Winter in the cellar
From the outside, winter appears to be a very quiet, peaceful time on the farm and although we do enjoy sitting in front of the fire with a lovely glass of red, it also marks a time of crucial decision making and a critical reset for the vineyard.
With vines dormant and cover crop emerging, the teams are preparing for the yearly pruning ritual, where the vines’ canopy and balance is largely determined. Cold units are accumulating ahead of schedule and soil moisture levels have recovered nicely in our area and we were luckily spared much of the damage many of our colleagues in the industry suffered with the floods.
This is also the time of the year when we have our allocation tasting for the past vintage. This means that every single component in the cellar is tasted, discussed, rated and ultimately allocated to the blend where it will make the best possible contribution. Whether it is a young block of first crop Merlot, or the oldest block on the farm, our Petit Verdot – all components are vinified separately and matured up to this point as individual components. After this crucial selection, the bench trial blending will start, that will ultimately determine the 2026 vintage blends – all of which will be physically made in the latter part of the year, for further maturation as blends. So ensuring consistency of quality, while remaining expressive of the vintage and the estate.
New release: Meerlust Estate Red 2023
The Estate Red is produced from younger vineyards on the Meerlust Estate, as well as vineyards not selected to be included in the Rubicon blend of that vintage. The oak regime is adjusted to a combination of 300lt Bordeaux barrels as well as larger foudre for 12 to 14 months.
The 2023 vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Award: The Estate Red 2023 scored 4.5 stars in the 2026 Platter's Guide.
Meerlust's Celebration of Merlot dinner showcasing 3 decades of Merlot
Meerlust Estate, having first planted Merlot in the early 1970's, produced the first Meerlust Estate Merlot in 1984. Packaged under a unique gold label, it has been affectionately referred to by lovers of this wine as the 'Meerlust Gold'.
On Friday, 7 August 2026, Meerlust will host a Celebration of Merlot Dinner, showcasing three decades of Meerlust Estate Merlot, paired with a 5-course dinner created by Chef Drikus Brink from Toevlug Restaurant.
Only 30 tickets available online at R1 595 per person for Meerlust Wine Club members.
Venue: Old Distillery, Meerlust Estate, Stellenbosch
Date: Friday, 7 August 2026
Time: 18h00 for 18h30
Cost: R1595 per person
Click HERE to book your spot.
Wine tasting at Meerlust Estate
Visit our tasting room to taste our full range of Meerlust wines. Our tasting room is open to receive visitors from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00, and on Saturdays and public holidays from 10h00 to 15h00.
- Standard Tasting (no booking required): We offer a tasting of our full range of wines, including the Rubicon, at R150 pp, which is refundable per person who purchase wine after their tasting.
- Seated VIP Tasting (booking required): Our VIP tasting will be presented by a senior member of the team, in our private seated tasting room. It includes our full range of current vintage wines, as well as an older vintage of Rubicon and one of our other Estate wines. The wines are served in Riedel varietal range glassware. A fee of R350 pp applies.
For bookings, please email tasting@meerlust.co.za.
We look forward to welcoming you to Meerlust to enjoy our range of red wines over the cold winter season.
Kind regards,
Hannes and the Meerlust team