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Veenwouden
wines
Paarl, South Africa
Veenwouden
wines - The region:
Situated on the northern side of Paarl on the
Paarl/Wellington R45 Road with spectacular views over the Klein-Drakenstein
Mountains is Veenwouden, a boutique winery first established in
1988.
Veenwouden is wholly contained within a valley, and the vineyards
lie on a gentle slope facing northeast towards the Berg River. From the
Atlantic Ocean, some 60km away, cool breezes penetrate the valley to influence
the local climate in an almost Mediterranean way. Good winter rainfalls of
between 600-650mm per annum, paired with comparatively long summers - average
annual temperatures generally ranging between 20 and 23°C — ensure
excellent growth. The cool, rich ferrous clay subsoil is quite unique for the
area — and fortuitously is superb soil particularly for the Merlot and
Cabernet grapes. This fact, combined with the excellent micro-climate found on
the farm, provides an environment in which the grapes can flourish, ensuring
the highest possible quality.
Veenwouden wines - The
people:
Veenwouden is situated on the northern side of Paarl with
spectacular views over the Klein Drakenstein Mountains. This boutique winery,
owned by international opera singer, Deon van der Walt and is a real family
affair with Marcel, his brother, as winemaker and both his parents managing the
farm.
Deon van der Walt sang opera for a living, while brother Marcel
was earning his living playing golf. Their respective international travels
often saw them meeting up on the right bank of the Gironde in Bordeaux —
enjoying the wines they loved most.
Marcel’s golf clubs now spend
most of the time in the cupboard as he dedicates 100% of his time and energies
to the Veenwouden vineyards and cellars. The first vintage was completed in
1993 with assistance from Meerlust’s Giorgio Dalla Cia, still a mentor. A
chance meeting in 1994 with Pomerol-based winemaking consultant, Michel
Rolland, developed into a close friendship and led to Marcel spending time in
the cellars of Château le Bon Pasteur absorbing their scrupulous cellar
hygiene practices and insistence on only the cleanest and finest ripe fruit.
Such meticulous care of the fruit and the wine-making process is clearly
reaping its rewards — as the ever-growing list of Veenwouden awards bears
witness!
Veenwouden wines -
Winemaking:
Veenwouden is an estate that continues to outdo all
expectation.
Veenwouden, having achieved almost cult status, continue to
improve and delight. Perhaps one of the secrets behind this success is that the
Van der Walts have no desire to enlarge the estate. Production stays at 5-6,000
cases, and yields at 4.5-5 tonnes per hectare – a total of only 80
tons.
As a close friend of Michel Rolland, owner of Château Le Bon
Pasteur, Marcel learned about regimented hygiene and strict quality control of
fruit in the Bon Pasteur cellar and has certainly taken these strictures to
heart. The grapes are all hand-picked and are transported to the cellar in 10kg
crates. A small crusher is used, to allow inspection of the bunches prior to
crushing. The wines are initially fermented in temperature-controlled stainless
steel, then aged in 80% new 225 litre Nevers barrels for two years prior to
release.
Veenwouden's style gives a firm nod towards the Right Bank. The
planting is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2%
Malbec. The awards roll in: 1998 Classic - Five stars in Platter, Double Gold
in Veritas, Gold in Michel Angelo, 1998 Merlot - Double Gold in Veritas, Air
France Wine Trophy, Gold in Michel Angelo. We are very pleased to add the Vivat
Bacchus to the list, a Merlot/Malbec blend with approximately 20% mixed
Cabernets named after an aria in Mozart's opera Il Seraglio.
More
information (Click on links):
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