ARUMDALE GLAD HEARTS’
BULLETIN
Hello in early May 2010, from
Arumdale to all the “Arumdalers” as
we start to say:
“GOODBYE SUMMER!”
Funny how it happens that, as
February on Arumdale leads towards
the first days of March, the early
mornings begin to have the damp
residue of the night, and the cool
wetness of the dew glints on the
sharply etched edges of the vine
leaves…
THE DAMPNESS HERALDS THE FALL
On the, the 12th of
February, the dampness of the
morning saw me, accompanied by
Bernard du Toit, and the winemaker
Franz Blomendahl, testing sugars and
bunch maturity in our especially
small Sauvignon Blanc block. The
decision was to aim for a slightly
lower alcohol content in our wine,
therefore to take the grapes off in
prime condition in ‘week three’ of
February. The lower leaves were
first stripped off to reveal any
‘suspect’ green, or immature, bunch
that might still have been avoiding
removal to protect against any
unwanted acidity creeping in to the
wine. The early morning harvest, and
the cool processing of the grapes
will be locking in the beauty of the
cultivar…
The cool-climate, which prevails
here, allows us to wait in patience
for the slowly ripened grapes to
reach a soft, and gentle maturity
before harvest. As a rule, the
harvest dates can extend as far as
eight weeks after the more
‘traditional’ production areas in
South Africa. Phenolic ripeness is
something which is much more easily
achieved where the sugars do not
build up too early in the season.
The resultant hallmark of such wine
is softness, smoothness, and
elegance.
CHATEAU-STYLED WINES…
ARUMDALE is aiming to produce it’s
own particular Chateau-styled wine,
and the improvements come with the
experience of the years. There is no
other vineyard that produces in the
exact way that ARUMDALE does, with
its own uniqueness.
Well, the grapes were beautiful and
the concentration now is upon the
winemaking process. What wonderful
promise of a ‘tipple of note’ for
the latter part of the year.
The long-held aim of coming up with
a Sauvignon Blanc made in the “sur
lees” manner, where the yeasts are
allowed to remain with the wine for
a very extended period, may well
happen this year. The really
discerning tounges have a penchant
for this style of Sauvignon Blanc.
AND THEN THE REDS…
So, the autumnal season continued,
with a beautiful warmth during the
time when the colour of the red
grapes began to appear (veraison).
There were the odd days which were,
shall we say, on the uncomfortable
side of warm, leading us to believe
that there was a possibility of the
ripeness being chased on, and the
maturity making us harvest earlier.
It was not to be, and the harvest of
the Merlot and Shiraz commenced mid
April as usual, with vineyard leaves
changing to an array of fall
colours. The build-up then, was
towards the Cabernet Sauvignon, as
the month closed, the last rows of
which were harvested in the first
days of May!
Franz feels that there is very fine
expectation for the juice in the
fermenting tanks… so we shall be
waiting in eager anticipation. Each
year, he says, gives an important
contribution to his Arumdale
wine-making knowledge.
SHOWING, INDEED GREAT FUN..
Arumdale has been doing tasting for
the ‘Jo’burghers’, at Montecasino,
the Greater Cape Town area at Bien-Donne,
Simondium, devoted Hospital Caring
Staffers for physically disabled, at
The Waterfront, C.T.
We have been invited to sponsor wine
towards the exclusive
“Good-Safari-Guide” Award Dinner at
the Hilton in Durban, and are
presently looking forward to meeting
some of the finest in the tourism
sector.
EVER LOOKING FOR DISCERNING FOLKS..
We are proud to say that interest in
our brand has been growing, with the
number of five-star clients being
exemplary for such a ‘new’ entrant
to the amazingly complex field that
exists in our tradition-steeped
Western Cape.
We wish you well in your pursuit of
fine tuned living and the best of
Arumdale.
Hic!
M A R K S I M P S O N, and our
dedicated team.
M A R K S I M P S O N
ARUMDALE Tel: +27 21 848 9880
ARUMDALE Fax: +27 21 848 9683
ARUMDALE e-mail:
royalwine@arumdale.co.za
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