The Upside Down tree of Life Red blend

Red meats and venison.​

The Storyteller Collection is inspired by the tapestry of Indian Ocean island tales and legends. They are fables and reflections that are whimsical and playful, but at the same time teach us the timeless lessons and deep truths that lie at the heart of everything. Savour four distinctively African stories brought to life for you, rooted in the ancient soils of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and crafted by those who believe that every wine should have its own story to tell.

The varieties are grown in the Hemel-en Aarde Ridge and Valley, in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is "temperate" in style, where the southerly maritime winds blow through the appellations during the summer. These winds in turn bring regular sea mists and overcast conditions to the vineyard and with it more even temperatures. The average summer temperature is 19°C and rainfall, approximately, 750mm per year. This exciting new blend explores the marriage of Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varieties on the farm to express cool climate wines with restraint and intrigue. The blend is compiled of varietals on the farm and blended in an area representational percentage of those varietals on the farm.

The wine racked into a selection of French Oak Barriques (10% new barrels) for 12 months ageing and maturation. Final blending occurred 1 month prior to bottling and the wine was allowed to develop further in bottle prior to release.

All grapes varieties were harvested separately by hand enjoying cool early morning temperatures. After overnight cold storage they were destemmed into red ferment tanks. Cold maceration occurred for 3 days. The wine was then spontaneously fermented under controlled temperatures until dry. the skins were then lightly pressed.