Springfield Albarino 2018

Winery: Springfield

Wine of Origin: Robertson

Winemaker: Abrie Bruwer

Background: Springfield Estate has been producing wines since 1995 and is, perhaps, most well known for their ever popular iconic Sauvignon Blanc “Life from Stone”. Brother and sister team, Abrie (winemaker) and Jeanette (marketing), are fastidious producers of their premium quality wines sought after by both collectors and regular wine imbibers!  Despite the success of their wines they are always keen to try something new, and they were one of the first local wineries to make a Methode Ancienne Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon using old French winemaking techniques. The Albarino inspiration came from a holiday trip to Uruguay where at a local café instead of having a cup of coffee they asked for something cold and alcoholic and they were given a glass of Albarino. It was delicious and so on their return to South Africa they looked into the possibility of producing Albarino on their Estate – this brought them into contact with the Newton Johnsons (wine farmers from the Hemel en Aarde Valley) who were in the throws of bringing in the variety themselves. They, the Newton Johnsons, graciously gave them a few cuttings to start them off which Abrie and his team multiplied – now after a three year period, they have a single block of Albarino vines. This, their first commercially available vintage has been well received and is almost sold out! Harvested at night in February 2018 the wine was fermented and later left on the primary lees for approximately 14 weeks adding to the complexity of this low alcohol (12.5%) wine.

Result: This well balanced wine offers apricot and peach flavours with notes of soft and tropical fruit with an underlying minerality on the long finish.

When to drink: Now until 2020

Drink with what: Perfect for sundowners but carry on the experience with a platter of grilled prawns with lemon butter. Simple but delicious!

Expect to pay: R154.00