Garage Winemaking in South Africa Less is More - Cape Wine ...

critical and you can get away without buying stainless steel tanks preferable for
many white wines. Buying in grapes for many garagistes is also favourable to cherry
pick and get a diversity of grapes as well as avoid the viticultural aspect. Pick the
varietal and the area that you like. If you are looking to make a Pinot Noir, choose a
supplier from a cool region such as Elgin where this variety thrives. The Voor-
Paardeberg is very popular for supplying high quality Shiraz grapes. If you want to
make a traditional Bordeaux blend look to Stellenbosch. Almost all grape growers
are willing to sell grapes to private buyers. Pick up the John Platter Wine Guide and
contact a producer you enjoy and inquire if they sell small quantities of grapes. If
they don‟t sell grapes themselves, nine times out of ten they will recommend a
contact. The Garagiste Movement is also frequently sending emails with grape
sellers before harvest time, so get on their mailing list. Wine Ads also advertise
grapes for sale on line. Ideally, you want to get from a reputable grower and be able
to see the vineyard during the growing season. Wine is predominantly made in the
vineyard, so do not expect to make a good wine without decent grapes.
Planting a Vineyard
The other option of course is to establish your own vineyard, which is a long term
capital investment. It is therefore of vital importance that the correct variety and
rootstock choices be made to have an economically viable wine business.
Although vines can be grown under a wide range of climatic conditions and on a
number of soil types, the quality of the grapes harvested can vary considerably. In
order to produce grapes successfully and of suitable quality, the terroir is of great
importance for your site selection. In order to produce high quality grapes, a number
of factors should be considered before planting a vineyard.
Soil preparation is important for correcting physical and chemical restrictions
which impede root development. Profile holes must be dug a meter deep on the
chosen site. Representative soil samples must then be sent off for chemical analysis
to determine the pH and the nutrient content of the soil. This will determine whether
lime should be applied to acid soil or gypsum to alkaline soil. If the analysis indicates
a deficiency in nutrients, especially phosphate, it can be supplemented during soil
preparation. Chemical adjustments can be done to a reasonable depth during soil
preparation. 54
The most common physical restrictions are: soft layers of different textures as
found in alluvial soils, compaction as found in saline and/or soil with a high clay
content, hard layers in sub soil formed by concretions of Calcium, Magnesium and
Iron, shale/sandstone in the subsoil, clay subsoil, and free water forming a water
table within the desired root depth. Improvement of these restrictions requires heavy
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