Author: Gordon Forrest

Waterkloof

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Waterkloof – Stellenbosch, South Africa

Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004, Waterkloof is a family-owned, organic, biodynamic and WWF Biodiversity Champion farm perched high up on the windswept Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Living soils, naturally low yields and a long growing season help provide talented young Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard with naturally balanced grapes that are imbued with a truly defining sense of origin. Those grapes are then transformed into wine with a minimum of intervention. The resulting wines are fine, inimitable and best enjoyed with food.

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Terra de Falanis

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Terra de Falanis – Mallorca, Spain

The Falanis project was created by the founders of Bodega Ànima Negra and is rooted with one foot on the home island of Mallorca and the other foot in the regions of Montsant, Penedès & Calatayud where wines are produced from old vineyards of those regions native varieties. Terra de Falanis was the name used by the Mallorcan historian, author and artist Miquel Barceló to describe the village and people before the existance of the actual village Felanitx, one of the most important villages on the east coast of Mallorca, and home to Anima Negra. AN see the Falanis project as a way of extending the concepts and techniques that they have learnt, in other regions away from Mallorca, applying them further afield from their natural borders, discovering the fantastic possibilities in other denominations of origin.

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Piedra Fluida

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Piedra Fluida – Tenerife, Canary Islands

The Piedra Fluida project came into being with the 2018 vintage with the aim of being a guardian of biodiversity. It is a core part of founder, Mr. Felix Becker’s, strategy to protect and strengthen the conservation of the natural environment and generate economic development in the Canary Islands. This encompasses agricultural production, organic products, livestock production, restoration, ecotourism real estate and organic wine production. 26 hectares of ancient, high altitude, un-grafted vines stretching up to the highest vineyards in Europe at 1687 metres. The indigenous red grape, Lista Negro, is planted on the northern slopes with the whites, made from Listan Blanco, the local name for Palomino, planted in the drier, higher Southern side. Vineyards are tended in the ancestral way – by hand and animal – with no machine access possible to these old parcels and terroirs.

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Benanti

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Benanti – Sicily, Italy

The Benanti family, whose Sicilian roots date back to 1734, were true pioneers of Etna with Giuseppe Benanti being the first to realise the true potential for this unique volcanic region. Etna would not be what it is today, were it not for the visionary work of Giuseppe Benanti. The winery, which was set up in 1988 has, over time, sold off the lesser deemed plots of land and acquired further plots in the most prestigious slopes and Contrada. Now totalling 28 hectares, the winery only produces wines from Nerelo Mascalese, Nerelo Capuccio and Carricante. At the top of the pyramid lie the iconic wines which include Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore, located in the Rinazzo Contrada on the eastern slopes of the mountain made from 100% Carricante; Serra della Contessa Particella no 587 Etna Rosso Riserva is now made from an even smaller and rare parcel of pre-phylloxera vines within the Monte Serra Contrada; Rovitello Particella no 341 Etna Rosso Riserva, along with Pietra Marina, was one of the first wines to be vinified at the winery in 1990 and comes from the terraced vineyards in Contrada Dafara Galuzzo on the northern slopes of Etna. The Contrada selection include Contrada Dafara Galuzzo Etna Rosso, Contrada Rinazzo Etna Bianco Superiore, Contrada Monte Serra Etna Rosso, Contrada Cavaliere Etna Bianco, Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosso, and the very rare 100% Nerello Capuccio Terre Siciliane Rosso. The classic range then comprises an Etna Bianco, Rosato and Rosso DOC. The winery farms organically, and have seamlessly blended the essence of traditional winemaking in the region, coxing the true essence of this magical terroir with the best of modern winemaking techniques and viticulture. Benanti, now run by Giuseppe’s twin sons Salvino and Antonio, strive only for excellence, to uphold the traditions of their father and to further raise the profile of the best wines from Mount Etna.

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Sette

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Sette – Piemonte, Italy

Our great friend Gino is one of the 3 friends also including star winemaker Gian Luca Colombo, that came together in 2017 to tend the vines to craft the wine from a splendid vineyard in Nizza Monferrato. They take their name from the mysitcalk number ‘7’, sette in Italian. This is the prime region for Barbera and one of the communes of the Nizza DOCG. Five and a half hectares of well-ventilated hillside vines aged between 20 and 80 years farmed organically. Vineyards are at around 280m and composed of a mix of limestone, chalk, silicates and grey marls. Production of their 7 wines averages around 30 000 bottles. Like us these are people infused in the world of wine and it’s no surprise that their efforts result in delicious wines to fall in love with.
They sum themselves up in this way:

“Sette is of no use to anyone, one vine, the Barbera that is of no use to anyone. Two denominations, Barbera d’Asti and Nizza that could easily find no place in the wine lists of 99 of the 100 Italian provinces. Sette has no historical link with the territory that hosts it, no grandfather who left the vineyards, no country house with a vineyard from which the grapes were obtained to be sold to the social cellar. Sette is a beautiful vineyard of almost 6 hectares in the heart of Bricco di Nizza with which we have fallen madly in love, taken over from a previous conventional agricultural management and currently under bio and biodynamic management. Sette is wines that nobody needs, so we make them as we please”.

Which just makes us love them more.

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Smiley Wines

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Smiley Wines – Swartland, South Africa

At the heart of Terracura in Swartland are the Smiley non-vintage wines that have not only spearheaded the brand but have been trail blazers for off the beaten track and maverick winemaking in South Africa. First vinified by winemaker Ryan Mostert just short of a decade ago – inspired by the hyper-oxidised wines of the Jura in France – it has grown into a fascinating vehicle with which to push the boundaries of South African winemaking in a region already renowned for raging against the status quo. Winemaker Chris Groenewald of Pounding Grape Wines has taken over production creating, wines that simultaneously intrigue and delight, managing to be both esoteric and accessible.

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Van Biljon

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Van Biljon – Stellenbosch, South Africa

This small boutique farm is situated in the Polkadraai region of Stellenbosch neighbouring esteemed producers like Reyneke and De Toren. The region is known for it’s deep, fertile and well drained decomposed granitic soils and moderating sea breezes off False Bay lying to the South. The farm has been planted with all five classic Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. They are exposed to a cooling sea breeze that gives the grapes ample time to develop character and complex flavours for harvesting and as a result they harvest 2-4 weeks later than the norm for the area. Harvesting is done by hand and only the finest bunches are picked to ensure quality over quantity. In the cellar as much as possible is done manually with minimal mechanical intervention during fermentation. After a gentle press the wine is allowed to mature in oak barrels for between 18-24 months. The bespoke blend is selected from the very best barrels, again with the emphasis on quality.

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Canalicchio di Sopra

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Canalicchio di Sopra – Montalcino, Italy

Francesco Ripaccioli continues his work to further define the unique parcels within each of his vineyards, and to use them accordingly to create wines that are unmistakably Northern Montalcino in character with stunning balance and structure. One of the original Brunello wineries, it takes its name from the Canalicchio or little stream that lies above (Sopra) the stunning new subterranean winery where the Casaccia cru is produced. They also have vines on the facing Montosoli hill. Vines are farmed organically although not certified and the family history in the region is carried aloft by the assiduos knowledge and feel for the fruit that they continue to pursue.

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I Pentri

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I Pentri – Campania, Italy

I Pentri takes its name from an ancient Samnite Tribe and is based in the Benevento province of Campania with 10 hectares of terraced vineyards on the hillsides of Monte Taburno. Husband-and-wife team Dionisio Meola and Lia Falato founded the winery in 2002 after 20 years experience of tending vines and the land in this area close to their hearts. Vineyards are tended and harvested by hand. No chemicals are used and natural biodynamic practices are followed with minimal interventions in the winery. Wines are fermented with wild yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

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Masone Mannu

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Masone Mannu – Sardinia, Italy

Tenuta Masone Mannu is situated in the territory of Monti, a few kilometers from Olbia, nestled in an extraordinary landscape of cork forests, rivers, lakes and Mediterranean scrub woods. The ancient Logudorese name ‘Masone Mannu’ means “large property” and it stretches to almost 100 hectares, of which about 40 are planted with specialized vineyards.

In 2018 the estate was purchsed by Giordano Emendatori,founder of the Tenuta Mara Biodynamic Estate in Emlia Romagna. The vineyards vineyards are home to the pre-eminent grape variety of Gallura: Vermentino. The estet is also home to Cannonau & Carignano vines together with Bovale Sardo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The sea wind, the exposure of the vineyards and the rich nature that surrounds the estate are an ideal location to grow healthy grapes without the use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. This location, along with the history of the estate made it the ideal home for the Southern project of Tenuta Mara, bringing their knowledge and energy to introduce biodynamic practices and methods to further enrich the environment.

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