To Maike and the Rest 2022

Growing up on the southwest coast of South Africa, surfing and enjoying the ocean, Namibian-born winemaker and winemaker MC Stander entered the wine scene almost by chance in 2006. Quickly choosing to s Moving away from large-scale production, MC realized his passion for natural winemaking and organic farming at Joostenberg Wines. In 2018, still drawn to a more minimalist approach to wine, MC founded Equinox Wines . In collaboration with Swartland winemakers, he aims to create wines that are both balanced and natural. Inspired by the Beaujolais region of France, he uses practices such as carbonic fermentation, whole clusters and skin maceration, with the aim of creating fruit-based, digestible wines representative of their terroir.

The name " To Maike and the Rest " was inspired by the loss of a friend named Maike and represents a testament to our journeys in life, the friends we share them with and those who are no longer with us. Here is a Chenin Blanc grown in Paardeberg, in the Swartland region, where these old vines root in granite soils under a sandy top layer. The wine is made through a short maceration and fermented in 100% whole bunches. ​The philosophy is to use the fewest chemical inputs as well as a minimum of added sulfur, from grapes picked early for greater freshness. The resulting wine is naturally acidic and less alcoholic, then aged in small used oak barrels. This reveals intense notes of quince , tangerine peel , kumquat , ripe apple , orange blossom , beeswax , mineral scents and sweet spices . The palate is fresh, saline, textured and complex.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced 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 received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be 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 have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.