White Wine Grapes

The total area of the Faraway House Estate devoted to growing wine grapes is about 15 hectares (37½ acres). Approximately 9 hectares (22½ acres) grow red vines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinotage) and nearly 6 hectares (15 acres) are planted to white grapes (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier). So far we have turned all our red grapes into our High Overberg wines. The white vines were planted in 2005 and are still not yet in full production. We purposely chose very tough sites at high altitude for these vines knowing that such planting will lead to our picking grapes with fantastic flavours but the downside is that they take a long time to become fully established. Moreover we have suffered significant damage to the vines and the fruit from baboons and birds which has set back our production by a further year. Nevertheless we expect to have a commercial crop of white grapes in 2011. We seek to emulate the flavours found in the Chardonnay grown at Kaaimansgat in the adjacent Elandskloof valley. From this fruit magnificent wines are made by some of the best wineries in the Overberg. The elevation of the Kaaimansgat planting is virtually identical to ours and the blocks lie on either side of the same mountain, no more than a couple of kilometres apart as the crow flies. We have tasted grapes from each of the white wine blocks and their flavours are magnificent. One day we may make commercial volumes of white wine but for the present we will aim to sell most of our white grapes to other wine cellars.