One of the exciting developments in the local wine scene lately are the smaller “side-labels" that are made by vintners that have “9-to-5" jobs on the local wine farms.
One of the earlier examples is Tesselaarsdal, a lovely and lively Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made by Berene Sauls who works at Hamilton Russell. Soon Berene will have her own vineyards producing but right now she sources the grapes from our valley, and if you have not yet tried these wines, it is time you did – they are elegant and refined bottlings.
The two “Gerhard’s” in the Creation team are also making great wines “on the side”. Gerhard Smith, the winemaker, has his Die Kat se Snor label which ranges from a Cinsault to a Sauvignon, with (naturally) a Chardonnay and a Pinot in the mix too. The cheeky label is a winner for cat lovers.
Gerhard Bruwer, the viticulturist at Creation, fittingly has a label called Renosterveld (one of the indigenous fynbos vegetation types of the Cape) - these consist of a Chardonnay and a red blend and are both good wines for lovers of textured, “classic” styles of wine.
A little further down the valley, the La Vierge winemaker, Christo Kotze, has just launched a new side-label with an artist friend of his, called Sketch Cru. There are two wines, a Semillon and a Syrah, both well worth coming in to stock up on. There is also a lovely back-story to the label (in the picture alongside) that metaphorically describes the risk and thrill of a fledgling taking flight. So, this time, a label that is a winner for twitchers.
Now the resident winemaker at Hasher, Natasha Williams makes crackerjack wines under the Lelie van Saron label, a Syrah that is beautifully crafted and delicious, and a poised Chardonnay.
Another wine to look out for is made by Nelis Uys previously at Spookfontein, he now bottles a great Chenin from Bot River grapes that he calls “The Uys of Spades” and if you are into complex, textured Chenin, this is a must-try – it is made from Certified Heritage Vineyards.
And also in Bot River, Albert van Niekerk, who helps make the highly regarded Crystallum wines, crafts his own two wines, the white called Sonwater and the red called Rebellie – these are superbly bright and lively wines that have a strong and well-deserved following already.
FYI, we have these wines in-store - email us or shop right here, online!
