Vineyard Selection Grenache

A delicious wine that can be enjoyed with a variety of foods, for the adventurous serve lightly chilled with salmon or even sushi.

Kleine Zalze wines are marked by a classical structure and complexity matched by a vibrant flavour intensity. Discernibly South African in style, they are refreshing, beautifully balanced and well-suited to food. Our wines are made according to traditional methods with minimal cellar intervention, but supported by modern equipment.

The grapes for this wine were sourced from an old vineyard in Darling in the Swartland area. Due to a cool, wet spring, budding was seven to 14 days later than usual, but consistently good and even. The viticulturalists had to apply careful crop control and patiently wait for grapes to achieve optimal ripeness. The slower ripening made for intense flavour in the grapes, promising great wine. Grapes were harvested by hand in the early morning and arrived at the winery looking healthy and promising.

Only the “free-run” wine was transferred to a combination of 3rd fill French oak barrels and terracotta Amphorae for 10 month’s maturation on the lees.

When vinifying Grenache, a light touch is imperative. The grapes were destemmed, and the whole berries were added on top of a bed of whole bunches. This 20% whole bunch contributes to the generous red berry aromas in the wine. Fermentation took place over 2 weeks with only 2 pump overs per day to achieve the perfect balance of the delicate flavours and soft tannin structure of Grenache.