What a bizarre harvest it’s been. One that truly had it all and was a challenge for many a Cape winemaker. Thanks to the much-needed winter rains, most of the country’s vines had some quality downtime after a few seasons of drought.
The growing season was not as hot as in previous years, which meant that the sugars were down on previous vintages, but for us this was completely manageable. It means slightly lighter wines with lower alcohols, but the bunches and berries are still smaller than usual, making for high concentration. Ideal.
We were very lucky to complete our harvest before the unseasonal rains that arrived in late February and early March. For others, this meant picking earlier (or later) than they might otherwise have liked.
The size of Naudé harvests of recent years makes for interesting reading. Usually Ian takes in about 10 tons of Cinsault grapes. The past couple of years, the drought has meant far smaller, more concentrated bunches. So last year the harvest was as small as 4 tons. This year, with the vines receiving more rain, the yields have recovered somewhat, and we picked 6.5 tons of Cinsault.
Once again, we’re very excited to share the results. But you’ll have to wait.
In the mean time, please email Melissa@naudewines.co.za and she’ll take care of your Naudé Family Wine cravings.
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