Org de Rac’s Die Waghuis 2016 took top honours at the recent Signature Red Blend Report compiled by leading South African digital magazine Winemag scoring 93pts, one of four wines to achieve this rating in the 2018 competition. Released for the first time last year, Die Waghuis is the flagship red wine from Org de Rac, the leading organic wine farm in South Africa’s acclaimed Swartland wine region situated near the town of Piketberg.
The wine, a blend of Shiraz (66%), Grenache (19%) Mourvèdre (12%) and Verdelho (3%), was one of 68 entries received for this year’s Signature Red Blend Report, the third time that the judging was held. According to Christian Eedes, Winemag editor and convener of the judging panel, the judges’ description of Die Waghuis was: “A very attractive nose with notes of floral perfume and some lifted herbal character before wild strawberry and cherry. Relatively light with vibrant acidity and a saline finish.”
Of the Signature Red Blend category, Eedes says: “The relevant tasting once again proved to be a particularly thought-provoking exercise – flavour profiles, in many instances, are exotic and unusual and therefore challenging. Some wines are inevitably more aesthetically pleasing than others but for wine drinkers looking for something out of the ordinary, the best examples provide real excitement.
“More and more producers seem to be breaking with convention, not just for novelty’s sake but out of a conviction that they need to be innovative in order to best express their terroir.”
Frank Meaker, Org de Rac’s cellarmaster, says the farm’s premium Die Waghuis range is a true reflection of the potential organically farmed Swartland grapes show for making top quality wine.
Frank Meaker, Org de Rac cellarmaster.
“Die Waghuis originates from a vineyard designed to create a three-way blend. We selected a site on the farm’s coolest slope, south-facing and fully exposed to the summer’s cool westerly sea breeze,” he says. “One slope – three varieties: Grenache bush-vine at the top, Shiraz in the middle and ending with Mourvèdre. This was planted with the foresight to one-day harvest the parcels together in a fruit melange.”
After various vintages the desired level of the fruit quality was achieved. In the wine making, certain parts of the blend were fermented together using a range of barrel permutations in terms of age and toasting, with some components aged in 500l cherry wood barrels. “It was an enormously exciting challenge taking the wine to the end. But once completed, you find this incredible melange of spice, aniseed, botanicals and soft ripe deep berry fruit – the list of flavours seems endless!”
Of Die Waghuis premier range Meaker says the quality of fruit these organic vineyards have delivered over the past few years necessitated the introduction of two top-tier Org de Rac wines to show what the property was capable of. Lying to the Cape Town side of Piketberg Mountain, Org de Rac is situated on one of the Cape winelands’ most unique sites.
“The farm lies in isolation, is 50km from the Atlantic and has soils ideally suited to growing a diverse range of wine grape varieties. And it is the quality of these soils and the search for perfection in viticulture that drove the decision to farm organically on Org de Rac from day one.
“This region of the Swartland is where generations have farmed with respect for nature and their unique geography – soil is everything here,” says Meaker.
“The decision was thus taken to keep this precious soil in as pristine and natural a state as possible through organic farming, which is actually just ‘real’ agriculture. The soils are sustainably managed with a rotation of different cover crops, vetches and organic mulching to stimulate microbial activity. When it comes to managing the vines, a strict pruning regimen and diligent suckering programmes are employed to control any occurrence of pests and diseases. Also, we give bunches optimal shading during the ripening season.
“With more-and-more wine regions – especially those in Europe – reverting to organic and natural farming, Org de Rac aims to lead the way in proving that the best wines are made from grapes produced under best practice farming conditions.”
The Winemag accolade for Die Waghuis red wine follows on the recent sterling showing of the white version. The white Org de Rac Waghuis 2016, a blend of Verdelho (37%), Chenin Blanc (37%) and Roussanne (26%) last year achieved a 91pt score from Tim Atkin as well as winning a Gold medal at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards.
