South African gems - Remhoogte wines

Q: Why choose Remhoogte wines?

A: Remhoogte Wines are grown, made and bottled on the estate situated in the famous Simonsberg region of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape of South Africa. The terroir is perfectly suited to the production of top quality red wines as well as two special Chenin Blanc’s produced from a 30 year old vineyard. Everything is done by hand from the vineyards to the cellar with a focus on quality and to consistently produce great examples of top end wines from our unique terroir.

 

Q:    What is the philosophy behind making Remhoogte wines, and what is the winemaker trying to achieve?

A: We would like people who drink our wines to experience the estate, our soils, our slopes, our vines and our terroir. Wine should be experienced and not merely drunk and we endeavour to make every bottle of our wine a memorable experience. We believe wine is made in the vineyards, and our goal is to allow the vineyards to express themselves by interfering as little as possible.

As a result we have adopted a minimalist approach in both the vineyards and the cellar. The idea being to minimalise the human influence on the final product. In the vineyards we do everything by hand, from pruning to harvesting. We are also proud members of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, and of the Integrated Production of Wine Scheme. We have set aside 30% of the estate and dedicated it to the Western Capes indigenous flora and fauna.

The goal in the cellar is to facilitate the production of wine from grapes and not merely manufacture wine. This is again by following the minimalist approach of nothing added apart from a small amount of SO2 prior to bottling. All grapes are hand sorted in the cellar before they go to tank.. Wild or naturally occurring yeasts are allowed to ferment the grapes before the wine is drained off the skins and allowed to mature in French oak barrels before being racked and bottled. 

" I love opening a bottle of wine, it is like unlocking a time and a place. You can experience the terroir of the wine origin and the climate that the vines experienced in the year the wine was made. This is also why I am passionate about Estate Wines, as you are drinking wine from a very specific place in a specific area. "- Chris Boustred, Winemaker

Q: Which Remhootge wines pair well with Chinese food?

A: The Remhoogte Honeybunch Chenin Blanc is the perfect pairing for spicy dishes with its full, layered fruit and well integrated acidity. The Aspect Merlot and Sir Thomas Cullinan pair brilliantly with red meat dishes with their rich dark fruit and well-structured tannins.

 

Q:  Father's day is round the corner, which Remhoogte wine will be the perfect gift?

A: It would have to be our reserve red, the Sir Thomas Cullinan, named after our Great Grandfather, a maverick of his day and owner of the Cullinan mine home to the largest diamond ever found. This wine is a merlot driven, right bank Bordeaux style blend produced from our best vineyards on the estate.