Harvest 2023
Vintage 2023 will go down as one of the most memorable – and challenging – in the history of modern Cape wine, mostly as a result of the torrential rain experienced over most the winelands.
What began as a refreshingly brisk downpour in December extended into two deluges in March which bucketed down two weeks apart. Slap-bang in the middle of harvest for some wineries, this unseasonable precipitation had winemakers and vineyard teams frenetically trying to get their grapes into the cellar before the next rains came. As at the time or writing, some vineyards are still unpicked as the correct ripening levels are yet to be reached.
Fortunately, De Wetshof's position in the Robertson Wine Valley allowed us to mostly avoid the effects of the inclement weather. Our harvest season traditionally kicks-off a week or two before regions closer to Cape Town and we were out picking Chardonnay in the second week of January. With 70% of De Wetshof planted to Chardonnay and the various blocks ripening in tandem, our prized white variety had been harvested well before the first harvest-season rains descended in the first week of March. The young wines were already fermented dry by then, which brought a huge sigh of relief, as we had heard reports of other areas affected by the deluge while their grapes were still hanging on the vines.
The only late start was the prized De Wetshof Bateleur vineyard. This 36-year old senior block takes its time reaching the correct ripeness level, and the grapes were still out during that first spell of March rain. Fortunately, our judicious spraying programme ensured the Bateleur remained disease-free, with these healthy grapes picked during the second week of March.
Now tasting the young wines from the various blocks of De Wetshof terroir, we are enthralled by the quality we are seeing. The cooler weather has assured firm, bracing acids as a backbone for the myriad gorgeous Chardonnay flavours to attach themselves on and we will thus be remembering vintage 2023 for the exceptional quality while memories of the intemperate weather takes a backseat. The first new Chardonnays will be on the market in May, and we are looking forward to showing our customers the fruits of this year.
De Wetshof at ProWein
As the harvest was drawing to a close, a few members of the De Wetshof team flew to the annual ProWein wine trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany to show our wines to the more than 40 000 people who attend this mega exhibition of wines from over 6 000 international producers. CEO Johann de Wet, Marketing Director Bennie Stipp, Service Ambassador Heinrich Bothman and media consultant Emile Joubert spent three days in the vast Prowein space conducting business with our importers and buyers who had jetted in from all corners of the globe.
Besides the back-to-back meetings with customers, De Wetshof also had the pleasure to be announced Best South African White Wine of the Mundus Vini competition for De Wetshof The Site Chardonnay 2021. This wine was proudly displayed and offered for tasting among the world’s best on a special ProWein platform, and it was a real privilege for the team to receive our winning certificate as well as to see The Site take its place next to class winners from, inter alia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and the USA. It is one thing saying one aims to make some of the best wines in the world, but to actually see your wine on the podium at such a spectacular international event as ProWein is something truly special.
From the customers visiting us at the De Wetshof stand it was tremendously rewarding to experience the enthusiasm for our wines, as well as those from our fellow South Africans. We have firmly established a reputation of quality for our Chardonnays which are now recognised as having specific flavour profiles consumers in Europe and America strive towards, and De Wetshof's service levels and our relationships with clients – something we have been working on for decades, as in this industry relationships are key.
Heinrich Bothman, Johann de Wet, and Bennie Stipp behind the De Wetshof stand at ProWein.
From ProWein, Team De Wetshof embarked on a very special journey of discovery which had to do with the aforementioned Bateleur.
Discovering the Clos des Mouches vineyard in France
Although now firmly rooted in the limestone soils of De Wetshof, the Bateleur vineyard originated in the esteemed Burgundy wine region in France.
It was in 1981 when Danie de Wet was looking for exceptional Chardonnay plant material to plant on the farm, and without any such material available in South Africa, Danie called on his friend, the legendary winemaker Jan Boland Coetzee. At that time, Jan was working for Joseph Drouhin, one of Burgundy’s leading producers who also own vineyards throughout the region. Jan agreed to make a selection of vine-cuttings from a Burgundian vineyard, especially for Danie. These were snipped from the Clos des Mouches, a vineyard situated on the slopes outside the town of Beaune. The cuttings were then transported from Burgundy to Robertson, where Danie propagated this very special Clos des Mouches DNA for planting. In 1987 the vines were planted where they still stand today and from which the iconic De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay is made.
With this story in mind, Johann, Bennie, Heinrich and Emile travelled from Düsseldorf to Beaune, tracking down the Clos des Mouches vineyard on a grey, cool March afternoon. The vineyard was empty and quiet, the bare autumn vines set on soils of clay and limestone. These vines are the forefathers of the Bateleur in Robertson, and a bottle of De Wetshof was placed in the vineyard as a note of thanks and gratitude. A very special occasion proving that wine can cross boundaries in a number of ways.