in the vineyard : Climate: Winter rainfall approximately 300 mm per annum. Summer afternoons are fanned by a cool breeze from the Agulhas Coast. Nights are chilly and mist often shrouds the vineyards until late morning during high summer.
Soils: The gravelly soils are extremely rich in lime with a very high pH - similar to soils of the leading wine growing regions in the world.
Irrigation: The vineyards are scientifically irrigated with the aid of a fully computerised irrigation system. Thanks to the most modern technology, irrigation on De Wetshof has been turned into an asset promoting the quality of the grapes.
Pest Control: Due to a very dry climate, spraying is minimal compared to other wine growing regions.
Rootstock: Richter 99
Age of the vines: 11-13 years
Vines per hectare: 4000
Trellising style: 6 Wire fence system cordon with spur pruning
in the cellar : The grapes are destalked, crushed and the juice cleaned before fermentation commences. The juice is transferred to small French oak barrels and the fermentation process is started with selected cultured yeasts. The juice ferments at 17-20ºC. The wine matures for several months in the barrels under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Barrel maturation - 8 months.
Danie de Wet adjusts his methods of winemaking from year to year, according to weather conditions and grape quality, in the belief that wine is made in the vineyard and not in the cellar. French oak barrels for De Wetshof are specifically selected from specific coopers to enhance the quality of the fruit.