ORWC News

According to Henning Burger, Manager: Viticultural Services at Orange River Cellars, this year’s harvest began with “fits and starts”, with the true large grape volumes only being ready for harvest by the beginning of February. “The cold spring and temperature fluctuations in October and November led to uneven bud and fruit set periods,” Burger says. “Some nights the temperature dropped to as low as 4°C and again rose the following afternoon to 34°C. As one may expect, this substantial variation in temperatures caused some confusion in the vines. The ripening process was therefore uneven, and when the harvest began in the middle of January, it was only 10 to 14 days later than usual that the traditionally early cultivars such as Blanc and Pinotage made their appearance at the cellars.” Orange River Cellars usually harvests between 140 000 and 160 000 tons of wine grapes per year. Another reason for the variations in ripening relates to the grapes of vineyards in irrigated areas of the Orange River in the so-called “outer lands” that are exposed to higher ground temperatures. These grapes therefore ripen quicker as those of the “inner lands” against the Orange that lie below flood irrigation. As a result of the uneven and slower ripening, a particularly busier period in the cellars is expected because the large volume cultivars of Chenin Blanc and Colombard will have to be harvested along with other later varieties. “The pressure on our five cellars – Upington, Keimoes, Kakamas, Grootdrink and Groblershoop – will definitely mount as the farmers send their harvest teams into the ripe grapes and the cellars have to handle up to 1 000 tons of grapes per day,” says Burger. But no work pressures will cause a crisis to the extent of last year when the river was in flood. “Last year’s damage did not spoil much of the harvest, but placed considerable pressure on the cellars as a result of infrastructural damage to roads, bridges and equipment. Fortunately no extraordinary weather conditions are expected, although rain and hail are always possibilities at this time of year,” Burger says. “The farmers, winemakers and viticulturists have by this time however, accumulated enough experience to deal with summer rain conditions.” Grape quality is good, with acids as well as pH on the high side due to the longer ripening. “The biggest portion of Orange River Cellars’ harvest remains Colombard and Chenin Blanc, and thanks to block management we now receive truly good quality from our producers across a diverse range of terroirs,” says Burger. “We are also very excited about the improving quality of Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon. As these vineyards grow older, the fruit becomes more intense and classic, and the winemakers are champing at the bit to show their mettle with these grapes.” Sauvignon Blanc, the most popular wine cultivar in South Africa, increasingly enjoys more attention in the Orange River region. “This year’s Sauvignon Blanc was brought in early, treated very carefully in the cellar and the quality surprised everyone who has tasted the young wine. So too the Nouvelle, an indigenous South African grape variety, which contributes to the image of the Orange River Cellars that produces large volumes of wine, but proves that diversity and volume need not be mutually exclusive. ”

No images for this article