It was pretty much business as usual from Brampton come the 2017 harvest. Steady volumes, good prospects, and with the majority of the grapes still from Stellenbosch – exceptions including the Char-donnay, which has taken on a Franschhoek compo-nent, and the Sauvignon Blanc, for which much of the fruit now comes from Durbanville, for stylistic reasons.

Brampton remains a stand-alone brand, made at the Boschendal cellar but with its own vineyards, its own barrels, its own cellar door with studios in Stellen-bosch and Franschhoek, and in a different style. Of the various wines in the range, the OVR has be-come a bit of a Playpen (experimental) red in a way, even including some Sangiovese in the mix these days. And the Brampton flagship, Roxton is now in its second year as a blend of Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all Stellenbosch grapes – Roxton having been the name of a top jersey bull from the UK, Brampton having been a top jersey bull from Canada!

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