This is the life – chilling out at Cape Point Vineyards enjoying a picnic in the shade with a magnificent view of Noordhoek beach. I held up my glass of Sauvignon Blanc to toast our holiday and saw it glittering in the sunlight – but I thought we were in the shade? Then I realised…these trees have been so bent by the wind that their branches and resultant shade are some 20m from the trunk of the tree. We ended up moving five times to keep up with the shade.
The reason for this “little story” is to introduce this month’s wine chat, as we continue our discovery of terroir and how the wind makes a difference to the wine we drink. I’ve asked Duncan Savage, winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards and producer of some of the best Sauvignon Blancs in South Africa, to share with us his knowledge of the effect of wind in the vineyards.
Who says 45° isn’t straight up!
Some of us realise more than others that we are a spin-off of our upbringing and environment, and more and more I’ve noticed how much like my parents I have become – which is easier to comprehend as an adult as opposed to a teenager!
Vines are just the same. When we receive the plants from the nursery they need a little love, and many of them think they’re heading to greener pastures … only to realise that Noordhoek is tough. Some will die and the rest will end up longing for the comfort and care of where they were propagated.
Evidence of the wind strength in the area is apparent in the many trees which think that growing at a 45° angle is straight up! The elements have moulded the peninsula into what it is today, and the South Easter has played an integral role.
After much love and tender care, it takes between four and five years to get these little plants into production – up to two years longer than most other areas in SA. The fruit from the young vines is generally really good in a lighter, more upfront style making a sound contribution to the wines.
After a few more years the vines enter the “teenage phase” and as much as the SE wind discourages vigorous growth, so the vine roots start to enjoy the deeper soil moisture and nutrients – a bit like a teenager discovering the joys of alcohol! But, it’s not long before the wind beats the leaves on the long shoots to a pulp and slowly the vines begin to learn their lesson (the human version of the South Easter is called the hangover).
As the plants mature so they begin to find their happy place and realise the SE wind was here long before them! They tend to become less vigorous in order to conserve moisture and minimise the extent of the many beatings they’ll receive in a season. Many plants, I’m sure, feel as though each season is going to be their last and so put a lot of effort into the fruit!
We harvest year-on-year these small, inedible, tough bunches, crunchy hard-skinned berries, filled with intense concentration with amazing acidity and structure. All of this is what makes the wines of Cape Point Vineyards what they are. *
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Buxtons La Cave Liquors in La Lucia Mall are offering the following wines on promotion for the month of July 2013: Cape Point Sav Blanc, R99, and Cape Point Reserve, R145