The Story
Good weather conditions in Spring led to even bud break, but extended periods of above normal temperatures contributed to negative e ects on flowering which resulted in lower production. A warm, dry and windy summer accelerated ripening by 2 weeks. The dam ran very low towards the end of the season, so water management was critical. One positive about the dry season was that there was no disease, and the vineyards stayed healthy through the season.
The vineyards were harvested at night to ensure the grapes come in as cold as possible. Bunches are destemmed, crushed and passed through a mash cooler to a pneumatic press for juice extraction. Juice is cold settled for 2 days, racked and inoculated with saccharomyces yeast for aromatics and wild yeast strains for palate weight. The juice is fermented at 55– 59°F in stainless steel for 15–21 days. The wine is kept on the gross lees for 4 months with weekly lees stirring to improve mouthfeel. Light filtration & fining is done just before bottling.
Wine Information
Warwick Wine Estate was known as the farm ‘Good Success’ from 1791 until 1902. After the Anglo-Boer war, Colonel Alexander Gordon from the Warwickshire regiment bought the farm and renamed it ‘Warwick’ as a tribute to his regiment. In 1964 Warwick was purchased by Stan and Norma Ratcliffe. The Ratcliffes recognized the quality of the terroir and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon, selling grapes to wholesalers and other wineries until 1984 when the first Warwick vintage was released. Norma Ratcliffe was the first female winemaker in South Africa and her winemaking talent was quickly recognized around the world. Estate Reserve (known outside the U.S. as Trilogy) soon became a paragon of the South African wine Industry. The farm today is still very much a family affair. In2001, Stan and Norma’s son Mike assumed the role of Managing Director.