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Extreme March weather results in ideal harvest conditions for The Stables
Wine Estate
Nottingham Road – The unusual late summer weather that has seen
KwaZulu-Natal residents scampering for their jerseys after weeks of
relentless dry heatwave conditions may have frustrated farmers and
gardeners, but it has provided a real bonus for the wine farmers in the
province.
The regions only certified wine producers, The Stables Wine Estate, are
gushing with enthusiasm as the long dry summer, which shifted into an
unusually cool snap has resulted in their 2008 harvest producing late
ripening grapes that are exceptional for winemaking.
“The weather has been phenomenal for us,” enthused winemaker Tiny Van
Niekerk. “The long dry period during February really helped our grapes ripen
with excellent sugar content, which is essential for making good wine.”
Van Niekerk and his vineyard team have already completed their white wine
harvest, including a large crop of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir, much of which will be used to produce a top class “Methode Champenoise”
bubbly.
“We couldn’t have asked for better conditions,” Van Niekerk added, hinting
that the 2008 vintage of KZN wines promises to be remarkable. “The hot days
encouraged the sugar and fruit development, while the nights at our
vineyards in Greytown and Nottingham Road are still cool, which gives the
grapes a chance to establish overnight.”
The lengthy hot dry spell has allowed Van Niekerk to leave his red wine
harvest later than planned, as he and his team of viticulturalists
monitoring the sugar levels. “It looks like I will be able to harvest the
Pinotage at 24 to 26 balling, and our Cabernet Sauvignon at 27 balling” ,
referring to the unusually good sugar content of the grapes.
The cold snap that send the province shivering early in March has been
perfectly timed, allowing the winemaking team to carefully monitor the
grapes for optimal harvesting conditions. “It gives a winemaker a lot of
latitude. The grapes are phenolically ripe, and with the cooler weather,
there is much less risk of grape-rot, and we can choose the best time to
harvest to get the grapes at their very best,” he added.
Van Niekerk made it clear that the good weather will not significantly
affect the overall yield of grapes. “The yield is basically determined in
autumn, when the nodes start budding and the density of the nodes develops.
Our autumn was fantastically sunny, and the rains arrived late, which helped
us greatly,” said Van Niekerk,
“We could not have organised the weather any better if had tried!” he
quipped.
The Stables Wine Estate will produce more of their popular Clariet rosé, the
blanc de noir wine that was the first certified KZN wine of origin, and has
been a consistent favourite with wine tasters at the estate.
Since then red and white wines from their KZN vineyards have been warmly
received, and won medals at several prominent wine shows.
“When you see the awesome grapes that we are able to work with at the
moment, it scotches any rumours that fine wines cannot be made in
KwaZulu-Natal,” said Van Niekerk.
“I am thrilled to see the industry growing as more and more people cotton
onto the fact that KZN has so many advantages as a wine growing region,” he
added.
Tiny and Judy Van Niekerk recently established the KZN Winegrowers
Association, which sets out to facilitate and support newcomers to the wine
industry in the province with assistance with funding, technical expertise,
and collective marketing of the KZN wine Industry.
For more information please contact
Judy on 033 266 6781 or by email on
info@stableswine.co.za
ENDS
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