Straw Wine

Best served chilled at 9 to 11 °C with savoury-lead desserts or a combination of hard cheeses.

“Wines that transport you to the Swartland.” – Andrea Mullineux Packed with layers of distinctive vibrancy, regional character, great allure and sophistication. Staying true to the Mullineux winemaking philosophy, these wines can be opened and enjoyed upon vintage release, or over two decades from the vintage.

Each harvest, the two old vine Chenin Blanc vineyards that we have traditionally used for our Mullineux Straw Wine, with an average age of 47 years, planted on the granite soils of the Paardeberg provide us with the superb acidity and balanced ripeness, essential for the creation of this wine. The grapes were harvested between the 12th and 15th February 2024 which yielded 4 tons/ha before the drying process, and a minuscule 100L/ton = 4HL/ha after drying.

This wine was aged for 11 months in neutral 225L French oak barrels.

The Chenin Blanc was hand-harvested at a traditional ripeness level for a dry wine and then laid outdoors to desiccate in the shade for two to four weeks. This process allows for the moisture to evaporate naturally from the berries, concentrating the sugars, acids and depth of flavour. Once the grapes had evaporated enough water moisture, they were whole-bunch-pressed and racked to 225L barrels. The long, slow natural yeast fermentation which lasted for eleven months ensured multiple layers of complex texture and flavour. We let it stop naturally when the yeast could not ferment any further. The wine was then racked, blended and bottled unfined and unfiltered.