in the vineyard : HISTORY
Monis is the Cape’s most longstanding brand of fortified wines, established in Paarl in 1906 by Italian Roberto Monis, a son of a prominent Tuscan winemaking and merchandising family. He soon became a prominent player in the South African wine industry and his name has become synonymous with premier fortified wines.
THE WINEMAKER
Today the range of ports, sherries and muscadel is made by Dirkie Christowitz, who enjoys considerable local and international acclaim as attested by the abundance of double gold and gold medals garnered over the years. Christowitz also represents the South African Port Producers’ Association and is an active innovator hoping to build even stronger support for the port market. He was instrumental in replacing the VO Tawny Port with the first dated Tawny Port, to enhance its standing and better reflect conditions of spectacular vintages.
THE GRAPES
This sherry was made from Chenin blanc grapes grown in Stellenbosch . The vineyards were grafted on Phylloxera resistant rootstock and received only supplementary irrigation . The vineyards are trellised on a five wire hedge system and yielded six tons per ha. The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness with full rounded flavours to withstand the impact of wood.
in the cellar : The sherry was matured for three years in 500 liter Ciadera barrels inoculated with Flor yeast. After blending it was transferred to large 1150 liter Solera barrels for a further three years to create a dry, mouth-filling sherry.