Vintage 2023 will go down as one of the most memorable - and challenging – in the history of modern Cape wine, mostly as a result of the torrential rain experienced over most the winelands. What began as a refreshingly brisk downpour in December extended into two deluges in March which bucketed down two weeks apart. Slap-bang in the middle of harvest for some wineries, this unseasonable precipitation had winemakers and vineyard teams frenetically trying to get their grapes into the cellar before the next rains came. As at the time or writing, some vineyards are still unpicked as the correct ripening levels are yet to be reached.
Fortunately, De Wetshof's position in the Robertson Wine Valley allowed us to mostly avoid the effects of the inclement weather. Our harvest season traditionally kicks-off a week or two before regions closer to Cape Town and we were out picking Chardonnay in the second week of January. With 70% of De Wetshof planted to Chardonnay and the various blocks ripening in tandem, our prized white variety had been harvested well before the first harvest-season rains descended in the first week of March. The young wines were already fermented dry by then, which brought a huge sigh of relief, as we had heard reports of other areas affected by the deluge while their grapes were still hanging on the vines.