Nick Pentz, co-owner of Groote Post, is particularly excited with this award. Speaking after the Awards ceremony he said, “I’m extremely proud of our dedicated winemaking team, guided by our winemaker, Lukas Wentzel, for this achievement. I want to emphasise that it was a panel of winemakers that gave our Merlot the thumbs up. I feel that this is a significant honour as Merlot has always been considered a challenging wine to make in the Cape. It is most satisfying that our peer group, who fully appreciate the complexities of making Merlot, awarded the Groote Post Merlot 2011 the only Diamond Award for this tricky cultivar.” The Groote Post Merlot 2011 has hints of smoked beef and mint on the nose and an explosion of blackberries, plum and chocolate on the palate. The merlot vineyards from which the grapes were harvested are between 12 and 16 years old. Recently supplementary irrigation became available, which helps de-stress the vines in the heat and dryness of late summer. One of the main challenges in making quality merlot is to eliminate the green flavours, which arise from uneven ripening. To minimise this, canopy management; careful bunch selection; and berry sorting, are critical in guiding the wine, ultimately, into bottle. All three elements have been honed over the lifetime of the vines. The grapes for the 2011 vintage were harvested fairly ripe at 24° - 26°B with an average yield of 8 tons per hectare. Before going into barrel, a final wine selection ensured that the highest quality merlot ended up in the bottle. Wood maturation took place in French oak barrels - 30% new, 50% second-fill, and 20% older barrels. The Groote Post Merlot 2011 is widely available nationally at leading retailers and restaurants and retails for approximately R97. Groote Post has had a very satisfying crop of wine awards this year: The Groote Post Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 was the only Pinot Noir that won Gold at the 2012 Veritas Awards (no Double Golds were awarded); The Groote Post Shiraz 2011 won a Gold Medal at the 2012 Michelangelo International Wine Awards; And the Groote Post 2012 Sauvignon Blanc 2012 received a Top 10 placement at the 2012 FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc Awards (their 4th Top 10 placement in 6 years), and a Gold Medal at the 2012 Michelangelo International Wine Awards. Groote Post, the beautiful, historic Cape West Coast farm, with a rustic, rural atmosphere, undulating hills, vast open spaces and warm country hospitality, is only an hours drive from Cape Town. In addition to a wide range of award-winning wines, summer picnics and cheese platters, a superb culinary offering at Hilda’s Kitchen and Farm Drives through the 2 000-hectare Game Camp, Groote Post also offers a jungle gym and rolling lawns where children can play, spectacular views of the Atlantic coast and Table Mountain, nature walks and bird-watching. Being part of the famous West Coast spring flower route and a member of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, Groote Post also holds much appeal for environmentalists. Groote Post is open for wine tasting and sales seven days a week. Hilda’s Kitchen is open for lunch from Wednesday until Sunday. Pre-booking is essential for lunch, picnics and Farm Drives. Tel: +27 22 492 2825 • Email: wine@grootepost.co.za • www.grootepost.co.za.