Hooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Pale gold in colour with intense aromas of orange blossoms, apricots and candied orange peel. A luscious wine with good acidity that lifts the palate and gives definition to complex flavours of orange marmalade, beeswax, quince and preserved cumquats, culminating in a clean, honeyed finish.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
10.3 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
202.6 g/L
pH
3.17
ACIDITY
10.4 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
FINED USING
Bentonite
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
Yes
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Piekenierskloof
VEGETARIAN
Yes
VEGAN
Yes
Vinification details
Grapes are harvested over six dates and left on straw mats for 3 weeks to dry. This allows sugars and acids to concentrate and flavours to fully develop. Grapes are destemmed and gently pressed before being transferred into a barrel for fermentation. The fermentation process is stopped by filtration when the wine reaches an alcohol level of approximately 10%. Hooiwijn is matured in seasoned 500ℓ French oak barrels for 6 months before being bottled.
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Hooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Glowing gold in colour, showing aromas of marmalade, apricot, orange blossom, and subtle mineral notes of terracotta pots. Delicate yet complex on the palate, with candied orange peel, dry rooibos tea, and crème caramel complimented with a lifting acidity. Elegant, with velvety sweetness that balances the fresh acidity.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
9.8 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
248.0 g/L
pH
3.32
ACIDITY
8.7 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
FINED USING
Bentonite
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
No
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Piekenierskloof
VEGETARIAN
Yes
VEGAN
Yes
Vinification details
Grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness and left on straw mats for 3 weeks to dry. This allows sugars and acids to concentrate, and flavour compounds to fully develop. Grapes are destemmed and gently pressed before being transferred into a barrel for fermentation. The fermentation process is stopped by filtration when the wine reaches an alcohol level of approximately 10%. Hooiwijn is matured in seasoned 225l & 300l French oak barrels for 6 months before being bottled. Only 3685 bottles were made.
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... the grapes for this deliciously proportioned sweet wine come from old vine Chenin Blanc parcels in Piekenierskloof and show the racy acidity of this higher altitude region.
Tim Atkin MWHooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Vivid aromas of apricot, peach, candied citrus peel and marmalade are layered with subtle hints of brioche and roasted nuts. Delicately sweet on the palate with generous fruit flavours following through from the nose, with notes of beeswax and dried pears adding texture and a mouth-coating richness. Excellent balance of sweetness and acidity that cleans the palate, leaving a lingering flavour of pear juice.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
9.4 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
233.8 g/L
pH
3.18
ACIDITY
8.4 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
No
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Piekenierskloof
VEGETARIAN
Yes
VEGAN
Yes
Vintage conditions
Piekenierskloof has a warm climate, but enjoys light winds from the southwest which results in cool evenings. The vineyards grow at high altitude, 520m.
Vinification details
The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness and left on straw mats for three weeks to dry. This allows the sugars to concentrate and the flavour compounds to fully develop. The grapes were destemmed and pressed before being transferred into barrel for fermentation. The fermentation process was stopped by filtration when the wine reached an alcohol level of approximately 10%. Matured in seasoned 225L and 300L French oak barrels for 6 months before being bottled. Only 2441 bottles were made.
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... more than enough acidity to balance the rich, honeyed, pear and apricot flavours and oak spice
Tim Atkin MWHooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Liquid gold in a glass. This Chenin dried on straw mats shows the essence of the fruit – fresh peaches and persimmon, with mandarin marmalade, grilled peaches and orange blossom on the nose. It follows through on the palate showing flavours of candied ginger, almond pastries and dried herbs. This is a lush, rich wine kept fresh by its tart apple-like acidity and lingering finish.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
9.5 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
205.3 g/L
pH
3.59
ACIDITY
7.0 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
WINEMAKER
Roelof Lotriet
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
No
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Piekenierskloof
VEGETARIAN
No
VEGAN
No
Vintage conditions
Piekenierskloof has a warm climate, but enjoys light winds from the southwest which results in cool evenings. The vineyards grow at high altitude, 520m. 2018 was a very dry vintage, with an average rainfall of just 317mm.
Vinification details
The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness and left on straw mats for three weeks to dry. This allows the sugars to concentrate and the flavour compounds to fully express themselves. The grapes were destemmed and pressed before being transferred into barrel for fermentation. The fermentation process was stopped by filtration when the wine reached an alcohol level of approximately 10%. Matured in old 225L and 300L French oak barrels for 6 months before being bottled. Only 3300 bottles were made.
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What an amazing wine this is!
Tim Atkin MWHooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Deep straw colour with aromas of refreshing citrus peel, orange blossoms, granola and ripe mango that give this wine a beautifully complex and layered bouquet. Upfront flavours of dried apricots, honey, dried apple slices and ripe mangos lead the palate into a subtle hint of dusty straw and marmalade, integrating well to reveal an opulent and lingering finish.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
9.3 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
214.8 g/L
pH
3.58
ACIDITY
8.1 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
WINEMAKER
Roelof Lotriet
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
No
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Western Cape
VEGETARIAN
Yes
VEGAN
Yes
Vintage conditions
With 2017 vintage grapes coming from the original vineyard on a north-eastern slope at the very top of Piekenierskloof pass, Donkiesbaai have carefully sourced and encorporated a small percentage of Chenin Blanc from pockets in the Stellenbosch and Swartland regions, chosen to complement the style in which they make Hooiwijn. All these individual blocks of Chenin Blanc bush vines are planted in deep sandy soil and yield an average three tons per hectare. Grape berries were smaller and more concentrated in this 2017 vintage because of the dry climate. Yields too were much smaller but the quality of the grapes were exceptional.
Vinification details
The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness, and left on straw mats for three weeks to dry. This allows the sugars to concentrate and the flavour compounds to fully express themselves. The wine was barrel fermented, and then matured in French oak barrels for 6 months before bottling.
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... consistently one of the best sweet wines in the Cape ...
Tim Atkin MWHooiwijn, Donkiesbaai
Hooiwijn, literally 'straw wine' in Afrikaans, where bunches of grapes are placed on racks covered by straw and twice a week turned by hand.
Golden in the glass with beautiful aromas of apricot, pineapple and honeysuckle adding to a rich, complex nose. Stewed peach, apricot and honeycomb follow through beautifully onto the palate with an underlying hint of caramel oats. The wine shows good structure and great balance between sweetness and acidity, with a long, lingering, fresh finish.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
9.7 %
RESIDUAL SUGAR
238.0 g/L
pH
3.18
ACIDITY
8.5 g/L
ORIGIN
South Africa
WINEMAKER
Roelof Lotriet
VARIETY
Chenin Blanc
TIME IN OAK
6 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
No
CLOSURE
Cork
BOTTLE SIZE
Half bottle
REGION
Piekenierskloof
Vintage conditions
Piekenierskloof has a warm climate, but enjoys light winds from the southwest which results in cool evenings. The vineyards grow at high altitude and the approximate rainfall is 360mm per annum. This was a very dry vintage, with the average rainfall being only 184mm.
Vinification details
The grapes for this wine come from the same block as the Steen (Chenin Blanc), however making the Hooiwijn is an intriguing and very interesting method. The bunches are placed on a rack that have been covered by straw and twice a week the bunches are turned by hand to ensure that they are not sunburnt. Once the grapes reach 40°B they are removed from the racks and can be pressed.
The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness, and left on straw mats for 3 weeks to dry. This allows the sugars to concentrate and the flavor compounds to fully express themselves. The wine was barrel fermented, and then matured in French oak barrels for 6 months before bottling.
Contact us to discuss