Middelvlei Shiraz 1997

Appearance: Ruby with purple hue.
Nose: High intensity- powerful fruit and spicy flavours.
Palate: Hints of violets, vanilla and cherries. A blend of old-world earthiness and new-world fruit.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : Middelvlei Wines

winemaker : Tinnie Momberg

wine of origin : Devon Valley

analysis : alc : 13 % vol pH : 3.75 ta : 6.2 g/l

type : Red

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

AWARDS

This wine was awarded the prestigious Jan Smuts Trophy for the 1997 S.A. Champion Young Wine. The best out of 2100 wines.

in the vineyard : Shiraz 1997
3.42 ha of the estate have been devoted to Shiraz. The vineyards, planted in 1990 - at 3 704 vines per ha at an altitude of 160 m above sea-level - face eastwards and were 7 years old in the vintage year. They were grafted onto rootstock type Richter 99 and planted in Hutton and Clovelly soils. The vines are trellised which keeps the grapes cool and healthy.

The average annual rainfall is 700 mm. However, the entire 1996 - 97 vintage season was very wet with an average rainfall of 809 mm. The vines were pruned to limit the yield, which was 4,6 tons per ha.

about the harvest: Harvesting took place on the 31 March 1997, between 06:00 and 18:00, with the grapes at an average sugar level of 26° Balling. The grapes were hand-picked and placed in small baskets to prevent bruising.

in the cellar : In the cellar, the grapes were gently crushed, destemmed and transferred to open cement tanks, where they were inoculated with yeast type WE 372 and left to ferment on the skins for 4 days at 26° C. The young wine underwent secondary malolactic fermentation, which was completed on 20 April 1997.

15% of the Middelvlei Shiraz 1997 was matured in new small French oak for 12 months and the remaining 85% in second-fill oak, also for 12 months.

The wine was bottled in November 1998.

email the winery

email this page

find our wines in :