Grangehurst Winery

Overview | Vineyards | Our Wines | Winemaking

Overview

Overview of Grangehurst
Grangehurst Winery is a specialist red wine cellar in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Established in 1992 by winemaker Jeremy Walker.
Six grape varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, Mourvèdre & Petit Verdot. Current production (2007)
80 tons of grapes i.e. 5,000 cases of wine per annum.

Wines produced:
- Nikela (a Cape Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage & Merlot)
- Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pinotage
- Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
- Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
- Cape Rosé Blend

Vineyards

Grangehurst is too small to have any significant vineyards of its own. Therefore, in partnership with John Hill, we bought a 13 hectare farm in 2000 - Sunset Vineyard – and planted 6 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002. Another 5 hectares were planted with Pinotage, Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Merlot and Petit Verdot in 2003. All these vines are now in production, and the grapes from Sunset Vineyard – as well as the grapes that we buy in from other prime vineyards in the coastal region of Stellenbosch – are crushed at Grangehurst.

Our winery is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg (“Clear Mountain”) mid-way between Stellenbosch and the False Bay coastline. Apart from the magnificent views of our local mountains (Helderberg, Stellenbosch Mountain and Simonsberg) we also enjoy panoramic views of Cape Town, the Table Mountain Range, Cape Point and False Bay. The cool southerly summer winds that blow across this bay have a very beneficial effect on our vineyards.

The vines from which we select our grapes vary in ages from 4 to 16 years. The trellising systems vary from bush vines to 5-wire trellises; and soil conditions also vary considerably – from the sandy, gravely soils of Firgrove and parts of the Helderberg to the fairly rich, Oakleaf and Tukulu soils of Sunset Vineyard (Greater Simonsberg).

These variations in soil, climate and vineyard practices provide grapes with a number of different flavours and characteristics that contribute to the complexity and fascination of our wines. The tasting and blending of the wines from the different vineyards is one of the most interesting aspects of our winemaking process.

Our Wines

Current Range

The Grangehurst range comprises the following wines:

Nikela – a Cape Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – a blend of two of the important Bordeaux varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve – single varietal wines from “the king of red grapes”
Pinotage – South Africa’s “own” variety, which we always blend with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon
Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon – new to the Grangehurst range – a blend of two very different grape varieties that create an interesting harmony
Cape Rosé Blend – a dry rosé blend with Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and/or Shiraz.

The Nikela has been part of the Grangehurst range since 1997, which was Eddie and Betty Walker’s last vintage. Having lost both his parents within a few months of each other, Jeremy decided to produce a special wine as a tribute to them for all the help – moral and financial – that they had provided over the years. The word “Nikela” is an adaptation of an African word and means “to offer a gift of dedication, respect or tribute to one’s ancestors”. The vintages since 1997 to the current vintage (2001) have all been blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, and Merlot. At some future stage, Nikela will probably include Shiraz and Mourvèdre (which will replace the Merlot).

The Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend and the Pinotage have been produced each year since 1992 – with the exception of 1999, when we did not bottle any Pinotage.

Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled as a single varietal wine in 1992 and 1993. In 2000 we bottled a single varietal wine under the IOD (Institute of Directors) label. Although this wine was a great success – actually because of the success – we decided to reintroduce Cabernet Sauvignon under the Grangehurst label in 2001.

In 2005 Jeremy decided to produce a dry Rosé - initially only for home consumption. However, he got a bit carried away and made far more than could be consumed at home. This wine was therefore launched under the Woodhill label. Subsequent vintages will be marketed under the Grangehurst Label.

The Grangehurst Wines Currently Available - And their labels - Are Shown Below:

Nikela
A Cape Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot; name means "a gift or tribute to one's ancestors" - chosen by winemaker Jermy Walker for his late parents, Eddie & Betty.

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Consistently highly rated wine since its maiden vintage in 1992. A blend of the two main Bordeaux varietals - complex, flavourful and well structured wine with good ageing potential.

Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Some vintages under the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) label - some under the Grangehurst Reserve "Black & Gold" label. Big, intense wine for special occasions at least five years after vintage.

Pinotage
South Africa’s “own” red grape variety blended with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon; serious, barrel matured wine to be enjoyed with fine cuisine - especially game and meaty seafood such as tuna.

Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend with generous sweet spicy red berry fruit from the Shiraz and rich flavours and robust tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon; bottled under the Grangehurst Reserve "Black & Gold" Label.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Similar to the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, but without the Merlot. Rejoins the range with a 2001 vintage - the first since 1993. Elegant, structured and long-lasting wine.

Winemaking

We follow very basic winemaking techniques at Grangehurst. Besides a small quantity of rosé, we only make red wines and are able to make use of the traditional methods of winemaking such as fermentation in open vats (kuipe), punching of the skins with wooden paddles (pigeage) and pressing the skins in wooden basket presses. In 2004 we introduced a sorting table to enable us to remove MOG (material other than grapes – such as leaves, bits of stalks) and unripe grapes prior to crushing.

After fermentation and pressing, our wines are matured in oak barrels. We have ± 80% French and ± 20% American oak barrels and the wines remain in barrels for between 10 and 30 months, during which time they are clarified by the natural settling and racking method. The only time our wines are filtered is immediately prior to bottling, which is done on our premises.

Our bottling system has evolved over the years and we are now able to bottle very gently without using any pumps – the wine gravity-flows from our upper level bottling tanks through a clarification filter into a 6-head filling machine. The bottles are corked using a semi-automatic corker. The capsuling, labelling and other packaging operations are all done by hand.