Gabrielskloof, where I’ve spent the last 10 days working vintage, is a winery on the up. It’s owned by Bernhard Heyns. In his previous life, Bernhard’s family owned a brick-manufacturing…
Harvest at Gabrielskloof: managing red wine ferments
I’ve been enjoying working with some of the red wine fermentations this week. Wines are fermented here in two different formats. First, there are the small poly bins which take…
Harvest at Gabrielskloof: collecting grapes
The producers working in the Gabrielskloof cellar in Botriver – Peter-Allan Finlayson, Marelise Niemann and John Seccombe – all buy grapes from growers spread across the various Cape wine regions….
Harvest at Gabrielskloof, pressing Grenache Gris and barrel work
With four different producers working in the same cellar space, there’s always plenty going on at Gabrielskloof, especially because I’m here right in the peak period of harvest. Here are…
Harvest at Gabrielskloof: vineyard sampling
One of the most critical decisions at harvest time is when to pick the grapes. Pick too soon or too late and your wine won’t reflect its vineyard origins: you…
Two from Tokaji star Disznókő, one dry, one sweet
Two wines from leading Tokaji producer Disznókő: one dry and one sweet. Disznókő Tokaji Dry Furmint 2016 Tokaji, Hungary 12.5% alcohol. This is crisp, fresh and fruity with a nice stony…
Winemaking at Gabrielskloof: pressing Chenin Blanc and sorting Pinot Noir
My first day in the cellar at Gabrielskloof was a busy one. This cellar is shared by Peter-Allan Finlayson (who makes Crystallum wines, and also Gabrielskloof, his wife Nicolene’s family…
Some lovely South African whites: Crystallum, Gabrielskloof, Momento, Thorne and Daughters
My first night in South Africa began well. I’m staying here 11 days, working vintage in the cellar at Gabrielskloof, a space shared by four of South Africa’s most interesting…
Some thoughts on wine quality: an intrinsic or extrinsic property of a wine?
How do we define quality in a wine? Is it an intrinsic or extrinsic property of the wine? That is, is quality something that a wine possesses independent of…