Vrede Chardonnay 2024

Vrede Chardonnay comes from a 1.46-hectare plot at 125 metres above sea level on a north-east-facing slope, in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, within South Africa's Hemel-en-Aarde region. Its poor, stony, clay-rich soils, formed from Bokkeveld shale, give the wine a fresh, mineral expression.

After harvest, the grapes are pressed in a vertical basket press, then fermented in French oak barrels. 75% of the wine goes through malolactic fermentation. Ageing lasts 11 months in tight-grained 228-litre barrels, 31% of them new, the rest split between first-, second- and third-fill barrels.

This wine reveals notes of lemon, lime zest, grapefruit, white pear, nectarine, yellow peach, white honey, ginger, sweet spices, fresh almond and wet stone. The palate offers broad yet precise fruit, with a silky, taut texture, supported by vibrant maritime acidity. The saline, mineral finish stretches out with finesse on citrus and stone fruit.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really take off until the arrival of the French Huguenots in the 1680s, with their viticultural skills and knowledge. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, its first vineyards having been planted in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine-producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With more than 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. Most wines are made using New World winemaking techniques, yet stylistically they often have more in common with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has attracted international attention and won acclaim for its great diversity of styles. The South African wine industry is spread across the lush, rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, an abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaux allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards are also found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions enjoy a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, a native cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut rarely found in any quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often brought together in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.