South Africa ( Tulbagh Swartland, 80 km east of Capetown )
Tulbagh Swartland, 80 km east of Cape town. The Swartland name dates back to Jan van Riebeeck and the first Dutch settlers, when it was called ‘Het Zwarte Land’ (the Black Land). This is attributed to the ubiquitous Renoster Bos, a native bush which turns black after rain and gives the hills a dark appearance. Winters here are cold and wet; summers are hot – sometimes very hot – and dry, though some vineyards to the west benefit from breezes off the Atlantic. Dryland conditions and minimal irrigation result in vines stress, producing low yields of intensely expressive fruit. The traditional bush vine viticulture of the area involves careful canopy management that slows ripening and maintains good acidity, while requiring hand-picking as a standard practice. The best soils of the region lend themselves well to the planting of Rhône varieties – a relatively recent discovery and one that is paying great dividends for local winemakers. While most of South Africa’s farms have spent recent years pulling up Chenin Blanc vines in favour of more fashionable cultivars like Sauvignon, the Swartland remains home to some of the oldest Chenin vines in the country. It has become a varietal speciality of the region, but is also blended with other Rhône varieties and Chardonnay. Swartland Shiraz has for some time had a cult following, but is quickly developing a reputation for world-class examples of this evocative grape.
Dewaldt’s father took over the family farm, Uitvlug, from his father when he was only 19. It is an austere land that he had to work on. Uitvlug is nestled in the Joubertskloof, the eastern most kloof in the Perdeberg and the heart of the Swartland, one of South Africa’s starkest and most demanding wine growing regions. It is no understatement to say that Dewaldt grew up among the vines. In a region where farm boys are expected to be able to drive by the age of eight, the second Heyns son was familiar with hard work at a young age. Perhaps inevitably, his work in the family vineyards taught him a love for viticulture and the honesty of labour. It was also here that he began to identify his father by his hands, marked as they were by a life of toil in the Swartland sun. ‘Since I was young I have identified my father by his hands, which bear the signs of his labour. This stark region keeps you humble; a man has to be close to the soil to be successful here. Growing up on this farm to a great extent has shaped the man I am today.’
Dewald Heyns is starting this label on the premisses of Saronsberg Winery. When we first met him at harvesting time he showed us the process he undergoes from harvest at 4 in the morning, transporting the grapes in small containers which are stored in a cooled warehouse until they are hand sorted, so that only undamaged grapes go into the open fermentors. Every 4 hours the skins are pushed down by hand.