Luddite Shiraz 2018
WO Luddite, Luddite Wines, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Syrah |
| Producer: | Luddite Wines / Fam. Verburg & Meyer |
| Origin: | South Africa / Coastal Region / Bot River |
| Other vintages: |
Description
Deep red colour with intense purple hue. Complex bouquet of wild berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut and roasted flavours. On the front palate there are flavours of plum and spice followed by a gentle touch of blackberries. The wine is supported by fine grain tannins and its length prolonged by well-integrated oak.
Attributes
| Origin: | South Africa / Coastal Region / Bot River |
| Grape variety: | Syrah |
| Ripening potential: | 4 to 10 years after harvest |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Spiced grillades, Bistecca fiorentina, T-Bone steak, Wild specialities |
| Vinification: | fermentation in steel tank, Pumping over, cooling period, fermentation at low temperatures |
| Harvest: | hand-picking |
| Maturation: | in partly new and used barriques/ Pièces |
| Bottling: | filtration |
| Maturation duration: | 12 months |
| Volume: | 14.5 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Luddite Wines / Fam. Verburg & Meyer
Niels Verburg is one of those people who you immediately want to befriend. With his imposing stature and beaming smile, he stands out and magically draws people in.
At an early age, while he was working in Australia, he realised that Shiraz was "his" grape. In Chile, he later found the inspiration for the way he wanted to make his wine.
Together with his wife Penny, he planted his first vines in 1996. The first vintage was pressed in 2000. The small winery with just 6 hectares of vines is located just outside the village of Bot River. Walker Bay is only 30 kilometres away. The mild Mediterranean climate from the nearby ocean gives the vines on the south-western slopes of the Houw Hoek mountains a slow and long growing period. This results in spicy Shiraz with elegant fruit sweetness.
The name of the vineyard refers to the Luddites, 19th century English textile workers who fought against the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, Niels is rather reluctant to use "technology", as he says in a humorous way, both when caring for the vineyards and working in the cellar. Vinification involves as little intervention as possible, if any.
Niels and Penny have fulfilled their dream. In addition to the vines, there are also some olive trees and a few lucky pigs are reared: a rural idyll in South Africa. They epitomize the great change occurring in South Africa since the 1990s: moving away from mass production and towards independent quality wines that do not fear comparison with top international wines.
Syrah
A hint of pepper
The legend stubbornly persists that the Syrah variety came from the Persian city of Shiraz. Yet, researchers have shown that it is a natural crossing of two old French varieties: the red Dureza from the Rhône Valley and the white Mondeuse blanche from Savoy. Wines from Syrah are gentle and concentrated. They smell of dark berries, violets and liquorice, and amaze with a piquant touch of white pepper. As varietal wines, they are found on the northern Rhone, as in the Hermitage or Côte Rôtie appellations, as well as in Swiss Valais. In the southern Rhône Valley, Syrah is often wedded with Grenache and Mourvèdre. In 1832, a Frenchman brought the variety to Australia, where it became the emblem of the national wine industry. There, the weightiest versions develop with typical notes of tar and chocolate.
