Grangehurst Nikela 1998

Nikela - is a "Cape Pinotage Blend" of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage & Merlot. The word "Nikela" (pronounced "Ni-care-la") is a Nguni (Xhosa/Zulu) word meaning "to offer dedication, respect or a tribute to one's ancestors", this wine being a tribute to winemaker, Jeremy Walker's late parents, Eddie and Betty, who contributed greatly to the establishment of Grangehurst (named after their childhood homes in England). This wine has a medium-dark ruby colour with rich, complex aromas and flavours of berries, chocolate and spice.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Pinotage, 13% Merlot ]

winery : Grangehurst Winery

winemaker : Jeremy Walker

wine of origin : Coastal

analysis : alc : 13.51 % vol rs : 2.00 g/l pH : 3.65 ta : 5.80 g/l

type : Red

pack : Bottle

ageing : Recommended maturation of 4 to 10 years from vintage (i.e. best between 2002 and 2008).

in the vineyard : Selected from four prime vineyard areas in Stellenbosch viz. the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, the hills of Firgrove, Devon Valley and Stellenbosch Kloof. The southerly sea breezes that blow over the cool waters of False Bay contribute greatly to the quality of the grapes from these vineyards.

in the cellar : FERMENTATION After destalking and crushing the grapes, the mash was fermented in open tanks for between 5 and 14 days on the skins. The cap of skins was punched down and mixed with the juice 8 to 10 times per day to ensure maximum extraction of colour, tannin and flavours. After completion of the alcoholic fermentatiion, the free-run wine was drawn off and the skins were gently pressed in a hand-operated basket press. The press wine was blended with the free-run wine in stainless steel tanks before being transferred to small oak barrels.

CLARIFICATION The wine was clarified according to the natural settling and racking method which does not involve the use of unnatural fining agents, centrifuges or filters. This method of clarifying wine prevents it from being stripped of colour, aromas and flavours.

BARREL MATURATION The various component wines - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot - were matured separately in 225 litre barrels (mainly French partly American) for 24 months. The wines were racked to and blended in a stainless steel tank in August 2001.

BOTTLING The blended wine was not cold stabilized and was only filtered once prior to bottling, so tartrate crystals and pigment deposits may form in the bottle and on the cork. Bottled at Grangehurst in December 2001 and February 2002 - total production of 9,400 bottles and 900 magnums.

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