Winemaking
Fruit from the Axe Hill vineyard is traditionally used for this wine, which is normally harvested during the course of February with sugar levels at around 24ᴼ+ Balling.
Different blocks may be harvested & vinified separately and blended later, or co-fermented with each other, depending on individual section ripeness.
Hand harvest & sorting starts early in the morning to ensure grapes arrive at the cellar as cool as possible. Grapes are then crushed into open concrete lagares, aka “kuipe”, which provide excellent thermodynamic stability for even temperature fermentation. Cape Vintage is always cold soaked for a day, and treading by foot is undertaken as soon as possible to obtain optimum extraction of colour and tannin, which ensures power, flavour & longevity. Thereafter, regular punch downs and or pump overs ensure optimal results.
Fermentation takes place over 4 days and towards the end free run fermenting wine is racked to the tank, skins transferred to an old basket press, and the juice fraction added to the tank. Once the desired level of fermentation has taken place, the wine is fortified with unaged brandy spirits. This process stops the fermentation and ensures the final level of sugar & alcohol is achieved.
The resulting fortified wine is allowed to settle for a day or two, racked to barrel and later to tank for ageing. Cape Vintage requires that the wine be bottled within two years of harvest and long-term ageing takes place in the bottle.
After bottling, the wine undergoes a good number of years of further ageing in our cellar before it is ready for the market!
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