2009 an excellent year for South African Sauvignon Blanc

	Monday, April 06, 2009    by Pulse PR
	South Africans can look forward to superlative Sauvignon Blanc when the first of vintage 2009 is released towards the end of the year. This, despite heat waves that led to predictions of gloom in certain producing areas around the Western Cape.
	In Spier Wine's case, forward-thinking vineyard practice buffered the effects of the heat; with canopy control creating shade and allowing cooling breezes to filter through the vines. The use of cover crops prevented water loss in the soil, reduced soil compaction and helped to keep the temperature low. Additional cultivars that are shaping up well are Chardonnay and Semillon. Tank samples are showing a concentrated flavour that is likely the result of unseasonably cool weather in late December and early January. Spier Cellar Master Frans Smit says, "I was pretty pessimistic about the Chardonnay because of the rain we had while the grapes were ripening. In the last few days however, the tank samples have been exceptional, so we've every reason to expect good things with the cultivar." Bordeaux-style red grapes are also performing well; in Spier's case particularly in mountain-slope vineyards where less irrigation was used. The grapes have ripened evenly despite the extreme heat; a result that owes in part to the picking out of leaves and green bunches of grapes, says Spier Viticulturist Johann Smit. "The red grapes had no problem with physiological ripeness. We broke leaves away to thicken the skins and allow maximum colour formation in the grapes. Removing green bunches leads to a lower yield, and greater fruit concentration in the grapes that are left on the vine." As with prior years, Frans and Johann have found that vineyard of origin may not correlate 100% with grape quality. "This is the cycle of farming," Frans says. "Certain blocks are unexpectedly great, while others don't produce the expected result. We taste tank samples every day with a list of vineyards of origin. It's great when the quality correlates but we certainly don't choose wines just because they came from a certain vineyard block." Output is seen as the final deciding factor; in Frans' words, "the wines speak for themselves". The inputs are meticulous - using small lugs for a daily harvest of 40 tonnes of grapes; a process unique to Spier at that harvest quantity - picking at night and hand sorting to achieve the best results. An exciting addition this year is Spier's first wine to be made from organic grapes. Fittingly, it's a Sauvignon Blanc using grapes from Koekenaap, a small village in the Northern Cape. Research will continue into the long-term viability of organic wines at Spier. Meantime the team will continue to focus on sustainability, with natural methods of rodent control and reduction of water loss amongst the projects at work in the Spier home vineyards and contract farms.