Rosemary Williams and Greg Wood of 23 Baken St are starting their 3rd vintage in 2009. This year it is going to be a Rhône blend: shiraz with about 5 to 10% viognier. Not just any shiraz; organic shiraz from Boterberg Farm bordering on the upper part of the village.
Says Williams: "Shiraz has never been my favourite wine but we think this will be a goody. We've got local organic grapes still on the vine that we will hand pick when they are perfectly ripe. Keep an eye out for us amongst the vines in the next week or two."
The other grape in the mix, viognier, is white and is often added to shiraz in the cellars of South Eastern France. "There's a kind of chemical reaction between the two grapes, the viognier somehow intensifies the colour and flavour of the shiraz and stabilises it in the long run. Both are spicey with some peachyness so they are a happy couple." Wood says.
The term "garagiste" is by now well known when referring to small scale winemakers working from home and this 2009 blend will be very limited in quantity. Williams explains, "We are going to be working with about 150kg of grapes which will result in about 80 bottles of wine. We just don't have the space to go bigger. And with no garage we are definitely lounge & kitchenistes."
The next article will cover the harvest and getting the grapes safely in the fermentation vat. Most of the grapes in the Philadelphia region go to Nederburg/Distell where picking is done to a fast and rigid corporate schedule that places capacity and tank space before perfect grape ripeness. By the time this small batch of grapes are harvested they will probably be the last fruit hanging on the Philadelphia vines.
Meanwhile, look forward to Autumn when the Klipdakhuis 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot will be bottled, named and released in the village.
Philadelphia winemakers at large- Rosemary and Miles subject their shiraz to expert scrutiny.
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