Annandale

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Nestled in a valley below the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountains in the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ of South Africa’s premier wine country, Annandale enjoys panoramic vistas that span to Table Mountain and Lions’ Peak in Cape Town and beyond to False Bay and the soothing swells of the Atlantic Ocean. A river gently meanders through the Wine Estate flanked by trees planted in the late 1600s in the era of Cape Governor Simon van der Stel who mandated that any tree cut for homestead purposes needed to be replanted.

Annandale is the oldest farm in the Helderberg Valley. The first settlers had to wait for 6 years before Governor van der Stel granted title to Jan Wismaar, Annandale’s first land owner. A manor house built in the middle of the 1700’s and a cellar which predates 1700 survives to this day on Annandale Wine Estate.

At the height of its production in the early 20th century, Annandale supported over 500,000 vines on about 100 hectares of land. After the Second World War, part of the Annandale property became a shelter for abandoned and abused horses and home to a riding school before being returned to its roots with its purchase by ex Springbok, Hempies du Toit in 1996.

Annandale focuses exclusively on growing red grapes and producing premium quality red wines. For the past ten years prior to planting the vineyards, Hempies built up the soil at Annandale, principally by planting vegetables, to strengthen the land. Hempies further strengthened the soil with compost and organic fertilizer over this time, consistent with the highest standards of environmentally friendly viticulture practices. Annandale features medium density vine plantings but Hempies aggressively prunes the vines and thins the crop to produce very low yields per vine of very high quality grapes.

Wines are made solely from grapes grown on the 65 hectare Annandale Wine Farm situated in the scenic Helderberg Valley in Stellenbosch. Bunches of grapes are hand-selected during harvesting to maintain high quality control. The entire maceration and maturation process is conducted on-site at Annandale Estate’s cellar according to the finest traditions of Old World winemaking.

In winter, temperatures range from overnight lows of 4°C to daytime highs of 15°C. In summer, temperatures range from overnight lows of 19°C to daytime highs of 36°C. Average annual rainfall approximates 75 cm per annum, which generally produces enough water for the vines to grow without resorting to supplemental irrigation.

Annandale’s vines benefit from an abundance of sunlight, particularly in summer months. Balanced by air movement that includes gentle late afternoon sea breezes that rise from False Bay to cool the vines, Annandale's grapes benefit from a long ripening period that preserves their flavours and enhances their complexity.

Vineyards are situated on westerly and southerly slopes ranging in altitude from 100m to 170m above sea level on gently rolling hills. They’re nurtured by deep, gravely soil with decomposed granite sub-soils featuring the optimal kind of soil structure and soil texture for producing high quality grape yields.

Annandale Wines, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch, 7600
Tel:(021) 881 3560/1
Fax:(021) 881 3562
Web: www.annandale.co.za