Happy Valley Distillery Unveils South Africa`s First Gin Of Origin

The fun-loving team at Happy Valley Distillery, situated at Moreson Wine Farm in Franschhoek, has been busy lately. Slaving over the still, Nikki Friedman and Clayton Reabow created a small-batch gin made from chardonnay grapes. 

Wildcraft Equinox 79 is South Africa’s first “root to table” gin. The grapes used as the base-spirit were selected from Vineyard B01, located in the heart of the family-owned wine estate. The vapour-infusion ingredients were also sourced from the farm and the greater Franschhoek region, all ensuring that Wildcraft is South Africa’s very first terroir driven gin.

Wildcraft Gin allows one to explore the effects of terroir, highlighting how location, climate, soil type and myriad other conditions affects the juniper, also planted at the farm.

Wildcraft was born out of the Happy Valley Distillery team’s desire to create a distilled product that embodied the same ethos as the wines of Moreson – soul and integrity – all while adhering to their golden rule: zero compromise on quality.

Launched on the 20th of March, Wildcraft Equinox 79 signifies the Autumn Equinox. At this time of year the Moreson chardonnay wines are maturing in the cellar and begins to lose its primary fruit characters, namely lemon, lime, pear, apricot and pineapple. These are supplanted by richer and distinctly buttery secondary characteristics. The primary fruit is replaced with clear citrus notes and a warming toasty spice.  It’s these very specific secondary characteristics that inspired the flavour profile of Equinox 79, the distillery’s seasonally inspired winter gin.

Distinctive and utterly delicious, this new addition to the craft gin market is bound to sell like hot cakes. It’s currently only available for purchase at the farm or online.

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Wildcraft Gin Equinox 79