The Beginning

It is almost the start of the 2011/2012 season for South Africa, and of course, Darling. The vines are waking up after their winter sleep, and soon we will be in full motion, working hard to get the best quality grapes for 2012, and to get the best quality wines out in the market. This is a journey I enjoy so much every year. This is what makes me get up every morning.

Award Time!!

I would like to congratulate our winemakers on the following awards won at the regional Young Wine Show:

Champion Scarce Red wine Cultivar – Barbera

Champion Natural Sweet wine - Viognier

Class winner: Barbera Unwooded – Gold

Dry red blend – Shiraz/Grenache – Gold

Cabernet Sauvignon Unwooded – Silver

Ruby Cabernet Unwooded – Silver

Viognier Wooded - Silver

I am on the left (black jersey), Welma Visser (White Wine) and Carel Hugo (Red Wine)

Planting Carignan

Planting time again here in Darling, and this year we will be planting Semillon, Grenache, Shiraz, Nouvelle and Carignan.

Carignan is a red cultivar hailing from Aragon, Spain. Carignan is a heavy bearing cultivar and grows in an upright position. It does well in dry areas and are very sensitive to rot, specifically Downy Mildew.

The grapes are mainly used as a blending component due to the intense colour and natural high acidity (with low yields). Wines made from Carignan show spicy notes and red fruit. At Darling Cellars Carignan is mainly used as a blending component to add variation, colour and spicy flavour to the wines.

Blue Monday

Not all Mondays have to be dark and gloomy. Having a blue Monday might be positive, like for instance having your whole world surrounded by blue lupine flowers :)

Invaders Must Die

Probably a bit harsh as a heading for a vineyard blog, by I have an infinite hatred towards invading alien plants in our country. Working close to nature I see first hand the devastating effect invading plants have on our biodiversity and ecosystems. These plants just have a different way of growing, different water requirements (most cases much more than indigenous plants) etc. These trees can for instance dry up a riverbed, destroy valuable wetlands, which is very important in keeping water resources clean and filtered.

So, being part of Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, we are trying to do our part in combating the invasive trees on our property. The biggest culprit is the Port Jackson (Acacia saligna), all the way from "Down Under".

This Australian bugger displaces natural vegetation, uses a lot more water than the Fynbos and Renosterveld it drove out, the seeds survive fires and germinate and grow faster than the natural field, suppressing the field after a fire. It currently occupies an area of more than 1 900 000 hectares in South Africa.