Cape Heights Shiraz 2022, Western Cape

A vibrant Shiraz from the Western Cape, possibly the best Cape Heights Shiraz vintage yet!

Wow, the best Cape Heights Shiraz we’ve ever tasted, this absolutely reflects the super fantastic vintage in the Western Cape.

It is proof of how far South African red wines have come in the past 10 years. It’s fresh, vibrant, positively thrumming with sappy wiry fruit with a bright mineral palate, cranberry fruit and a long, essential finish.

This red wine was made with the barbecue in mind, it's a great partner to homemade burgers or sticky spare ribs.

The vineyards for this Shiraz clamber up the foothills of the Swartland mountains that are comprised of sandstone and alluvial soils.

This region is hot and dry which forces these unirrigated vines to work hard to produce low yields and small berries. Produced from only free run juice and fermented on skins in stainless steel tanks, a portion of the grapes are whole bunch fermented as the ripe stems add to the overall tannin quality of the wine.

The remainder of the grapes are destemmed and pressed. After a third of the sugar has fermented, delestage is done once per day. The wine is drawn off at the bottom of the tank and transferred into a separate tank. Once complete, it is then transferred back into the fermentation tank onto the skins and stems.

This method ensures more air is incorporated into the wine which helps to release the fresh, fruity and spicy aromas known so well in this wine. When the final blend has been made, it is aged on fine lees for an extended period in French oak barrels along with around 15% from the previous vintage. This ensures a more complex wine with greater palate weight and mouthfeel.