The sold-out signs are down, with Diemersdal Wine Estate’s popular Sauvignon Rosé back on the shelves now that the 2017 harvest is done and dusted. This rosé, comprising of 93% Sauvignon Blanc blended with 7% of Cabernet Sauvignon, is an ode to Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, two grape varieties with strong genetic ties as the latter evolved from a crossing between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

“Rosé is one of the fastest growing wine styles in South Africa, and with every year’s release of our Sauvignon Rosé the demand for rosé just seems to escalate,” says Thys Louw, cellar master and proprietor of Diemersdal Wine Estate, one of the oldest wine producers in the Durbanville wine region.

The release of Diemersdal Sauvignon Rosé 2017 follows on a vintage that delivered grapes of exceptional quality and healthy volumes, despite the ongoing dry conditions the Western Cape has experienced over the past two years.

The wine is made to a recipe Louw himself concocted. “Being Sauvignon Blanc specialists, Diemersdal was always going to use this variety,” he said. “And for adding colour and further depth of flavour, what better partner could one ask for than Cabernet Sauvignon, the off-spring of Sauvignon Blanc?”

In the making of this wine, Louw uses traditional reductive Sauvignon Blanc wine making, the wine spending one month on the lees with regular stirring to add complexity and mouthfeel. Three weeks before bottling, a 7% component of fresh Cabernet Sauvignon is added to create the coral colour as well as creating a delectable rosé flavour profile.

“For me, this appeal of this rosé lies in the combination between typical Sauvignon Blanc flavours of goose-berry, passion-fruit and lime lifted to a new level by juicy berry characters of the young Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Louw. “What you see is what you get: easy-drinking, fresh and a wine for any place and any time.”

The Diemersdal Sauvignon Rosé is best served well-chilled and is the perfect accompanied to seafood, sushi, salads and spicy Asian dishes. Available at the recommended retail price of R60.