VINTAGE: 2008

VARIETAL: 100% Shiraz

GENERAL: The grapes were sourced from Helvetica Vineyard in the Helderburg, an area renowned for producing excellent quality Shiraz. Helvetica Vineyard is high up above Winery Road, with clear views of False Bay. It is subject to cooling South Easterly sea breezes during the warm summer growing season. Yields were reduced to nine tons/ha before veraison.

VINIFICATION: The grapes were picked specifically for making Rose’'D5 at 21.8º Balling. The grapes were destemmed into stainless steel tanks and allowed eight hrs of skin contact at 12ºC, before being gently pressed in a pneumatic press. Only free run juice was used for this wine. At all times the wine was kept reductive under a CO2 blanket. The juice was inoculated with Anchor Vin 13 yeast in a stainless steel tank. The temperature of the tank was kept at 15ºC throughout fermentation. Fermentation took approximately twenty days. When the residual sugar reached 4.5gms/l, fermentation was halted by an CO2 addition. The new wine was allowed to sit on the lees for twelve weeks, during which time, regular battonage was practiced. After blending, cold stabilization and a light bentonite fining took place before bottling into screwcap bottles.

DESCRIPTION: Delicately pink, the wine has concentrated strawberry notes on the nose following through to the palate. The mid-palate shows typical spicy shiraz notes, At only 12% alcohol by volume, the wine is very quaffable and is eminently suitable for light summer lunches or al fresco sipping. The wine is a perfect match for salad Nicoise and other light summery dishes, however it can still stand up to dishes like fresh seared Tuna or Thai influenced dishes as well as Sushi.

WINE ANALYSIS:

ALCOHOL: 12.3%

RESIDUAL SUGAR: 4.7g/l

pH: 3.24

TOTAL ACID: 5.5g/l

MATURATION: This wine is not made to mature and should be drunk within one year of harvest.