Wildeberg Terroirs Cinsault

The Earths mantle thrusts up above the gentle town of Franschhoek, a wild slice of untamed mountain on which sits a farm named Wildeberg. An established wine region for some 350 years, sensible generations never thought to plant a vine here until a happy band of idealists recently craned their necks up at this hillside and, dizzy with hope, decided to give it a go. Franschhoek is on the very edge of the south-eastern corner of the Capes venerable Coastal Region, indeed Wildebergs property border runs over the top of the mountain where the Coastal Region gives way to the baboon-strewn road to Grabouw and the wider Western Cape.

The Wildeberg wines express the most captivating Franschhoek Valley fruit. In our Wildeberg Terroirs bottlings we look beyond our home to a clutch of exceptional sites of other origin.

A mountain rich in metaphor with the visual heft to flatter any wine, releases of Wildeberg and Terroirs express our continued purpose " exceptional wines of place, however humble the origin. If the abiding memory of our wines remains a textural sense of place then we are portraying the Cape as hoped.

Wildeberg is a 144ha wine farm set against the backdrop of the dramatic Franschhoek mountains, on the very edge of viticultural possibilities. To farm here you have to be in tune with nature, respecting the earth and the elements, creating wines which truly express the terroir with minimal intervention.

This special area is home to 4 endangered Fynbos species, and a key mission of Wildeberg is to conserve this vegetation type as they are critical to the biodiversity of the Western Cape. This work entails clearing invasive alien trees which can overwhelm the Fynbos and contribute to the threat of forest fires. Fynbos covered mountains like those at Wildeberg are thought to be responsible for delivering one glass of water in five in South Africa, due to the plants allowing up to 80% of rainwater to run off into rivers and reservoirs rather than being absorbed into the soil.
Water is precious in South Africa, and waste water from the winery passes through a natural wetland with indigenous reeds and plants before being pumped into our irrigation dam. We then use this water to irrigate the vines.

All Wildeberg wines are certified as part of South Africas sustainability accreditation, the 'Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.

Wildeberg is also a proud member of the Capes Old Vine Project (OVP), which preserves blocks of vines which are 35 years and older. The project encourages producers to farm as close to nature as possible whilst raising awareness of the inherent potential of old vines to produce outstanding and expressive wines.

Cinsault,

Made from a single site of bush vine Cinsault in Wellington, planted in 1974 on well-drained slopes of deep, soft loams littered with granite and quartz in the shadow of the Hawekwa mountains. Hand-harvested bush vine fruit is naturally fermented at Wildeberg with 30% whole bunch pressing. 9 months ageing in 600 ltr French oak, mainly older barrels, 15% new. Minimal intervention at all stages in order to capture the natural site-specific energy of this unique fruit.

Wildeberg Terroirs is an expression of the most exciting vineyard blocks we work with in the wider Coastal Region. The first red in the range shows the exceptional quality Cinsault is capable of from old, low yielding bush vines and hands-off winemaking.

A fresh, lifted nose with ripe cherry and damson fruit and hints of cinnamon and allspice. Bright and finely balanced on the palate with juicy red fruit and tangy acidity offset by warm, gently earthy notes leading to a pure, focussed finish.

Pairs well with a variety of different dishes, but excellent with hoi-sin duck, Karoo salt lamb off the braai, seared tuna with roast Mediterranean vegetables, and well-matured hard cheese.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight On The Red Wines of South Africa blog.

60km Northeast of Cape Town, heading inland is the major wine region of Wellington. Wellington is warmer than Stellenbosch but still benefits from the coastal breezes blowing in off False Bay. The soils here are poor, sandy, rocky and very low in nutrients. Vines have to work hard here and yields are naturally reduced.

Cinsault is our grape for this wine. Usually pronounced “San–So” but also often called “Sin-So” so don’t worry about your pronunciation! Cinsault is very commonly grown across the South of France where it is one of the oldest varieties grown there. In the Rhone it is seen as a minor grape and is one of those permitted In Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, it is more common across the Languedoc/Roussillon area and is one of the key varietals in Provence. Outside of France, Cinsault is still one of the most important grapes in North Africa; Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia still have plantings of the grape for their limited wine production. Whilst the largest percentage of Cinsault is still France, South Africa is in close second place.

The reason for Cinsault’s success in both North and South Africa lie in its tolerance for heat and dry conditions. In these hot, dry conditions, including in full blown drought years, Cinsault is still capable of producing a vast and bountiful harvest of fruit. This is why it spread so widely. The French planted swaths of land to Cinsault across North Africa when they were a part of their colonies. These lakes of cheaply produced Cinsault kept the post war French fully tanked up, with a lot of the wines even being labelled as “French”.

To reduce the vigour of the vines, dry farming is important. Without irrigation, the vines have to work harder to find water so they develop deeper root systems to tap into the water table. This makes them more self-reliant. The reduced access to water also creates smaller and more flavourful berries. Irrigation, particularly closer to harvest time, can swell the grapes with let’s face it, boring tasteless water. This is a key reason why a lot of your supermarket wines can be a bit bland, being made from over cropped, heavily irrigated vines producing insipid fruit. The vines for Wildeberg’s Cinsault were planted in 1974, 52 years ago. These vines produce some deliciously concentrated grapes, the low tannins present in Cinsault’s skins however keep the wine light and bright.

You can find more on Wildeberg here on our White Wines Of South Africa blog. Hand-harvested bush vine fruit is naturally fermented at Wildeberg with 30% whole bunch pressing. 9 months ageing in 600 ltr French oak, mainly older barrels, 15% new. Minimal intervention at all stages in order to capture the natural site-specific energy of this unique fruit.

A fresh, lifted nose with ripe cherry and damson & pomegranate fruit and hints of cinnamon, sumac and allspice. Bright and finely balanced on the palate with juicy red fruit and tangy acidity offset by warm, gently earthy notes leading to a pure, focussed finish.

Try with seared tuna with Mediterranean vegetables or maybe some North African mezze.