Alto Shiraz 2012

Name: Alto Shiraz 2012
Brand: Alto
SKU: 36788

Colour: Ruby red.
Bouquet: Blackcurrant and prunes with smoky, spicy undertones laced with berry and fruit.
Taste: Full-bodied with delicate spice, prune and plum flavours, a creamy mouthfeel and a good tannic backbone.

Excellent enjoyed with Mediterranean dishes such as spicy lamb and meat casseroles, roasts, oxtail and even the traditional South African barbeque.

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variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : Alto Estate

winemaker : Schalk van der Westhuizen

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.48 % vol rs : 3.9 g/l pH : 3.50 ta : 4.6 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

Background
Alto, situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch district, dates back to 1693 when it was part of a much larger farm called Groenrivier (Green River), granted to a free burgher by Governor Simon van der Stel. In 1919 the owner of the farm, Hennie Malan, sold off half the land to his brother-in-law and set about planting vines on his remaining portion, focusing exclusively on red varieties. He named the smaller farm Alto, a reference to its altitude (some slopes rise as high as 500m above sea level) and his striving for excellence.

Alto has 93 hectares under vines. The trellised vineyards cling to the high granite slopes that are ideal for the cultivation of red wine varieties.

in the vineyard : The grapes for this wine came from vineyards planted in deep, red, decomposed granite and clay soils on a north-westerly slope, situated some 100 m to 150 m above sea level. The vines are grown under dryland conditions and are trellised on a five-wire hedge system.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand at 26° to 27° Balling at the end of March.
They yielded 8 to 12 tons per hectare.

in the cellar : After destalking and crushing the grapes, the juice was fermented for seven days on the skins in stainless-steel tanks at 25° to 27°C. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged in wood for 18 months, using a combination of French (40%) and American (60%) first, second and third-fill barrels.

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