De Wetshof news: A toast to spring and the new wine year ahead

A Veritas Double Gold medal went to the De Wetshof Limestone Hill 2023 which has become a regular podium finisher at these and other annual wine competitions. Veritas Golds were awarded to the iconic De Wetshof Bateleur 2021 made from a single-vineyard planted in 1987, as well as to the De Wetshof Finesse 2022.

De Wetshof’s third Veritas Gold went to the Sauvignon Blanc 2023, another variety that along with Chardonnay, De Wetshof pioneered at the Cape in the 1980s.

Our showing at the Michelangelo and Veritas competitions underscores De Wetshof’s reputation as a true House of Chardonnay with five of the winery’s individual Chardonnays achieving Double Gold or Gold status. Not only do these achievements recognise the estate’s focus on producing quality Chardonnay, but also its ability to offer diverse wines from this Burgundian variety each reflecting distinctive parcels of terroir found on the Robertson property.

Just released: De Wetshof Blanc de Blancs 2021

Just in time for spring and summer, De Wetshof has released the second vintage of our Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique, a bottle-fermented sparkling wine made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. This Cap Classique is from the 2021 vintage, and our Blanc de Blancs has already received acclaim with the first vintage having last year won a Gold medal at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge.

Although not De Wetshof’s first Cap Classique bottle-fermented sparkling wine made to the traditional Champagne method, this Blanc de Blancs is crafted from Chardonnay grapes exclusively. And with the estate’s reputation for Chardonnay, this wine has been eagerly awaited by lovers of South Africa’s Cap Classique offering, one of the most popular sectors in the local wine industry with annual combined sales of 11m bottles.

De Wetshof Blanc de Blancs is made by Peter de Wet. A former student of Geisenheim in Germany, Peter has from the start of his winemaking career shown a love of and passion for Champagne and other bottle-fermented sparkling wines. He has worked at various Champagne houses, gaining experience in the viticulture, cellar techniques and the ethos of the Champagne region’s most famous product.

The Chardonnay grapes for our Cap Classique originate from a specific site on De Wetshof, the chalk soils allowing for grapes with the necessary pH and balance between acid and sugar for making the still base-wine. The base wine was kept in stainless steel and in wood barrels, the latter for added complexity, and before placed in bottle for secondary fermentation these two components were blended. The wine spent 24 months in the bottle on the lees, undergoing secondary fermentation where those delightful bubbles are formed and where Cap Classique gets structure and mouthfeel.

According to Peter, the 24-month period on the lees proved to be spot-on for the style of Blanc de Blancs he envisioned for De Wetshof. “There is depth and complexity, a creamy mouthfeel with those typical notes of brioche,” says Peter. “These features are enhanced with a riveting freshness where De Wetshof Chardonnay’s characteristic flavours of citrus, white flowers and green apple come to the fore. The wine is alive and full of energy, and has the refined elegance to ensure a lasting finish.”

Making the popping of the cork from this bottle of sparkling joy just the right way to toast spring and the new wine year that lies ahead!