This is a Verdelho from a single vineyard situated on the Helderberg, Stellenbosch. Aasvoël – an Afrikaans word for a ”vulture” – See the story behind the name below. Fermented in a concrete egg shaped tank and old French oak barrels. This started off me being an “Aasvoël”, not able to buy the grapes on a regular basis. But it looks like I might be on the list for the foreseeable future. Let’s see how it goes…

The Story

In 2014 I received a phone call from a fellow winemaker. “Do you need some Verdelho?” he asked. I am always on the lookout for something interesting and Stellenbosch Verdelho fits the bill.

He is the buyer for this little vineyard but the 2014 crop was huge and his tanks were full. I bought what grapes he had left and the wine turned out to be fantastic! So obviously I would love to buy some every year, but the production of a normal year is not high enough to accommodate another buyer. So I became an Aasvoël  – an Afrikaans word for a ”vulture” – sitting on a pole, watching the vineyard. If something falls off the truck, I pick it up (figuratively speaking of course!). In other words, if it is a high production year, I get some grapes. In 2015 I got nothing, 2016 and 2017 came and went and I was still sitting on the pole – eagerly watching. And then in harvest 2018 it came: the call “do you want to make another Aasvoël?” – 100% Stellenbosch Verdelho.

And here I am again, on the pole – waiting…

Technical Information

Cultivar: Verdelho (100%)

Vintage: 2022

Region: Stellenbosch

Amount of Bottles Produced: 1146

Vineyard: Single vineyard trellised Verdelho on the Helderberg. 122 meter above sea-level on a West facing slope.
Winemaking: The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4 degrees celsius. The next morning the grapes were pressed as whole bunches. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation in concrete egg shaped tanks and older French oak barrels. Deep winter the wine received one sulfur addition. 10 months on the leese, blended and bottled.

Alcohol: 12.5% vol

Acidity: 6.36g/l

PH: 3.26

Reducing Sugar: 1.7g/l

Free SO2: 29mg/l

Total SO2: 66ppm

Volatile Acidity: 0.51g/l

Closure: Natural Cork

Vegan: Yes

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