An edgy, experimental bubbly from the Breedekloof.
WS Visagie makes small-batch wines from salvaged old vines for Daschbosch Wines. The winery being the boutique concern of Breedekloof co-op uniWines, the second-biggest primary producer in South Africa with some 3 000 hectares under vine. And it’s not just the vines that have some age, the home farm of Daschbosch was granted in 1754.
Edgy and experimental
It’s exactly the size of this operation that has resulted in unique pockets of old vines for Visagie to play with. The wines are edgy and experimental, such as the skin-contact chenin/muscat blend, or the unusual single-variety bottling of clairette blanche, the Avon hewn from vines planted in 1977. Being the Breedekloof, chenin blanc is a major focus, and the Daschbosch Mossiesdrift Steen hails from a single-vineyard planted in 1962.
Passion for site-driven wine
Visagie grew up on a farm in the West Coast region of Vredendal. Agriculture is second nature to him, and farming was always in his future. After school his path led him to Elsenburg, where he completed a degree in viticulture and oenology. He then worked in cellars across the Cape, soaking up knowledge from a diverse range of terroirs, as far afield as Elgin to Franschhoek and Villiersdorp.
Next up were harvests abroad in the USA, Germany and France. It was at Château Angélus in Bordeaux where his passion for site-driven wines was ignited.
Most importantly he says with a smile, ‘enjoy life’ and this spirit so informs his open-minded approach to winemaking.
Ancient technique
The Daschbosch Verdelho Méthode Ancestrale is made with the ancient technique of Méthode Ancestrale, whereby the wine goes through one continuous ferment in bottle. Unlike the traditional method, which requires a secondary fermentation. This method, also known as “pétillant naturel” or “pét-nat” predates the traditional méthode champenoise, with origins in Limoux, France in the 1700s.
Daschbosch Verdelho Méthode Ancestrale
Sunburst limes, the radiant green of a forest at dawn, washing in as refreshing as filtered sunlight. From Daschbosch’s experimental range, which allows Visagie his flights of fancy, this bubbly soars with the grape’s distinct strident acidity. Just enough biscuity-lees contact laces up the punchy fruit for a salty, green apple-kissed finish. Perfect as an aperitif.
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