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Simonsig Straw Wine 2009

Brilliant gold colour. A kiss of Muscat raisins and honeyed spice which is supported by an ever so faint oak toastiness. Silky smooth on the palate with layered flavours of aromatic dried pears and subtly caramelised sugar. The unctuous sweetness runs like a golden thread to a delicious dry finish. A hand made wine where the generous African sun performs magic to concentrate the natural flavours in perfect harmony.

Malva Pudding with gorgonzola ice cream, baked rooibos infused cheese cake, foie gras terrine, smoke duck breast salad with caramelised hazelnut or on its own in front of a fire when you crave a special treat.
variety : Muscat Ottonel [ 100% Muscat Ottonel ]
winemaker : Johan Malan
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 11.93 % vol  rs : 121.1 g/l  pH : 3.89  ta : 5.6 g/l  
type : Dessert  style : Sweet  body : Soft   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  
in the vineyard : Heritage
The tradition of making wine from naturally sundried grapes goes back many centuries. In the Rhône, Jura and Alsace grapes were dried on straw mats to concentrate the sugars and the flavours. In 2009 we started our own new challenge and exciting adventure by listing a Straw Wine to our portfolio. We incorporated a different method by pinching the stem of the bunch with pliers to stop the flow of moisture from the roots to the bunch, this allows the bunches to dry. After 6 weeks the berries lose moisture and the delicious sweet juice and exotic Muscat Ottonel fragrance is concentrated to almost double the initial sugar content. Straw Wines are renowned for their longevity.

Vintage Description
The 2009 vintage brought memories of the classic 1966 surf movie, The Endless Summer, as it was a year with the near perfect weather and there was no end to the balmy sun drenched days deep into April. The perfect weather lasted beyond the Easter Weekend which traditionally coincides with full moon and that means the first rain of Autumn and a start to the rainy winter season. This year the first meaningful rain came late in April which allowed ideal condition for the Muscat Ottonel to excel as a Straw Wine.
about the harvest: 4.16 Tons of raisined berries were hand picked and selected in the vineyard on the 20 April 2009.
in the cellar : At the cellar a team of 12 ladies did a meticulously second hand selection on a sorting table to encapsulate all the natural flavours. It was left on the skins for 24 hours to allow the raisined berries to swell out and extract the exquisite flavours and concentrated sugar (38° Balling). Pressing is very time consuming and yielded a meagre 2150 litres. The wine was fermented and matured in seasoned French oak for 13 months.
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OTHER VINTAGES

Simonsig Straw Wine 2009
Muscat Ottonel