Hermit on the Hill

As Secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group of South Africa (SBIG) it has been part of my job over the last few years to put together technical seminars for winemakers.  At these seminars we have fantastic speakers (including international presenters) extolling the virtues of reductive winemaking, the role of methoxypyrazine and thiols in the aroma and taste of Sauvignon Blanc, the protection of CO2 when transferrring wine, and many more fascinating subjects that will have all of you sitting on the edge of your seats!

What would happen, I asked myself, if one were to break all the rules and guidelines advocated at these technical seminars (I do have quite a rebellious streak in me!)  If you were to take in the grapes and not put them through the crusher, but rather just put them in barrels with the lids taken off?  Then just lightly break the grapes, but leaving the stems and skins with the grapes in the barrel, allowing the juice to interact freely with oxygen before fermentation and then not adding any commercial yeast, but letting nature take its course and allowing spontaneous fermentation.

Well, it all sounds very risky, and it is, but the final result of this experiment is now available and have received some lovely write-ups from people like Jamie Goode (www.wineanorak.com).  Order it direct or contact your nearest wine retailer to order it for you.

Total production of 3 000 bottles and a low alcohol of 12.37% – perfect for summer quaffing and partnering with oysters, seafood and salads.

Soon to be released, Hermit on the Hill The Sauvignier 2009 is an equal blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.  Bottled under screwcap, and to retail for about R50 a bottle, this will hopefully become a summer quaffer (although, with only 3 000 bottles available, it probably won’t last too long).  Harry Haddon had the following to say after tasting the wine earlier this week:

“The nose was like a floral apricot boiled sweet. In the mouth the wine is whisked along by the zippy Sauvignon which tempers the Viognier, not allowing it to dominate.  … Scrumptious. It made me think of pig-tails: bouncy, carefree, and not bovvered”

The White Knight 2009 is the first white wine from the Hermit on the Hill stable.  It is a wine for people who are bad at arithmetic, with two thirds of the blend Sauvignon Blanc, one third Semillon and the rest Muscat Blanc … OK, the Muscat Blanc is just a dash, about 4%, but it definitely does make a difference.

The wine is crisp and fresh with a full mouthfeel and long finish.  A portion of the Sauvignon Blanc was naturally fermented on the stalks in old oak barrels, definitely not your standard way of treating this fickle grape variety.

We are very proud of this wine and the only negative comment we have had so far is that we should have bottled it in magnums as the wine just disappears too fast from a normal 750ml bottle!

We have had some good reviews, including Cathy Marston including it in her list of Top 10 Unusual Wines under R100 and listings include Wine Concepts Newlands and Kloof Street, Vino Pronto, Caroline’s Waterfront, Societi Bistro and the newly launched Café Nood in Claremont.

Lynne and John Ford of Main Ingredient also listed it as one of their “lesser known vinous gems” in the Sunday Times.

Total production of only 200 cases (x 12) so it’s not going to be around for long … get your order in asap.

Cathy Marston describes The Hermit on the Hill The White Knight 2009 as:  “Spicy and lively with a really fun label, this is as off-the-wall as you can get.”  Who are we to disagree …

As secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group of South Africa (SBIG) I recently had the opportunity to go on a European fling to promote the excellence of South African Sauvignon Blanc.  Check out the story here:

Southern Sauvignon Stars Meet Northern Lights

For more information, visit www.durbanvilleboutiquewine.co.za