variety : Muscat de Frontignan [ Muscat d’Frontignan, Chenin Blanc and
Muscat d’Alexandrië ]
winemaker : Philip Jordaan & Shawn Thompson
wine of origin : Breede River
analysis : alc : 12.881 % vol rs : 26.4 g/l pH : 3.31 ta : 7 g/l
type : White style : Semi Sweet taste : Fragrant
pack : Bottle closure : Screwcap
in the vineyard : Background
Du Toitskloof Wine Cellar (DTK) was established by six wine farmers as a cooperative winery in 1962. Today it has 22 members whose vineyards all lie within a 10 km radius of the cellar. It is located near the town of Rawsonville in the Breede River Valley, at the entrance to the Du Toitskloof Mountain Pass. The stony soils of the area are ideally suited to grape growing. DTK's award-winning wines are known for their excellent quality at affordable prices, and during the last five years it has been rated the South African cellar offering the best value by WINE magazine, three times. The cellar produces some 10 million litres of wine a year from 13 500 tons of grapes, of which 60% is white and 40%, red. Its major white cultivar is Sauvignon blanc, followed by Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Semillon. The main red cultivars are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage.
In the vineyards
The grapes were sourced from two trellised vineyard blocks located between 5 and 10 km from the cellar. The vines, grafted on to Richter 99 rootstock, are between 10 and 15 years old and grow in clayey, stony soils with irrigation supplied. Both blocks are meticulously managed to ensure full ripeness and the best quality grapes.
about the harvest: The grapes for this gentle, muscat-scented, semi-sweet wine were harvested fully ripe to ensure optimal flavour extraction. Grapes were picked in the coolness of the early morning.
in the cellar : Grapes were kept under cold conditions until pressing. Skin contact was allowed for 24 hours at a temperature of between 10° and 12° C and under a layer of carbon dioxide to protect the juice and skin from oxidation. The free-running juice was then racked and fermented dry over a period of two weeks at 12° to 14° C. After stabilisation the wine was filtered before bottling.