in the vineyard : Allesverloren, situated on the south-eastern slopes of Kasteelberg near Riebeeck West, is the only wine estate in the Swartland Wine of Origin district, an area becoming increasingly renowned for the excellence of its reds.
The farm, which dates back to 1704, began producing wine exactly one century later. In 1872 Allesverloren was acquired by Daniel Francois Malan and it has remained in the Malan family for five generations. The present owner is Fanie Malan, whose son Danie is winemaker.
Father and son 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.
Recognising that red wines would flourish in their part of the Swartland, they planted 160 ha mainly to red varietals in the early 1990s and have been garnering praise and awards for the three reds and a port ever since. In the John Platter South African Wine Guide for 2002, each of the wines has achieved a score of four stars, and the port, four-and-a-half stars. In 1998 Danie received the Diners Winemaker of the Year award for his 1996 Shiraz.
The vineyards
Located in the Riebeeckberg ward, the mostly unirrigated vines are grown in Malmesbury shale, known for its good water retention capacity. Vineyard management practices and judicious grape selection mean these trellised vines yield no more than 6 to 8 tons per hectare. Some 20% of the vineyards from which the grapes were sourced were irrigated, using the drip method, to avoid undue stress to the vines.
The vintage
The ripening period was characterized by above average rainfall during November and December, causing extreme downy mildew infections. January, February and March were dry and extremely hot, which resulted in downy mildew and Botrytis not being a problem in the late season. This resulted in healthy grapes with a lot of berry fruit being produced. The red grapes produced lighter wines with less tannins.
in the cellar : Each vineyard block was individually vinified, with the grapes fermented at 25°C for between 2 to 4 days. Skin contact ranged from 5 to 7 days. After malolactic fermentation the wine was aged in small, exclusively new French wood for 18 months.