Semillon

A confident partner to a simple bowl of tagliatelle with cream, lemon zest and parmesan cheese, or hot-smoked Norwegian salmon topped with coconut cream, laced with chilli and lemongrass.

Although not intentionally award driven, there is no denying the status of this tiny family-owned Durbanville cellar. Strategically we are following a very traditional but personalised approach to making wine. In line with our brand honesty, we don’t try to be clever or practice contrived marketing jargon. We pick by hand, allowing us to leave the less perfect bunches for the soil to enrich itself – and before pressing, we again sort the individual grapes by hand. “We completely believe that beautiful wines come from day to day thoughtful management in the vineyards.” Our bottom line is that to be part of the Nitida family requires commitment, passion, and a desire to be involved. Our punch through system, while automated, was designed by the engineer in Bernhard to closely emulate a traditional hand-punch method. Of course, we do use modern technology for pressing and pumping, but always seek out the gentlest methods.

After approximately six months on lees, with monthly barrel stirring, the wines are blended, bottled, and released in quick succession to preserve the vibrancy and complexity.

Semillon grapes, harvested in the early morning over four pickings, undergo a gentle crush and 12 hours of skin contact before pressing. The resulting juice is divided: three parts ferment in Stainless Steel tanks at 15°C, while the fourth ferments in 300L barrels at 20°C.