The first of its kind in South Africa. Inspired by the great Vin de Paille of the Rhone valley and the Jura, first produced in 1997.

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We use exclusively Chenin Blanc, picked at normal (optimum) ripeness and laid out to dry on drying racks under the shade of the oak trees below the winery.

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Typically drying takes about 3 weeks and the sugars concentrate as well as the flavour and acidity (providing balance). Extracting the treacle like liquid from the shrivelled berries is back breaking work in our traditional basket press. This is followed by usually a year long fermentation due to the concentrated nature of the liquid. We usually bottle after nearly 2 years in barrels and the result is intensely sweet yet not cloying.

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