DuToitskloofCase of Beaukett Semi-Sweet (R44.80 per Bottle, 6 Bottles)

About

When the founders of Du Toitskloof Wines dreamt of where to take the cellar back in 1962, they knew the journey was as important as the destination. Du Toitskloof Wine Cellar was established by six wine farmers as a co-operative in 1962, on an 18Ha parcel of land bought from founder member, Visser de Wet, for R6000. The cellar accepted its first grapes in February 1963.

Today the 22 member farms, together with the cellar, continue to build on the legacy of these visionaries and those who followed in their footsteps, producing exceptional wines that offer the best possible value. All the farms belong to 11 families, most of whose forebears counted among the founding members of the cellar so that there is a very strong sense of continuity and commitment. They all live in a close-knit community within a radius of 10 km from the cellar and all take a close interest in its activities.

Initially the cellar only consisted of a single steel-framed warehouse structure, which was later duplicated, doubling the cellar’s production and storage area. Additional offices and tasting rooms were built in the early 1990’s, to accommodate expanding tourism activity and administrative needs.

In the early years, the industry was highly regulated - Du Toitskloof mainly produced wines in bulk for the country's wholesalers. Since the early 1990's, it has increasingly concentrated on the bottled wine market. It cultivated a reputation as a progressive winery from the onset, not only in the innovative winemaking disciplines introduced at the cellar, but also in guiding members in planting those great noble cultivars ideally suited to the area's temperate climate. This has since resulted in the brand being known countrywide for its excellent value-for-money wines.

Today it markets an extensive range of red and white table wines, in addition to fortified wines, through a sophisticated and talented network of distributors, marketers and sales personnel. Du Toitskloof Wines has been innovative in terms of winemaking, experimenting with small plantings of lesser-known cultivars and achieved considerable success with Nebbiolo which it introduced to the Breedekloof. It created its own sales and distribution infrastructure and currently exports to countries in North and South America, to mainland Europe and Scandinavia as well as into Africa and the Far East.

Product Features

• 6 Bottles 
• Varietal: Hanepoot, Muscat de Fontignan and Chenin Blanc
• Technical Analysis:
• Alc: 12.96 %
• RS: 25.2 g/L
• pH: 3.10

Tasting Notes

Food Suggestions

Enjoy chilled on its own or served with curries, spicy chicken and a selection of cold meats
and cheeses.

In the Vineyard

The grapes were sourced from three trellised vineyard blocks located between 5 and 10 km from the cellar. The vines, grafted on Richter 99 rootstock, are between 10 - 15 years old and grow in clayey, stony soils. Irrigation is applied according to soil moisture levels, as measured by Neutron probes. All three blocks are extensively managed to ensure full ripeness and the best quality grapes.

Harvest

The grapes for this gentle, muscat-scented, semi-sweet wine were harvested fully ripe to ensure optimal flavour.

In the Cellar

The grapes were picked in the coolness of the early morning and kept under cool conditions until pressing. Skin contact was allowed for 24 hours at a temperature of between 10° - 12° C under a layer of carbon dioxide to protect the juice from oxidation. The free-running juice was then racked and settled. Fermentation followed after inoculation with a selected yeast strain. The winemakers stopped the fermentation at 1° Balling to give this wine a natural residual sugar of almost 20g/lt. After protein- and cold stabilisation the wine was bottled.