DAVID & NADIA Grenache 2022

This cuvée comes from five dry-farmed Grenache Noir vineyards in the Swartland, north of Cape Town. Its foundation is a Paardeberg vineyard planted in the early 2000s, complemented by a plot on the north-east slope of the Langkloof valley, facing the Aprilskloof. The grapes also include high-altitude terraces on the Kasteelberg, set on schist soils, as well as a vineyard north of Malmesbury. This mosaic of sites, slopes and soils offers a nuanced reading of the Swartland, between hillside freshness, mineral structure and a luminous expression of fruit.

The grapes are picked in twelve separate passes to respect the ripeness of each plot. 45% of the wine is fermented and then aged in concrete. The juice stays in contact with the skins for four weeks, before and during fermentation, with 60% whole bunches. Punch-downs and pump-overs accompany the alcoholic fermentation, aiming for minimal, delicate extraction. After pressing, the wine is aged for one year in old, neutral 500-litre French oak barrels and 2,700-litre concrete tanks.

This wine reveals notes of red cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry, lifted by hints of rose petal and violet. The bouquet continues with white pepper, dried herbs, star anise, citrus zest and a touch of saline minerality. The palate is both supple and energetic, carried by a silky texture, fine tannins and lively acidity that draws out the finish with precision and freshness.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, though wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of the French Protestants in the 1680s with their viticultural skills and knowledge. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards planted there in the 1690s.

Today South Africa is one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most important wine producing countries. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old World and the New World. The majority of the wines are made using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has enjoyed international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles.

The South African wine industry is spread across the lush, rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys, and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. There are also vineyards 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 have a Mediterranean climate, which is heavily influenced by the convergence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The country’s signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut which is rarely found in quantity in other wine producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often blended together in a Bordeaux-style blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin, and Sauvignon Blanc have become internationally popular in recent years.