‘Pearl Mountain’ - Paarl

55km from Cape Town, Paarl proudly bears the title of the third-oldest town in South Africa. A trip down the 11-km long Main Street, the longest in the country, is a trip down memory lane. There are over 100 national monuments along this street and amongst many other historical events, it’s the place of the Poqo uprising in 1962 and where Nelson Mandela took the first few steps of his walk to freedom in 1990.

The landlocked Paarl ward is large and diverse, situated between Simonsberg to the South, Hawekua Mountain to the East and Paardeberg to the North West and includes the wards Simonsberg-Paarl on the foothills of the Simonsberg and Voor Paardeberg.

PAARL POCKET
The Paarl pocket is situated beneath a large granite outcrop (2nd largest outcrop of granite in the Southern Hemisphere), formed by three rounded domes, the most prominent of which is called Paarlberg (Afrikaans), meaning “pearl rock”, as it glistens in the early morning light, especially after it has rained. The Berg River that flows through the Valley is its life artery and sandy soil, one of the three main types of soil found here lies along this river. Granite on the mountain slopes and weathered shale in the North East make up the other two.

The summers are long and warm, and rainfall enough to make irrigation advantageous only in exceptional circumstances. A large variety of grapes are grown in Paarl and its almost impossible to market Paarl as a specialist in any particular style of wine – it has everything as well as the awards to prove that its not just a jack of all trades, master of none.

Semillon and Chardonnay, as well as blend of these, produce a bouquet of fruit flavours with occasional citrus and mineral characteristics. The rich sweetness buffed with boytrytis and a tang of citrus found in the Noble Late Harvest from Nederburg, in particular, have proved the areas suitability for this style of wine.

Red varieties found in Paarl generally produce a medley of fruit with serious structure and richness in both single varietal wines and blends. When it comes to Shiraz, Paarl’s fingerprint is luscious fruit and spice with Fairview offering a range of single vineyard examples and a series of robust and rustic style Shiraz blends. Seidelberg produces outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon.

VOOR-PAARDEBERG
This ward lies a few kilometres north-west of the town of Paarl. It is a warmer area with southerly winds throughout the year helping to cool the vineyards. This hot dry climate favours red varieties, although high lying sites with soils close to pure granite, allow for the production of white like Chardonnay, enlivened by grapefruit aromas and a fresh restrained dry finish. Shiraz is the most prominent red variety, with a complex nose and expressive wild flavours in a balance between fruit and spice while fruity and well-structured Pinotage is emerging (Horse Mountain)

SIMONSBERG-PAARL
The Simonsberg-Paarl ward is warmer than some pockets in Stellenbosch but receives more abundant rainfall (annual average of 800mm) Due to the warm climate, sites on the Mountain slopes are used for heat-sensitive white grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with great success.

This area is quite diverse in style, making very juicy whites and very interesting, layered red wines.

Favourite varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Chardonnay. Glen Carlou has always been recognised for its intense, rich Chardonnay and seriously styled, charming Pinot Noir and Shiraz wines with their timeless, classic style. Very sandy soils are noticeable when approaching the Backsberg property – a very important component for the steely whites produced here. Shiraz produced in this ward has deep, complex layers of fruit, with some peppery, savoury characters - Lindhorst and Backsberg are the some of the main shiraz producers. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and blends thereof show cedar, herbal minty notes with firm acids and good ripe tannins – such is the examples from Rupert and Rothschild.

Below is the Discover Paarl case which will give you Paarl Terroir in a bottle.

Sources: Wosa.co.za places.co.za Wine Magazine The Essential Guide to South African Wines John Platter Wine Guide 2008 & 2009