Lycaon Old Vine Chenin Blanc

Shellfish, Spicy food, Lean fish, Mild and soft cheese

Jeremy and Emma Borg lead the small but determined Painted Wolf Wines pack. Each pack member is as unique as each African wild dog, contributing completely different talents, strengths and abilities. We strive to make a tangible and sustainable difference to the conservation of Painted Wolves (African wild dogs), other rare and endangered animals and the wild spaces in Southern Africa in which they live. We produce high quality wines with a distinctive South African feel. To that end our emphasis is on Chenin Blanc and Pinotage – the two benchmark South African grape varieties. We also work with other varieties, especially Shiraz and other Rhône grapes.

Grapes were harvested from a single vineyard of unirrigated 48-year-old vines in the “horse shoe” just above the town of Wellington. The vines grow in Glen rosa soil, a well-drained decomposed granite soil, yellow brown in colour. The vineyard is a certified heritage vineyard under South Africa’s Old Vine Project, designed to preserve the surviving old vineyards of South Africa.

The fruit was destemmed, pressed and settled before being fermented in 550l barrels and partly amphora with natural wild yeast. The press was very gentle, yielding only around 550 litres of juice per tonne for optimum quality. The wine was matured in barrels (20% new) and clay amphorae.