Description
Welcome to the Voor-Paardeberg; a Western Cape wine region that has all the charm of an undiscovered country landscape, yet is easily accessible, approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Cape Town. The Vondeling vineyards run off the South-facing slopes of the Paardeberg Mountain where the decomposed granite soil, along with habitual afternoon South Westerly winds, give their wines a vibrancy in an otherwise warm climate area. The first vintage of Vondeling wines made from their own grapes was in 2005; there are now approximately 100 hectares of vineyard, mostly planted to Mediterranean varietals. The older vineyards, which include Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1983 and Chenin Blanc in 1986, have come into perfect balance over the years and provide some of Vondeling’s most valuable fruit which is turned into wines with a unique ‘fingerprint’ of origin from minimal intervention during the winemaking process.
The flower was named after Lady Anne Monson, the great grandchild of King Charles II. Controversially, her first marriage was dissolved, due to the birth of an illegitimate child but she soon remarried Colonel George Monson of the Indian Military. She was known as a “remarkable lady botanist” and was instrumental in translating Linnaeus’s famous “Philosophia Botanica”. On her way to Calcutta, she visited the Cape of Good Hope and accompanied seasoned collector of South African plants, Carl Peter Thunberg, on several expeditions around the Cape. In 1774, he named the Monsonia species of plants after her.
The wine has a vibrant ruby red colour with a dash of purple. The nose is refined opulence personified. Bright violets are infused with dark fruit with just a hint of earth and wood smoke. Sweet spices abound, rich in cloves, subtle nutmeg and aromatic coriander. The palate is alive with redberry fruit and has a chocolaty richness with undertones of wild herbs. The wine has a full, viscous texture and a lingering finish.
Food Matches: Rare roast beef, beef stews, oxtail, pork belly, venison, wild boar.
