by Jaco Engelbrecht | Nov 6, 2017 | General, Viticulture
“So, this block here, 47 year old Chenin blanc, still doing OK, I guess. Pushed out about 27 tons a Ha last vintage” …. Jaco and I looked at each other and shared the same thought “Doing OK? 27 tons a Ha at that age?” We agreed in the bakkie driving to the next...
by Jaco Engelbrecht | Oct 31, 2017 | General, Viticulture
This certainly is like no other November we know – it is dry and the first really hot day (39°C) was on the 30th October. With two really hot weeks on the horizon, we need to manage our vineyards carefully. When confronted with a dry season, like we have been for the...
by Jaco Engelbrecht | Oct 14, 2017 | General
The first commercially produced Pinotage was released in 1961 under the Lanzerac label, vintage 1959, made from grapes sourced at Bellevue and Kanonkop. There is currently 164.45 Ha of Pinotage vineyard, older than 35 years. In celebration of Pinotage Day, the Old...
by Jaco Engelbrecht | Oct 2, 2017 | General, Viticulture
Most vineyards are growing at a blinding pace by now. Varietals like Sauvignon blanc are slow starters – but watch out, they catch up VERY fast in the mid-term. With the dry season that we are currently experiencing, there are some key factors that one must be aware...
by | Aug 30, 2016 | General
By Jaco Engelbrecht | www.visualviticulture.co.za André Morgenthal and myself met up with the bloke from Bishops in the Bottelary Hills early this morning. Our mission for the day was to discuss the economics of old vines and to visit some of these vineyards. It was a...
by | Aug 2, 2016 | General
By Jaco Engelbrecht | www.visualviticulture.co.za As part of my job at the Old Vines Project I will map all the vineyards older than 35 years. First I’m doing just the regions. Then I will have to find all the vineyards and GPS them and then each one of them will get...
