The Swartland area has emerged as one of the leading and most expressive wine producing regions in the Western Cape. Ever since Charles Back initiated the exploration of the region for quality wine production, many leading wineries have looked to the area and talented winemakers are learning more about the region’s terroir each vintage with exciting results. Deep ferric and composite soils allow for dryland viticulture and the untrellised bushvines produce grapes of intense concentration and in turn complex, rich flavoured wines. The cooling Atlantic breezes lend natures hand in the vineyard, helping to sustain the low-yielding vines through the hot warm dry summers, and cool wet winters.
The Spice Route Winery’s vineyards are located at two sites – Malmesbury and Darling. Careful research and consideration has gone into selecting the varietals best suited to the unique terroir of each area and vineyard.
At Malmesbury, red varietals such as Syrah, Pinotage, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Carignan and Grenache have been selected and the fruit continues to deliver on the promise that the land has showed. White wine varieties Viognier and Chenin Blanc are also planted, producing exceptional, richly flavoured wines. The Malmesbury vineyards are all dry land farmed and are predominantly untrellised bushvines, (only our Pinotage vineyards on the Rheeboksfontein site are trellised). The soils at these vineyards are a combination of Malmesbury shale the descriptively named Koffieklip (coffee stone) soils. Red clay subsoils retain the moisture required for dryland (unirrigated) farming.
Darling is increasingly regarded as a prime Sauvignon Blanc growing area in the Western Cape. Spice Route’s vineyards on the rolling hills outside this sleepy town are less than 8km from the Atlantic Ocean and its cooling breezes are instantly apparent if one visits the site. The deep red Oakleaf soils here are perfectly suited to producing Sauvignon Blanc grapes of intense flavour and intriguing minerality. These vines are trellised and with strong vigour require constant attention to ensure that yields are carefully managed. In addition to 60 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, Charles Back and Charl du Plessis have bushvine Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Shiraz vines comprising the remainder of the 100 hectares of vineyard.
