Allesverloren Estate releases its first Vintage Reserve Port
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
Allesverloren Estate – the oldest wine estate in the Swartland famous for its acclaimed Port and Shiraz – has just released its first Vintage Reserve Port, the full-bodied Allesverloren Vintage Reserve Port 1997.
Passionate owner and winemaker Danie Malan, head of the fifth Malan generation on the estate, made this fortified wine according to the dry style that is typical of traditional vintage Ports. With only three opportunities in a ten year cycle to produce a Vintage Reserve Port, Danie selected the excellent 1997 vintage for its outstanding grapes which had all the virtues required to make this exclusive and very special Port.
The Allesverloren Vintage Reserve Port 1997 is an opulent blend of Tinta Barocca (20%), Souzao (20%), Pontac (20%) and Malvasia Rey, Tinta Röriz, Tinta Francisca and Touriga Naçional. The 43 year old vineyards were cultivated under dry land conditions resulting in grapes that express the unbridled character of the Allesverloren estate. In the cellar, this fine Vintage Reserve Port was aged in oak barrels for two years before spending another 8 years in the bottle for further maturation.
“This tawny-coloured Port delights with raisins, coffee and mocha aromas that follow through to a palate dripping with ripe berries and hints of vanilla and nuts,” said Danie who joined his father on Allesverloren in 1987 after completing his training at Elsenburg.
The Malan legacy for making renowned Port started back in 1956 when Daniel Francois Malan, grandfather of Danie Malan, won the General Smuts Trophy at the SA Young Wine Show for two consecutive years, in 1956 and 1957 with his Port. In 2000, the 1993 Allesverloren Port earned Danie Malan the Peter Schultz Award for excellence in Port production.
“I am not bigger than the wines I make and learn more every year. To me, winemaking is a hobby, I don’t expect great results, and I simply try my best, wait and hope for the wines to surprise me. Over the past ten years I have been taken by surprise more often than expected,” said Danie.
“As a winemaker, you only get the opportunity to make a great wine once a year, which adds up to only about 35 to 40 chances in a lifetime, therefore I always strive towards raising the quality of my wines,” he added.
The Allesverloren Vintage Reserve Port 1997 retails at around R220 per bottle and is available at leading wine outlets country-wide, the estate and from the Vinotèque at the Bergkelder, a unique boutique wine purchasing and maturation facility based in Stellenbosch. Purchases can be made from the Bergkelder Fine Wine Shop. This distinctive Port makes for an excellent aperitif or savour it with a fine cigar at the end of a meal.
Allesverloren Estate, situated on the foothills of the Kasteelberg between the quaint towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West, is open for wine sales and tastings from Monday to Friday, 08h30 to 17h00 and on Saturdays from 08h30 until 14h00. For more information contact the estate at Tel: (022) 461 2320, email info@allesverloren.co.za or visit the website www.allesverloren.co.za.