Darling Cellars The Old Grain Silo 2019

2023 Veritas Awards - Silver

A wine big in structure, soft in tannin and loaded with spicy,red berry, cigar box and red plum flavours with along aftertaste and well integrated oak nuances.

54% Pinotage, 45% Shiraz, 1% Durif

Pairs well with a beef casserole, braised pork neck, oxtail stew, bolognaise, Biltong &Bobotie (South African favourites!) or any venison dishes.

The grapes were harvested from dryland farmed vineyards in Darling, where the vines are not trellised and planted as bush vines on deep red oak leaf soils. These grapes ripen as nature intended without human intervention. Vineyards are monitored for optimal picking times, adopting a combination of sampling and tasting to optimize the richer tropical (thiol) notes.

5 day cold soak and then cultivars are fermented separately in open top fermenters with a combination of pump overs and punch downs. Alcoholic fermentation is finished on the skins and extended skin contact for another 10 days. Aged for 22 months in 300 litre French and American oak barrels. Only the best barrels were selected for this wine.

The region of Darling has been synonymous with the production of grain since the earliest settlers some 300 years ago. Nowadays vineyards are planted alongside golden wheat fields and whilst the grapes from these vineyards are bringing in the accolades, the old silos which still dot the landscape remind us of our farming heritage. A blend of Shiraz and Pinotage, this wine distinctly reflects Darling’s diversity and pays tribute to that heritage.