the palate shows great clarity of fruit and fresh acidity, the finish lightly acidity. Layers and layers of flavour as you might expect given the constituent parts. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Kalmoesfontein White 2023
Price: R350
45% Chenin Blanc, 11% Clairette Blanche, 10% Grenache Blanc, 8% Palomino, 8% Roussanne, 8% Viognier, 5% Muscat d’Alexandrie and 5% Verdelho – all grapes picked over three days. Gorgeous aromatics of fllowers, fynobs, pear, peach, citrus and quince. The palate is intense but not weighty with a striking line of acidity and a pithy finish. Poised and detailed. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 96/100.
Ringmuur Cinsault 2023
Price: R350
Grapes from a 0.6ha vineyard planted in 1969. Made using carbonic maceration. Red cherry, rose, fynbos and earth on the nose while the palate is light bodied, but the fruit is pure and the tannins fine, the finish especially long. Intricate and refined. Alc: 12%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Ramnasgras Cinsault 2023
Price: R550
Grapes from a vineyard planted in 1964. The nose shows red cherry, raspberry, floral perfume and fynbos. The palate is pure, poised and energetic – great clarity of fruit, bright acidity and crunchy tannins. Alc: 12%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Raaigras Grenache 2023
Price: R550
Grapes from a vineyard planted in 1952. Cherry, raspberry, fynbos and even a touch of mint on the nose. The palate shows concentrated fruit without being heavy or sweet. Zippy acidity lends life and the tannins are fine and tightly packed, the finish ultra-dry. Alc: 13%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Kalmoesfontein Red 2022
Price: R350
33% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 14% Cinsault, 12% Tinta Barocca, 8% Mourvèdre, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Touriga Nacional. Seductive aromatics of red and black berries, flowers, fynbos, raw meat, earth, pepper and spice. The palate shows excellent focus and drive – pure fruit, fresh acidity and firm but not coarse tannins. No stylistic concessions in terms of how dense it is but there’s intricacy here, too. Alc: 14%.
CE’s rating: 97/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
The Platter’s South African Wine Guide was founded in 1980. Wine magazine, the forerunner of Winemag.co.za, in 1993. And the Tim Atkin South African Special Report in 2013. The question remains, however, “Is South African wine, taken as a whole, genuinely worthy of review at the highest level?”
When it comes to the regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône, the wines command enough interest and money to support quite a few full-time critics, but is there real money to be made when it comes to covering South Africa?
Punters want some assurance before spending and the stakes are higher now than they were 10 years ago – the three single site examples of Pinot Noir from Crystallum are line-priced at R734 a bottle, Columella 2022 costs R1,200 a bottle, MR de Compostella 2021 R2,050 a bottle.
But how to provide that assurance? For a long while now, the 100-point system for wine evaluation, popularized by critics like Robert Parker, has been used. Its limitations are various and increasingly function to enfeeble the fine wine discussion.
Unfortunately, there is a degree of similarity creeping into the wines, partly because of how tight-knit the top-end of the local industry has become. For those deeply immersed in local wine culture, constantly encountering the same regions, styles, or varieties, some redundancy is now beginning to appear – too many bottlings in the same idiom than is necessary.
The result is that whereas there were a manageable number of truly excellent bottlings for the highly involved wine enthusiast to deal with 20 years ago, there are now so many 95-plus wines that such a score is increasingly irrelevant. There were 17 wines rated 5 Stars in the 2004 edition of the Platter’s Guide and 226 in the 2024 edition. Making an informed purchasing decision has gotten a lot harder and the point system isn’t really helping…
Of course, the wine market is not monolithic, and there are always various trends at play, these often not in agreement or harmony. Syrah, for instance, might be the red variety of the moment, but it can be made in stylistically divergent ways. One producer may choose to make his Syrah as a “big red” and another as a “natural wine”, both subsequently obtaining the same score, this only serving to create confusion among those on the receiving end. Keermont Steepside Syrah from Alex Starey and Sons of Sugarland from Reenen Borman may well both rate 95 points, but they are very different drinking experiences.
Stakeholders all along the value chain (wholesaler, distributor, restaurateur, bar owner, retailer) have an interest in extracting as much value for themselves as possible and critics are under pressure to ratchet up scores to justify high price tags and fuel sales. All this can cause unrealistic expectations. If these wines don’t live up to the hype, consumers may be left with a sense of disillusionment.
Considering the above, I think it is high time to get beyond this reductionist approach that is the 100-point system, and yet I’m not sure how, and nor are some of the sensible people I canvas.
Many attempt to prioritize tasting notes that describe the wine’s characteristics—aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, finish, etc. This method provides a more personal and sensory-focused evaluation. Certainly helpful but let’s accept that a universal language of wine is ultimately not possible as there is a certain inescapable subjectivity when it comes to the physical process of tasting. The more detail the author of a note provides, the more likely he’s talking to himself…
Another way to break away from the 100-point scale is to focus on the broader experience of wine. This might involve putting the wine in the context of shared lived experiences. How does it perform with different foods or in different settings? Is this a “weekday wine” or a “special occasion wine” Is it “summer sipping” or a “winter warmer”? Matching the wine to a scenario can help consumers relate better and I think we need more of this.
A few wines have some cultural or historical significance, and this is a boon for the wine writer as it shifts the evaluation from technical to narrative driven. Unfortunately, in a saturated market, such wines are few and far between.
On reflection, it strikes me that overthrowing the 100-point system probably doesn’t involve replacing it with another concrete methodology but rather it’s about the writer building a following with a readership, and communicating the key factors that are most important to him or her, intrinsic quality obviously being one, but also such attributes as originality, drinkability and value.
The goal is to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of wine, and this should involve constant experimentation and tweaking of creative approach. Attract enough eyeballs and the pundit will hopefully be able to make a living – it’s as simple as that. As for the 100-point system, it’s probably not going away any time soon but should always be viewed with a healthy degree of scepticism.
The inaugural Old Vine Experience takes place on 5 and 6 November at Ernie Els Wines in Stellenbosch – hosted by the Old Vine Project, a selection of wines from Certified Heritage Vineyards will be available for tasting.
The cost per person is R1,250 for each night, which includes food prepared by winery’s restaurant.
On the first evening, the Prescient Old Vine Report will be released, including the announcement of the winners.
Eben Sadie of Sadie Family Wines will present a masterclass on the second evening at an additional cost, details of which will be announced in due course.
Dates: Tuesday, 5 and Wednesday, 6 November 2024
Time: 17h00 to 21h00
Venue: Ernie Els Wines, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
Dress code: Smart
To book, click here.
Note: No under 18s allowed; tickets are non-transferrable ,and non-refundable
For more information, contact Nadia Hefer
+27 (0) 82 889 2230
info@oldvineproject.co.za
Johan Kruger made his name at Stellenbosch property Sterhuis in the 2000s before he and his Belgian wife Sofie struck out on their own, first bottling under own label being 2015. Their modus operandi is to work largely with old vines located across the Western Cape, the portfolio predominantly featuring Kruger’s much loved Chardonnay but including anything that takes his fancy. Tasting notes and ratings for new as well as imminent releases as follows:
Sans Chêne Chardonnay 2024
Price: R145
Grapes from Pieknierskloof vineyard planted in 1995. Matured in concrete. The nose shows hints of floral perfume and herbs before pear and citrus while the palate is linear, fresh and pithy. Clean and balanced, a charming wine. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 90/100.
Old Vines Chardonnay Stellenbosch 2022
Price: R315
From a vineyard planted in 1990. Matured for nine months in barrel, 10% new. The nose shows flinty reduction before lemon, oatmeal and a nutty quality. The palate is forceful, even heavy despite a moderate alcohol of 13% – great depth of fruit and a creamy texture, fresh acidity and a savoury finish.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Old Vines Chardonnay Swartland 2022
Price: R450
From a vineyard planted in 1986. Matured in a combination of concrete eggs, foudre and older barrels. Lime, lemon, potpourri and herbs on the nose while the palate shows clean fruit and zippy acidity before a dry finish. An elegant wine with great purity and drive. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Klipkop Chardonnay 2022
Price: R245
Grapes from a Piekenierskloof vineyard planted in 1991. Mature for nine months in barrel, 15% new. Deep in colour, the aromatics are complex and compelling: Lemon, orange, oatmeal, fresh bread and some leesy complexity. Rich and round with tangy acidity and a savoury finish. Layers of flavour and great balance. Opulent but not cloying, this is old fashioned in the best way. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Klipkop Chardonnay 2023
Price: R245
The aromatics are still rather primary at this stage with some struck-match reduction before lemon and a hint of vanilla. The palate is cleaner and more precise than the previous vintage – good clarity and density of fruit to go with punchy acidity and a savoury finish.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Sutherland-Karoo Chardonnay 2023
Price: R450
NEW. Grapes from a vineyard planted in 2009 at 1,500m above sea level. Matured in two 400-litre barrels, one new and the other third-fill. Varied aromatics of lemon, peach, nectarine, blossom and Karoo dust road. The palate is seamless possessing both breadth and depth. With great fruit density and well-integrated acidity, this has huge presence and yet is entirely harmonious. The first commercial bottling ever, total production was a mere 550 bottles. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Sutherland-Karoo Syrah 2023
Price: R450
If the 2022 vintage of this wine suggested that this special site was in good hands with Kruger, the 2023 is even better. Alcohol of the new vintage is 14%, a degree higher than its predecessor, and it has that much more grunt consequently. Red and black berries, orange, floral perfume, raw meat, pepper and gun smoke on the nose. The palate shows dense fruit matched by a great line of acidity, while the tannins are firm and tightly packed, the finish deeply savoury.
CE’s rating: 96/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Anybody paying R549 a bottle for Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial or R759 for Veuve Cliquot (Makro prices at time of writing) is seriously misguided when he or she can get the excellent Peter Ferreira bubblies for quite a lot less. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:
Pieter Ferreira Birdsong Extra Brut 2020
Price: R350
75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir. 48 months on the lees. Some flinty reduction, floral perfume, pear, peach, citrus and a hint of red apple on the nose. The palate is linear and austere in the best sense – fresh acidity and fine mousse, the finish super-dry. Great aperitif bubbly. Alc: 11.83%.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2018
Price: R485
48% Darling, 36% Robertson, 16% Cape Agulhas. Small portion fermented in barrel. 72 months on the lees. The nose shows citrus, yeasty complexity, earth and spice while the palate is rich and detailed but simultaneously entirely vital. Layers of flavour, the mousse nicely creamy, the finish long and slightly salty.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
The soon-to-be released 2022 vintage of Alto Rouge marks the 100th anniversary of this wine and the Stellenbosch property, owned by German businessman Baron Hans von Staff-Reitzenstein since 2020, is celebrating accordingly.
Recently a flight of Rouge, including 1974, 1987, 1991, 1993 and 2002 followed by a flight of Cabernet Sauvignon including 1965, 1976, 1987, 1998 and 2000.
Stand-out wines as follows:
Alto Rouge 1974
No official record of the blend but thought to contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cinsault and Tinta Barocca. Elusive aromatics included macerated strawberry, prune, floral perfume, fynbos, caramel, meat stock and leather. Light yet full of frequently changing detail, bright acidity and mellow tannins.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 1965
Maiden vintage. Still pitch black in colour. Dark berries, liquorice, earth and tar on the nose. The palate shows tremendous depth, smooth tannins and a savoury finish. Upright to the point of monolithic – amazingly well preserved. Wowed many of the others in attendance.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 1976
Dark red, pale rim. Red berries, iodine and potpourri. Medium bodied with the fruit still intact, fresh acidity and fine tannins. Pure and elegant.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
A new wine, commissioned by the owner, as a once-off is La Residence Heritage Blend 2022, only available in magnum from the tasting room, total production amounting to 1,000 bottles and priced at R1,650. Consisting of 40% Cinsault from sister property Stellenzicht plus 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Shiraz, the nose shows cherries, plums and cassis, some leafiness, a hint of violets and pencil shavings while the palate is medium bodied and harmonious with fresh acidity and fine, powdery tannins. Great focus.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Alto Rouge 2022 rated 90 points in this year’s Prescient Signature Red Blend Report – see here.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
During recessionary times and economic downturns, or the ‘cost of living crisis’ as commentators prefer to call it nowadays, even consumers in the most entry level wine purchasing categories start to become more discerning. In a time when, ironically, the pressures of ensuring quality and excellence are greater than ever, yet more and more difficult to achieve due to cost cutting measures at source, together with limited budgets for investment in new winery plant, barrels and other materials, it is exactly this period in time when consumers will be the most aware of what they are spending their scarce disposable income on.
Tough times call for prioritising for winemakers and brand owners. Quality factors, and how they achieve them and maintain them, certainly become key with the general consumer perception of ‘value for money’, undoubtedly one of the most powerful prevailing mantras.
But it is precisely during these tough economic times, that brand owners often succumb to cautionary knee jerk reactions, instinctively turning off the marketing taps, leaving a few wineries to counter-intuitively increase marketing spend, sometimes out of desperation, sometimes out of necessity, which more often than not allows for a wine’s unique selling points (USPs) to be discovered or rediscovered by belt-tightening wine consumers.
Communicating USPs that differentiate your wine from your competitors, offered to the market with ideally streamlined logistical planning that removes any potential obstacles, can often be a very simple and forthright path to successfully reclaiming market share. While very few wine brands can escape the pressures of a recessionary bear market, if any at all, we certainly do see mid-market wines and certain less sought-after premium brands coming under some of the greatest pressure as witnessed over particular periods in Bordeaux such as the early 1990s, in 1997/8, in 2010/11 and now again in more recent years post the Covid-19 pandemic.
For basic entry level wine brands (a segment of production that has never been one of South Africa’s strongest suits) many are already being sold at historic EDLP (everyday low price) margins, with additional room to move further restricted by marketing cuts, leaving additional price reductions or blatant loss-leading discounting mechanisms as an unattractive final nuclear option available to brand owners to attract bargain-hunting customers in the short term.
Presumably, with rather more South African wineries selling and marketing a wider range of middle-market brands, all strategies to beat a depressed market must start at the winery with real tangible product quality and integrity, and in the marketing board room, by communicating the perceived quality and value.
Consumers demand value for money… and if the famous words of Sir Ken Morrison of the UK supermarket chain Morrisons are anything to go by, “offering the consumer a high quality product at a fair price with a friendly and helpful service guarantee,” you can sell any product in any economic market conditions.
Perceived and real wine quality are two different propositions of course. In recessionary times, communicating the message of quality, can serve to awaken the consumer to the benefits of your brand. Real advances in the actual winery are not always a necessity once your product has already reached a certain quality threshold. Communicating what you have been doing all along to ensure a well-made wine is often all that is necessary to reignite baseline marketing efforts. Stories sell wine and build engagement.
Once the broader message of wine quality, whether achieved stylistically through the use of new oak, more modern winemaking techniques, lower yields, old vines, or better eco-friendly regenerative vineyard practices, is put into motion, a brand ambassador or marketer can begin the construction and communication of a renewed strategy, founded on value for money within the products given price points, supported by emphasising some of the wines identifiable unique selling points.
Value for money can often be communicated as part of a brand’s USP, tempting consumers to test this proposition, which if perceived to be true, should in all likelihood result in repeat sales and potentially the all-important third-party endorsement to friends and family. Value for money then does become a tangible attribute of a wine’s promotion and not just part of the marketing pitch.
As no two wines or wineries are identical, well-made wines should always possess USPs other than simply their price point, and most Cape wineries are blessed with an excess of authentic, engaging stories. Some USPs that have been used in the past by various brands that have proven to resonate with middle-market consumers include better messaging regarding: the winery philosophy behind blending; the actual selection of source grapes; stricter barrel or tank selection for final blends; being prepared to declassify unsuitable components; and an elevated attention to detail in the winery across all processes from vineyard to bottle.
Differentiating products during promotions is another aspect that can be important. Consumers in recessionary times automatically become more selective, looking to buy products that stand out from their peers with an appealing proposition. While challenging, bear markets can foster new and long-lasting trends in buying behaviour, something that has helped the wider South African category in the past, equally, buying patterns can end long-standing trends if products are not marketed and communicated in an attractive and relevant message for the changing times.
While actioning the marketing essentials to captivate the consumer and keep their attention is a never-ending job, paying greater attention to all aspects of the logistic chain in offering a value-added service can also certainly help rather than hinder when it comes to selling wine with extremely tight margins. Any additional savings can then also be periodically passed on to consumers through eye-catching promotional activity.
Whether your marketing mix focuses on multi-buys to promote loyalty, price reductions to encourage first time trials, packaging innovations such as moving to screwcap, or value range extensions downwards to bring in new entry level consumers, wineries and brand owners need to proactively go about creating a strategy that resonates with their target consumers while never forgetting to segment the market as one shoe size does not fit all feet.
Recessionary times, with a real squeeze on consumers’ disposable income, as many marketing savvy people are now discovering, does not necessarily have to mean a drop in wine consumption, but it will almost always mark a change in buying patterns. Keeping a finger on the pulse of consumer sentiment both in the UK and at home in the local South African market is going to be crucially important for wineries and brand owners as we all start to put the abysmal trade environment of 2024 behind us and look towards brighter opportunities in 2025.
There were 12 654ha under bine in Breedekloof at the end of 2023, more than either Stellenbosch or Swartland. One of the more significant companies in the area is UniWine, growers responsible for cultivating some 2 800 ha of vineyard. Is the business model premised on big-volume and low-price? Daschbosch is one of UniWine’s core brands and under this label, head winemaker WS Visagie gets to craft some small-batch wines, either old vine or experimental, that sell at more premium prices. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:
Daschbosch Avon Clairette Blanche 2023
Price: R350
From a vineyard planted in 1977. A subtle leesy note before pear, peach and citrus plus talcum powder and hay on the nose. Light and yet not without texture, moderate acidity, the finish gently savoury. As ever, understated and intriguing. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Daschbosch Skin Contact 2024
Price: R200
80% Chenin Blanc, 20% Muscat d’Alexandrie. No added sulphur. Left on the skins for three months. Expressive aromatics of potpourri, peach, orange and spice. Sweet and juicy on entry, the finish gently savoury. Appealing if not as striking or imposing as some skin contact wines. Alc: 13.3%.
CE’s rating: 90/100.
Daschbosch Mossiesdrift Steen 2023 (R220 a bottle) rated 90 in the Prescient Chenin Blanc Report earlier this year – see here.
Daschbosch The Mill Cinsault 2023
Price: R220
Grapes from a block planted in 1989. Fermented in stainless steel tank, a third undergoing carbonic maceration. Red cherry, strawberry and orange plus hints of herbs and earth. Pure and zippy with fine tannins, the finish nicely dry.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Read more on Daschbosch here.
Do wine lovers still have tunnel vision when it comes to the Breedekloof? High on the slopes of Signal Hill on the rooftop terrace of the Dorp Hotel, I put this question to WS Visagie who was presenting Daschbosch’s new releases.
The Breedekloof brand is the boutique arm of uniWines Vineyards, a co-op that manages 2 800-hectares, of which 122 qualifies for heritage certification (vines 35-years-old and above) by the Old Vine Project. Only 4.5 hectares of this they deem suitable for Daschbosch’s Heritage range – which we are tasting today, namely an old vine chenin, small batch clairette blanche, old vine cinsault and a hanepoot from the oldest vineyard on the African continent. The block is guessed to be around 124 years old, if not older – as recording keeping of vineyard plantings began in the 1900s, so it’s difficult to ascertain dates before that. This, alongside the ‘Experimental’ range, comprising a méthode ancestrale from verdelho and a dry, skin-contact blend of chenin and muscat.
Daschbosch has been in production for around a decade. It’s been just as long since the Breedekloof Makers were formed to promote high quality chenin from the Breedekloof. Coincidence? Visagie admits that while they had released a chenin-based blend in 2013, it really was the Makers initiative that ignited the new direction for Daschbosch.
“We were told you can do whatever you want, but do it with chenin.”
The project was the brainchild of Attie Louw, 7th generation winemaker and marketer at Opstal Estate, located on a ridge in the Slanghoek, a ward of the valley.
The Breedekloof controls 22% of South Africa’s production, and one-fifth of all chenin is planted here. Louw realised that to make a statement they needed to focus on chenin, both the high quality that’s possible as well as the wealth of old vines they had access to. Using his forbear Carl Everson as inspiration he made a chenin bearing his name in 2012. The wine was the opposite of the inoculated commercial chenins of the time. Instead it was made from a single vineyard planted in 1981, naturally fermented in old French oak, then left on the lees for extended maturation. The inaugural vintage received high praise from critics. This was the proverbial turning of the tide; and with it the genesis of the Breedekloof Makers.
Visagie reflects on the last ten years. “It’s great to see how everyone has fine-tuned their styles. I don’t think we’ve arrived just yet, but we’re finally on the map.
“Even though it’s just an hour away, there’s a resistance about driving through the tunnel,” he admits referring to the famous toll, the Huguenot Tunnel which you need to drive through if travelling from Cape Town to get to the valley.
However he has noticed an uptick in interest in the region, quantified by cellar door visits and resulting sales. More often than not he says visitors cite it was the marketing efforts of the Breedekloof Makers that got them there.
The other side of the mountain or ‘annerkant die berg’ was once a pejorative term used to describe the region, it is now widely embraced by the farmers with a sense of tongue-in-cheek pride; they’ve even named an annual festival after it.
And, it’s beautiful. When you do pop out of the tunnel, expect dramatic Tolkien-esque mountains and rolling vineyards as far as the eye can see. Eminently suited to agriculture with plenty of water to spare, grapes grow easily and in abundance here.
This has been a double-edged sword. The perception of being a ‘bulk wine’ region has hurt their image for the production of fine wine, hence the creation of the Breedekloof Makers in the first place.
It also means that Breedkloof crops consistently, resulting in more profitability in wine growing than in many other regions. With this they have the ability to invest back in vineyards and infrastructure as well as the custodianship of heritage plots.
Such as the 1977 block from which the Daschbosch’s Avon Clairette Blanche hails. “It’s not about making money,” says Visagie when asked why make the wine. “It’s about keeping the vines in the soil.” They can only make around four barrels per vintage, and in fact reduced yields in 2024 saw only three being filled.
“You’d fall over if you heard what we have to pay to keep some of these old blocks in the ground,” adds Pieter Cronje, head of marketing for the brand. He hints they are paying far more for heritage grapes than in other regions, such as the Swartland. He asks rhetorically, “Why should a farmer keep these low-yielding crops when he can get 20-times as much for high volume colombard, or even butternut?
“These farmers are commercial farmers, whereas with these plots it’s all about heritage and emotion. You have to get the grower’s buy in.”
Security of fruit
Premium wines with a story to tell have the added bonus of attracting attention. This is part of the reason that some of South Africa’s most well known producers can be found happily shopping in the Breedekloof for fruit. “It’s no secret that some of Stellenbosch’s top estates source their fruit in Bonnievale,” says Cronje.
The other is that the crops are consistent. “Breedekloof is in a sweet spot,” relates Opstal’s Louw when we jump on a call, along with contemporaries winemaker, Ivy du Toit of Jason’s Hill and Ed Beukes, marketing manager of Du Toitskloof Wines – both estates members of the Makers.
“We discussed at the recent Old Vine conference how it is one of the most sustainable regions in Western Cape, because we have the security of fruit.”
“Of course we do bulk wine. With the luxury of water, bulk means we can harvest a lot of grapes, and we need to start seeing that as a strength rather than hiding away from it.”
“If we want to plant bushvine grenache on a raised slope, we don’t need a French aristocrat to invest to do so,” says Louw. “We have the sustainability of profitability on a farm level to take on such a challenge.”
Beukes points out that from anecdotal observation the Breedekloof Makers project has worked. “The stats from our tasting room show that our old vine chenin is one of our top-sellers, remarkable when you consider Du Toitskloof is known as an easy-drinking brand. He also notes how members are consistently bottling current vintages of the Makers’ chenin, whereas that wasn’t the case in the beginning.
Conversely Du Toit points out how the Makers initiative has had another effect: “We now know how many people still don’t know about us.”
This underscores the importance of sticking to the message.
“The market needs to expect to enjoy quality chenin in the Breedekloof,” says Louw. “And we still have a lot of work to do in bringing that message to the world.”
For reviews of the latest Daschbosch releases by editor Christian Eedes, see here.
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