variety : Tinta Barocca [ 20% Tinta Barocca, 20% Souzao, 20% Pontac, Touriga Naçional, Tinta Röriz, Malvasia Rey, Tinta Francesca ]
winemaker : Danie Malan
wine of origin : Riebeek Valley, Swartland
analysis : alc : 20.88 % vol rs : 105.50 g/l pH : 2.96 ta : 7.73 g/l
type : Fortified style : Sweet body : Full taste : Fruity wooded
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Background
Allesverloren, situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Kasteelberg near Riebeek West, is the oldest estate in the Swartland Wine of Origin district and is renowned for the excellence of its reds and Fine Old Vintage estate wines.
The farm, which dates back to 1704, began producing wine exactly one century later. In 1872 Allesverloren was acquired by Daniel Francois Malan and has remained in the Malan family for five generations.
Winemaker Danie Malan and his late father, Fanie, were among the wine pioneers of the Swartland, ably demonstrating the outstanding wine growing potential of what was once considered the breadbasket of the Cape. While wheat remains the major crop in the region, increasing numbers of wine farms are established each year to take advantage of the beneficial terroir.
This Fine Old Vintage is made from a blend of equal parts of Tinta Barocca (20%), Souzao (20%) and Pontac (20%), while the balance was made up of equal parts of Touriga Naçional, Tinta Röriz, Malvasia Rey and Tinta Francesca.
Vineyards
The seven varietals from which this wine is made came from trellised vineyards, grown in Malmesbury shale and situated some 270 m to 340 m above sea level. Planted from 1954 onwards, the vines received no irrigation.