In mother nature, tough conditions can create uncommonly beautiful fruit. Perdeberg’s award-winning Dry Land Collection of ultra-premium wines brings this truth to life.
Made from grapes cultivated in vineyards that receive little to no irrigation, also known as ‘dry land’ vineyards, the collection showcases the uniqueness of wines grown in this terroir using age-old traditions. “We want to create wines that are true to this environment,” explains Perdeberg cellarmaster Albertus Louw. “We want to allow the wine to express where it comes from.”
Building on the Paarl cellar’s 80-year history of winemaking excellence, the Dry Land Collection selects grapes from older vines and bush vines, planted in the best soils where they would be sustainable with seasonal rainfall as the main water source. “We try to do things as naturally as possible, with the least intervention,” explains Louw. The variation of weather, soil, drainage and altitude from vineyard to vineyard enables Perdeberg to produce a wide range of wines with distinct qualities and character.
Without irrigation, dry land crops weigh less, with smaller bunches and smaller berries that need to be picked by hand. There is sweet reward for enduring these tough conditions, however: “Most of the flavour is just under the skin, so with less juice and more skin, you get higher flavour concentration,” says Louw.
Intensive vineyard management, including using cover crops for water retention and natural pest control (with no chemical pesticides), protects the vine and ensures the ecosystem is in balance, with the wine as the hero.
Harvested at the height of the recent drought in the Western Cape, the 2018 vintage may have given the lowest yield in the last few decades, but the premium vineyard blocks still developed beautifully – enough for the Perdeberg Dry Land Collection Rossouw’s Heritage 2018 to garner Gold at the 2020 Michelangelo Awards, amongst other glowing accolades for the range.
The Dry Land Collection appeals to enthusiasts who understand and appreciate natural winemaking processes, and who will enjoy sharing these expressions with others at elegant dinners and special occasions. The collection boasts well-balanced wines with complexity and concentration, but also generous drinkability. Value is also a consideration, says Louw: “We really want to try overdeliver on quality for these price points.”
Each wine in the range holds a symbolic name that shares a characteristic of its source. The labels of Courageous Old Vine Barrel Fermented Chenin, Resolve Pinotage, Tenacious Shiraz, Conqueror Cabernet Sauvignon and Longevity Natural Sweet Chenin are testament to the endurance of these vineyards.
Paying tribute to the masters who have contributed to Perdeberg’s wine-making history, the collection is completed by Roussouw’s Heritage white blend, named after Perdeberg Cellar founder Jan Roussouw, and Joseph’s Legacy red blend, after Joseph Huskisson, Perdeberg’s first full-time winemaker who pioneered new technologies in SA winemaking in the 1950s.
The award-winning Dry Land Collection is made in a new-world style, complex with ample fruit and structure. These wines are perfect with food or on their own, retailing for between R115 and R145 per bottle.
