Klawer wines 2019 harvest

We received our first grapes on the 3rd of January, and ever since then, the production team worked nonstop, receiving approximately 1000+ tons per day, up until the end of March.

Our production manager, Pieter van Aarde, explained the fact that he’s pleasantly surprised by the good quality wines we’re making from this year’s produce. “The analysis showed high acid levels and the pH levels were low, and that’s perfect!” As a result of the high sugar content, we will be able to make more full-bodied, more aromatic wine, which will surprise the consumer.

The yeast we use also contributes to the taste and nose aromas of the wine and plays a vital role in the winemaking process. We experiment with new yeasts every year, but in the end, we try and use the ones that we’re comfortable with and trust. These yeasts bring out the best possible fruit aromas in the juice to ensure the best end result.

According to one of our white wine makers, Tiaan van Zyl, the Chenin blanc in the Trawal area and Basie van Lill’s bush vine Sauvignon Blanc in Graafwater, caught his attention this year. “Because of our warm climate, we expect fruitier and more tropical aromas, and I think we’ll definitely have that in our 2019 vintage wines.” Our white wine team is currently busy with the centrifuge process, which is one of the ways to filter wines to enhance the appearance, removing unwanted particles, and to ensure that re-fermentation can’t occur.

Overall, our intake of tons reduced by 10% compared to 2018, but just taking the red grapes in consideration, we received much less this year compared to any other year. Roelof van Schalkwyk, our red-winemaker, is still very positive even though he didn’t receive the tons he wished for. For him, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon will take the cake this year around. “Although it’s too early to say, those two cultivars show beautiful flavors on the nose and I’m excited to watch them become great wines!”

Andries Blake, our CEO, is 100% convinced that although we didn’t receive the desired volumes, we will produce high-quality wines to put on the shelves for all the Klawer “wine lovers” to enjoy.

We are very proud of our production team for all their hard work and we know, we’re going to be even more proud of the end result in the bottles!

We used #2019harvest on all platforms to keep our audience updated on harvest news, check it out for more videos and photos.