by Old Vine | Oct 15, 2018 | Research, Viticulture
Old Pinotage vines’ berries ripen later compared to younger vines. So, what does this mean? Research to investigate possible genetic influences to improved wine quality in old Pinotage vines has been conducted by Professor Johan Burger at Stellenbosch University. His...
by Jaco Engelbrecht | Nov 30, 2017 | General, Viticulture
I wrote a blog entry about two months ago about a Chenin blanc vineyard we are rescuing – you can find it here. So it is time to update you on the progress of this vineyard. It is doing excellent! The bit of attention we gave it showed real good response. I took...
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 4, 2017 | Viticulture
It was around 14:00 on Monday the 25th of September that I received a phone call from farmer and wine enthusiast André du Toit, the same guy that enjoys and embraces my energetic (and mostly crazy) ideas to farm and develop on his farm, evident with our new project...
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...
