Shiraz

IN THE VINEYARDS The grapes used for this wine are harvested from a single vineyard of Shiraz which was planted in 1972. It used to be planted amongst tobacco and the only grapes on our Helderberg property. Sadly it was sold off to the cooperative, but in the last 7 years we have gone outside the norm to protect and preserve these old vineyards and getting several of them across different cultivars back into shape. VINIFICATION Grapes are picked between 24 and 25 Balling, crushed and allowed to cold macerate for 24 hours in open fermenters. 38% of the wine is fermented as whole bunches. It is inoculated with French Rhone yeast strains and the juice ferments on the skins for 10 – 14 days with manual punch down of the cap every 2-6 hours. The juice is drained off the skins and allowed to finish alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Barrel maturation varies from 20 to 24 months of which 95% are French oak and 5% American oak.

TASTING NOTES This wine offers a dark brooding nose of spice and a distinct white pepper and lifted violet note. The palate shows black berry and red cherry but also a persistent peppery spice and violet nuance with a lingering finish of black olives and soft vanilla undertones. The Peppergrinder’s Shiraz can stand its ground to many a large piece of meat – whether it is Madagascan cured fillet or oven grilled rack of lamb.