in the cellar : The cooler conditions, caused the grapes to ripen later. The red grape varieties were physiologically ripe when harvested and at the same time had the correct sugar-acid proportion. This resulted in flavourful wines with a good structure and soft tannins. The grapes came from vineyards in the Voor-Paardeberg area and the north-eastern slopes of Paardeberg. The yield was 8 to 10 tons per hectare.
Only the healthiest grapes are carefully selected, destalked and crushed. The juice is fermented in closed cement tanks and for 75% of the duration of alcoholic fermentation is pumped over the skin cap twice a day for colour and flavour extraction. It is then fermented until dry before being racked to stainless steel tanks where it undergoes malo-lactic fermentation. Thirty percent of the wine (the fuller portion with a higher alcohol)is matured in new to third-fill small oak barrels for twelve months. It is then blended with the tank portion, filtered and bottled.
Silver Veritas 2000 Award