Many people say it is not varietally correct to skin-ferment Sauvignon Blanc, but rules are made to be broken and that’s exactly what Diemersdal did with the launch of the Wild Horseshoe skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2015, arguably the first in South Africa.

Unlike most white wines, which are pressed before fermentation, separating the juice from the skins, the grapes used in this wine were fermented for 96 hours ON the skins, before being aged for 11 months in oak barrels, providing the somewhat rare experience of a white wine with noticeable tannin.

The wine was developed from the desire to explore the deeper nature and complexity of this cultivar, according to Thys Louw, cellar master of Diemersdal and chairperson of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group.

“Sauvignon Blanc is South Africa’s most popular single grape variety because the wine it produces usually has aromatic, crisp flavours which the consumer can identify with,” said Louw. “However, as a winemaker, you can’t help but ask yourself questions like ‘what will happen if…’, when you’ve worked with a particular grape for years and want to try something new. These questions are what led to us making Wild Horseshoe.”

The Wild Horseshoe got its name from the hundreds of old horseshoes workers have found in the Diemersdal vineyards throughout the years.

Cellar master Thys Louw, captured with one of his other Sauvignon Blanc ”children”. Diemersdal is now home to 9 different styles of Sauvignon Blanc.

“Viticulture has been practiced on Diemersdal since 1702. The work was done manually, with the help of horses, until the 1930s – which explains the horseshoes” said Louw. “The word ‘wild’ in the name doesn’t refer to the horses, but to the fact that wild, spontaneous fermentation is part of the unique character of this wine.”

The Wild Horseshoe is made from one of the best vineyards on the farm, which was planted in 1982, with a yield of only three tons per hectare.

There are only 1500 bottles available of the 2015 vintage, so get yours now for the estate for R225 a bottle. Try it with vegetarian fare like bitter greens and eggplant. You’ll thank me later.