A wonderful thing about being surrounded by vineyards is the unsentimental, unceasing and yet truly exquisite way the passing of time is observed.

The flourish and leaping greens of summer, almost overnight, give way to burnt orange, rusty red and brown leaves. All too soon, these are swept off by the wind – leaving gnarled, exposed vines to brave the chill and wet of winter alone. And then, as quickly as it disappeared, green life breaks through the seemingly dead branches and the cycle begins again.

Right now at Constantia Uitsig, we are encircled by the rich colours of Autumn. After a busy harvest, it’s time to rest the vines and let the soil recover. To this end, we’ve just finished enriching the blocks with organic fertilizer and are now hard at work sowing the cover crops between the vines.  These beans and flowers will not only look lovely between the stark winter vines, but they also serve a vital role in replacing nutrients and luring the right insects to create a healthy eco-system on our farm.

We’re also in the process of removing an old block of Chardonnay vines (used to make some of our unwooded Chardonnay) and preparing for a new block of Muscat that will be planted soon.

In other news, the construction of our very own winery and tasting facility is well under way. We’re looking forward to welcoming you and our 2018 harvest into our 5-star building sometime next year. Watch this space!