Where does Syrah get its spice?

Friday, 24 March, 2023
Zevenwacht Wine Estate
During the harvest, we get to see cellarmaster Hagen Viljoen's approach to whole-cluster fermentation at Zevenwacht Wine Estate.

It's a bit of a "feet-on" approach with the grapes being gently stomped down into the barrels. This classical method releases some juice which allows fermentation to start.

The idea is not to break the all berries and to allow some componic action. The chemical compound present in Syrah grapes is also found in black pepper spice, and this is naturally found in the stems of the grapes. By doing whole-cluster fermentation we can accentuate the peppery notes and reinforce the perfume and spice notes. 

Try our Estate Syrah 2020 to appreciate the results of this process and enjoy these concentrated flavours. 

Estate Syrah

The Syrah shows concentrated blackberry and plum that opens to a floral perfume with white pepper and herbs on the nose. The palate has dense fruit intensity with a velvety mid palate, that finishes with a fine peppery tannin.

Enjoy free delivery when you order two or more cases.

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