It feels like yesterday when my family wished me well for my new wine project, and now the sixth vintage of the Francois van Niekerk Pinotage has already been harvested!
Although the 2023 winter was marked by floods and very high rainfall, the situation changed very quickly when spring arrived. Persistent winds during the budding and flowering stage soon dried out the soil and this resulted in a much smaller crop than initially predicted. As of mid-January, we are experiencing extremely high temperatures that have wiped out any uneven maturation that might still be present after ‘green harvesting’.
The Wellington vineyard block was harvested on Thursday 25 January, while the Paarl vineyard block was taken in on Wednesday 31 January. During crushing, it was clear early on that colour and extract were not going to be an issue at all this year. Currently, we are monitoring an even alcoholic fermentation that is responsible for converting various aromatic precursors to the exquisite unique aromas we get on this particular Pinotage.
The 2024 harvest is characterized by small bunches, small berries, and a smaller crop, but it holds a lot of potential, and makes me very excited to see the final results in a few years from now.
