Swartland Bush Vine Pinotage 2010

Driving through our vineyards in the Cape we normally see rows and rows of neatly trellised vines. Trellising vines makes sense for many practical reasons as the grapes can be better managed to allow for more sunshine and canopy control against possible sunburn. Trellised vines are also easier to harvest either using machines or manual handpicking. However there are still a few wine farmers who believe that the goblet-trained vine, also referred to as Californian sprawl or bush vines, can be suitable for low vigour vines but also have been beneficial for varieties such as our Pinotage and Chenin Blanc. Bush vine vineyards are often many years old and barely trained which means much of the fruit is shaded due to excess greenery, a benefit when heat becomes excessive.

The Swartland Winery has an excellent Bush Vine range which includes a wonderful Pinotage from the 2010 vintage. The winemaking team at Swartland believe that bush vines are the traditional way of cultivating vineyards and leave the un-trellised vines to grow naturally with minimal intervention. Grown in dryland vineyards the grapes produce wines with ripe tannins, concentrated aromas and rich flavours. The Bush Vine Pinotage 2010 has a bright velvety red colour with black cherry and spicy aromas. The palate is complex and well balanced with delicious ripe plum flavour with subtle liquorice on the mid palate leading to a savoury rich finish. We enjoyed the wine with a rosemary seasoned loin of Springbok seared on a hot coal weber!

The Swartland Winery which was established in 1948 is entering a new era with their “MySwartland” campaign, which launches in November 2011. Part of the execution is the re-branding of the Swartland wine ranges to help align the brand correctly. The winery’s three wine ranges, the core Swartland Winery range, the Swartland Bushvine range, and the limited release Swartland Winemaker’s Collection range, will all be interwoven with the evolving story behind the campaign. “We are very excited because we have the right wines at the right prices, and our plans for 2012 and beyond are to make Swartland Winery a household name with wine lovers across South Africa and internationally as well” says Andries Blake, Cellar Master at Swartland Winery.

Expect to pay: R115.00