Let's talk little, let's talk wine
The Soldaat cuvée, from the Dutch meaning "soldier" in Afrikaans, is a pure Grenache. This wine, both delicate and concentrated, shines with its ease of tasting and its exceptional persistence in the mouth. The vines at the origin of this wine were meticulously cultivated according to sustainable agricultural practices, drawing their essence from decomposed granite soils. The care taken in the cellar reflects this same attention. The grapes, harvested by hand, are vinified in concrete vats for a period of about a month, with daily foot treading before proceeding with malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged in wooden barrels for a year. Intended to be kept for around ten years, this wine charms with its fruity notes, its generosity and its slightly fleshy texture. It goes wonderfully with rich dishes such as duck confit parmentier, royal couscous or caramel pork.
Where are we traveling?
The little history of the country
South Africa
The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.